 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Vanessa
Date: 2001-11-28 07:07
Can someone suggest a retailer from whome I can purchase a Festival Clarinet?
I am currently in Las vegas but don't really want to purchase from Kessler for reasons I will not mention. I am willing to travel to San Diego, L.A, NYC, and I'm even considering IN cuz I like the people at Pro Winds. Anyway, I would really appreciate the help and advice!
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Author: Dan
Date: 2001-11-28 12:18
Vanessa, may I suggest you contact Brenda Siewert, "The Clarinet Grammy". Go back to the main page, click on SPONSORS, and scroll down to her ad (on the right side) . I believe she can help you. Good luck. Dan
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Author: William
Date: 2001-11-28 13:34
Since you are willing to fly, I would advise trying International Musical Suppliers in Des Plains, IL. They are minutes from O'Hare International and have one of the most extensive on-site inventory of clarinets in the world. Their web site: <htttp://www.intlmusicalsuppliers.com> The owner is a Chicago Area professional clarinetist and knows what to stock regarding clarinets and accessories.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2001-11-28 16:26
I got mine in Oakland CA, at Best Music ...on Broadway?
They had several in stock then, and helpful knowlegable staff. No rush on trying out or anything.
Ginny
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-11-28 16:42
Thanks for the recommendation, Dan. I just sold the only Festival I had. It had been set up by the Brannens and was an excellent one! Sold it off the Sneezy classifieds to a fellow Sneezy. I hand-selected it from Brook Mays Music in Dallas,TX.
I've bought many, many clarinets from Lisa Argiris at International Musical Suppliers and I highly recommend her.
I also recommend Peter Spriggs who has the Festival at a price lower than my cost. He also sets the instrument up with cork uppers and is a very knowledgeable individual. He's also a Sneezy sponsor.
Please use the Sneezy sponsors whenever you can. After all, we enjoy the Sneezy pages and these people (myself included) put their hard earned money into keeping this great website up and running. Most of the sponsors are the quality of people you would want to deal with.
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Author: Vanessa
Date: 2001-11-28 16:56
woohooo!!! I just called WW&BW in NYC and they were really nice and have the best price I've been quoted! woohoooooooo!!!!! I also called International Music Suppliers but they are closed til Dec. 1 for inventory. I am going to wait til I can see what kind of price IMS quotes me and see how many they have in stock!
I'm soo pleased with the people I talked to! I wish that the retailers in vegas were as personable and nice! I have another question though. Can someone explain why the retailer in vegas give you one price when you ask them how much a certain item costs then give you another price when you ask them why their price is soo high. Here's an example. I went to buy a box of Vandoren V-12 clarinet reeds and was told they were $26. When I asked why they were priced soo high I was told that they could sell them to me for $21. Another example is when I was buying my Vandoren M13 Mouthpiece I was quoted $96 but was told they could sell it to me for $61. I know this is las vegas but I didn't realize that everything was a slot machine or gamble.
This didn't just happen at one store it happend at a few. One store that I bought music from said the method book I was buying was $37 then proceeded to tell me that everyone get's a 15% discount. Does this sound normal to you?? Does this happen to anyone else?
Thank you for all your help and I am sooo glad that the BB exists!
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2001-11-28 21:30
As long as you're calling around, try:
Muncy Winds 1-800-333-6415
and
Marks' Music 1-800-330-6510
Both have extremely nice, knowledgable people.
My experience has been that Muncy and WW&BW have comparable prices. On some things, Muncy is a little lower. On others WW&BW. Both tend to be lower (sometimes significantly) than International.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2001-11-29 05:13
I've bought 2 instruments from Muncy (incl an R13) with great results.
