Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2013-01-25 14:16
To add to what Carl just said, we hear stories about well-known players who have had their clarinets overhauled immediately after purchase but I'm inclined to believe that's more because the clarinet was not exactly what they wanted/were used to rather than that it was "defective." I think it's dangerous to extrapolate from those relatively few anecdotes to a broad conclusion that most, if not all, new clarinets in general (and Buffets in particular) come from the factory needing significant additional work. From what I can tell, all professional Buffets are play-tested before they leave the factory. Some problems may not manifest themselves until later and "contents may settle during shipping" but the clarinetists who go to the distributorship in Florida and hand-select clarinets to resell don't advertise that they are doing significant work on the instruments after they've purchased them and I've known numerous clarinetists who've purchased new Buffets after trying several out, that were quite happy with them the way they came. IMO, buying a clarinet that needs work and then paying extra to have it adjusted is a choice, not a necessity.
If you buy a new clarinet, most of what you spend will go to the seller. If you buy a vintage Buffet, a significant part of the total you spend will go to a repair tech. Do you think that might affect some repair techs' recommendations?
Many highly regarded repair techs are "of a certain age." They have worked on Buffets all their lives. (There are probably more professional Buffets out there than all other makers' professional clarinets combined.) Such techs are comfortable working on Buffets and they know Buffets. Do you think that might affect some repair techs' recommendations?
IMNSHO, a repair tech's unwillingness to work on a professional Yamaha says more about the tech than the instrument. It almost certainly guarantees that s/he doesn't know much about Yamahas. The Brannens will take Yamahas. That's more than good enough recommendation for me.
If you can buy a vintage Buffet that you know can be refurbished into like-new condition before you buy it, you will probably spend less than you would for a new Yamaha CSG. But, here's the problem. It's very unlikely you can know for sure how the clarinet is going to turn out before you buy it unless you can find one that has already just been refurbished. On the other hand, with a new clarinet, you can know exactly what you're getting before you pay for it. Greater cost, less risk. Your choice.
Best regards,
jnk
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