Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2007-07-26 18:57
It seems to me that Yamaha has had the highest design and manufacturing quality/price ratio of the "Big 4" for quite a few years now. They seem to have been the only company willing to compete on price in the past. Typically, their models have been priced about one level below their competitors' instruments and the gap may be widening to the extent Buffet enforces its new pricing policies and Selmer and Leblanc follow suit. I completely agree with David in his assessment of where the YCL-650 and the CSV, SEV and CSG models fit in the Yamaha line. The 650 is Yamaha's basic professional model, not an intermediate as the price might suggest. A quick comparison at WW&BW shows the current price of a 650 to be $1,350. This is only a bit over $300 more than the "official" low price shown for an E11! (Are the big discounters still selling at prices significantly below their published prices?) The instrument it was built to compete with, the R13, shows up over $2,500. At this price, the CSV, SEV and CSG are all also priced lower.
I sometimes wonder if the relatively low prices on Yamahas lead potential buyers to conclude incorrectly that the 650 is an intermediate model and the CSV, SEV and CSG are "poor man's" R13's. (The fact that Yamaha does not make a 650 A clarinet may contribute to this impression.) Such a misconception. Yamahas are not identical to Buffets in design (though the 650 and CSV are probably closer to the R13 than instruments from Selmer or Leblanc). Not everyone will like their feel/sound/response/performance as well as they like the R13 (or similarly placed instruments from other manufacturers) but, IMO, anyone who wants a very well made instrument should at least try them, especially if they have limited funds.
Best regards,
jnk
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The Clarinet BBoard
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