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Re: Is a Used Bundy now a Throw-away?

Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-10-12 02:46

This is what I think about plastic clarinets that are regarded as disposable.

Yes you can buy an old Bundy or similar level and quality clarinet for next to nothing. How much would a similar clarinet cost you to buy brand new?

Is it worth spending money on repairing an old Bundy if it only cost you next to nothing? If you solely base your reckoning on what it cost you, then you need to think again if the instrument is in need of repair as things like pads and corks are consumables and this is the case with ALL clarinets.

Base your judgement on the value of a brand new equivalent model clarinet as opposed to how little you paid for it and then weigh up the cost of a full overhaul or a brand new clarinet and work out which is the better option.

A brand new plastic clarinet is only going to be finished to a standard to get it out the factory and into the shops and will have received minimal bench time when finished, so it'll be far from perfect even when bought brand new.

A fully reconditioned (overhauled) one will have all brand new pads, tenon corks and key corks/felts and if done by a woodwind specialist, it should be finished to a far higher standard compared to a factory finished one and could also put many pro level clarinets to shame considering a lot of pro level clarinets from some big name makers are finished like crap, yet still command high end prices for shoddy workmanship.

The same applies across the board - don't confuse purchase price with value and don't bin off something that could have decades of playing life left as plastic clarinets will go on forever unless they get irreparably damaged and replacement or donor parts can't be sourced.

We live in a throwaway society and well made beginner level plastic clarinets aren't cheap toys found in Christmas crackers and landfill a week later, they're musical instruments which will give anyone with a passion to learn the start of their career or a lifetime of enjoyment depending what path music takes them on.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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