Vanessa, more prices are negotiable than many people know. It often depends on how much the seller needs to move the product. It might also depend on whether the seller is trying to cultivate repeat business. It never hurts to ask if a better price is available. (You really need to be talking to an owner or manager type to do this. Most employees don't have the authority.) Sometimes just a hint works, I like to say; "Can you sharpen up your pencil a bit more?" Subtle. The only car salesman in the world I'll deal with usually replies "Jim, don't beat me up too badly." I just negotiated a print job of program books for a concert. The printer indicated that he might go down, but when I accepted his first price, he threw in a 2 color glossy cover likely worth more than any discount. My barber raised his price last Jan, but won't accept more than the old price from my son and I. His way I guess of rewarding a long term customer.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-11-29 14:14
Right now music stores around the country are hoping to sell as much as they can. So, as mentioned by Jim, it might be just the time to get a bargain. You might call Lisa Argiris at IMS today at 800-762-1116 (her extension no. is 227) and say, "If I buy a brand new clarinet from you today and you don't have to pay taxes on it, what would your price be?" You might be surprised. I've made great deals right before inventory is finished with my friends who own music stores. I can get some great cash prices on new instruments.
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Author: C@p
Date: 2001-11-29 17:23
The reasons I purchased last June from Lisa Argiris at IMS:
Her price was about $200 higher in some cases than Woodwind Brasswind or Quinlan & Fabish but her personal attention, when necessary, was fantastic. She is a supurb clarientist in her own right and one of her driving forces is her desire to have others enjoy playing what she sells.
She offered a choice of an extended warranty (good for students who haul the horn back and forth to school), a corking of the upper register keys or a Moenning (or was it Chodash) barrel included in the price. (I took the corking because the second R-13 Vintange barrel is comparable to the promotion barrel.) I do not know if this promotion is still available.
Other well respected clarinetist told me that she purchased from IMS.
Tom Fritz, the excellent clarinet tech, worked with Klock when Boosey and Hawkes were in Illinois.
I was advised that those who sell for less sometimes have insturments already picked over and rejected. I was told to check the serial numbers (although a clarinet rejected by others may still be a very good buy for someone else). IMS had current stock.
Her store is about a half hour from my house and I could try out as many insturments as I wished at the store and for the payment for the most expensive one I could take out three for a two week trial, which was cheerfully extended to three to four weeks. (The only drawback was that if I rejected all of them, IMS reserved the right to give a full refund up to four weeks while they checked the instruments back in.) (W&B does not require as much of a deposit.)
She gave a discount on accessories (reeds, cork grease, etc.) for a year after the purchase. I don't know if this includes mouthpieces and barrels and her store is closed now for inventory until Sat. Dec 1 at 10:00 CST when it reopens. If you call them at 1-888-762-1116 you can place an order through a voice mail process or just ask questions about any current promotion or prices. The web site is http://musicstartshere.com which has ordering and pricing information.
Quinlan & Fabish (http://www.qandf.com/) of Burr Ridge Illinois will allow you to rent a clarinet for about $200 + or - for a month. They might let you rent two for $400 a month. When you make your selection, all rent for all horns can be applied to the purchase of a single horn. This was last year so make sure of the current policy if you visit them. They might limit it to insturments in stock as opposed to special orders.
BTW, I have no financial interest in IMS or Quinlan & Fabish. I am just relating my experiences.
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Author: Vanessa
Date: 2001-11-29 20:04
oK, so I've called all of the above retailers and the best price I've gotten for the Festivals was $1,995.00. Now that I've read that the lower prices sometimes means a rejected clarinet I don't know what to do! I tried calling IMS but I just get the machine so I left a message for LIsa but have not heard back from her. SOOOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!!!!!!
Thank you for all the help everyone I really appreciate it! I don't know what I would do without this BB!!!
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Author: Vanessa
Date: 2001-11-29 23:50
thank you Brenda Siewert and C@p for recommending Lisa Argiris. SHE IS THE BEST!!!! I just got off the phone with her and she is absolutely amazing at working with me to pick out several clarinets that fit my needs. They also have the best price that I've gotten from all the others. YOU GUYS ARE A GREAT RESOURSE AND i LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
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