Subscribe RSSWhat is an inexpensive quality clarinet? (that you've played)?
Q: hi, i'm looking to start the clarinet... well actually i've played a selmer at school last year and we haven't received our instruments for this semester yet. i want to play teh clarinet outside of school but this means i will be buying my own, i want to buy one that has a good SOUND and doesn't BREAK often. please suggest any you have played. Thank you in advance!
A: Yamaha clarinets are great. They have a decent sound, good tuning, decent key-work, and they can be inexpensive. I started out on a Yamaha before switching to a Buffet for my pro-model. You can get cheaper Buffet models as well, but I believe they are still more expensive than a Yahama.
Wooden clarinets tend to have a better sound than plastic clarinets, but plastic clarinets never crack. If you take care of your wooden clarinet (swabbing it when you're done playing, not leaving it in a cold area for a long period of time, warming it up properly), you shouldn't have too much of a problem. I've had my wooden clarinet for 6 years and it just cracked for the first time a few months ago.
It is natural for wood to crack though, so just a warning that no matter how much you take care of your instrument, it can still happen. That being said, it doesn't cost that much to fix it anyway. I paid only a couple hundred to have my clarinet pinned (which is nothing considering how much a new instrument is worth).
Anyway, Yahamas are quality, and Selmer clarinets can be worth your time as well, I just have a preferance for Yamahas for beginners since that's what I started out on myself. Stay away from Leblanc. I've had nothing but bad experiences with those clarinets.
You can try looking for a used instrument, if you're really concerned about cost. I found a wonderful A clarinet, a wooden Buffet pro-model, that I still use to this day, for only $800. There's lots of brands out there, and to stick with the big names that you recognize is generally a good plan... there's a lot of crap to choose from. Make sure you try out different instruments before you actually purchase one; you want to make sure you don't end up with a junker. Since you're a new player, maybe you could find someone who knows a little more to go with you, to listen and to play the instruments themselves to help you decide.
Other factors that can really affect your sound are your reed and mouthpiece, and ligature too. Rovner or BG ligatures are quality. Reeds can be a personal choice; don't use Rico reeds though. Most popular is Vandoren. I use Vandoren; I find they offer the best sound and tone, and I find more good reeds in a box with Vandoren than I do with Mitchell Lurie.
Mouthpiece; again, a personal choice, and again, the most popular is Vandoren. Vandoren B 45, or the B 45 dot, the M15, or the M30 are all decent choices, and they're all pretty inexpensive too (only like, about $100). The extra money for a good mouthpiece is WORTH IT. The mouthpiece that comes with the clarinet can probably be thrown in the garbage.
Hope this helps out a little, and good luck!
: $145.00
