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Clarinet Buying Woes

Author: MrWalnut4
Date: 2014-11-05 00:43

Hello, I've recently been in the market to buy a new clarinet and I need some advice. I'm looking to get an Buffet R13 as a step up from the E11 I currently have.

To give some context I'm a freshman in college so money is tight. I have looked online and in some local instrument shops at new clarinets but I simply don't have the money to pay for a new instrument if I can avoid it. So I more or less have to buy a pre-owned instrument because of the cost. I have no innate problem with that and would actually prefer an older instrument made from the 60's to 70's if it plays well.

The issue I've come across is the inability to play test these clarinets. Most of the instruments I have come across are on sites like eBay and are priced well but I have no clue how they will play for me. And unlike how you would be able to play test several horns at a dealer before you find the one you are most comfortable with, because of the cost restraint, I can realistically only have one instrument to test at a time over the course of several weeks. And as is the risk with buying online, I have already had one lemon come to me with a serious crack in the lower joint (the seller was very apologetic and offered a full refund thankfully). I should probably also mention that every now and then someone on my campus sells an instrument but these are few and far between so it's not a realistic option. Also the local stores carry very few used instruments and are usually student or intermediate models.

This is by no means an ideal situation I'm in. On one hand I can bite the bullet and purchase a new horn that I know I will be satisfied with. Or I can spend probably the next few months sifting through used instrument listings, finding one I like, getting it shipped, trying it out, returning it and then repeating until I find one that fits me and save a grand or so. I'm in a balancing act of cost vs. practicality. Do I spend the money to get the right instrument the first time? Or do I save the money and spend an enormous amount of time and effort to find an old instrument of the same quality? Not an easy question to answer, but I need some opinions on the matter other than my parents who are helping with the bill (they are amazing for helping me with this process by the way).

Any response is appreciated and all opinions are welcome! I'm going to hold off looking for another instrument for a few weeks and will most likely base my choice on the responses I get so please give your thoughts!

Cheers,

Matt

Side note: If we could avoid arguments about whether the older r13's are better than the new ones please do. I've already sifted through pages and pages on the topic so I just need a realistic opinion based on cost and practicality. If I go for an old r13 I'll find one that fits me and if I buy a new Buffet the same will be true so let's keep the arguments about which is better to a minimum.

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Clarinet Buying Woes

MrWalnut4

2014-11-05 00:43