El cheapo clarineto [updated]

Six! Teen! Dolla!

And worth every penny.

This is a used Artley 17S, a good student model clarinet, bought on eBay. New ones are being advertised on the web at $479. Of course, they come with little extras like a mouthpiece and a case.

I bet they also have better pads:

That’s the worst one, aside from the one that fell out, but many of the rest look at least half as bad. My instrument tech knowledge is not extensive, but my guess is someone did a really cheap repadding job using the cheapest, worst pads in the world. Artley’s a good name brand (a division of Conn-Selmer), and I’m sure they use better pads than these. Much better.

Serial number is 41 00842 (if it’s your stolen clarinet, just drop me a line), which means it was made in 1991.^*

I’ve already bought a used case (two, actually — my other soprano needs a better one), I have a mouthpiece; guess I need some pads, and one of the tenon corks needs replacing… OK, so the cost of this $16 clarinet is going up. Still, probably a good buy in the end. Depending on whose end.

More pics here.

^* [update] Add 50 to the first two digits. I just realized this means Artley avoided a Y2K problem by shifting it to a Y2.05K problem. Way to stick it to the next generation!