fretmeister Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 My daughter plays clarinet and at the moment she is using a school loan / cheap rent instrument. It appears to be made up of parts of a variety of different makes, but amazingly it plays in tune and sounds ok. She's been working hard and the school loan instrument time comes to an end shortly which means either we have to rent one at a commercial rate or buy one. If we buy one, does anyone have any ideas about good beginner models and their prices? Yamaha are an obvious choice and seem to be about £300, or about £150 used, but are there other makes worth looking at? I'm completely in the dark here! I don't even know what strings to put on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Buffet B12 clarinets are great for metal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 [quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1381845876' post='2244466'] Buffet B12 clarinets are great for metal [/quote] I have a Buffet B12! My teacher recommended a mouthpiece upgrade (to a Vandoren) and it was OK except for one thing... when I tried to play in an ensemble, it was naturally sharp. To get it in tune I had to pull the barrel out a little, which led to some nasty squawks :-( So I'd say the Buffet is a great entry-level instrument but check the tuning! Had I taken it further, Yamaha would probably have been my next port of call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Before I became part time at school, I started learning clarinet. After a couple of weeks, my mum said 'take thatf@@ing thing back'!! Well, I am the youngest of 6 kids , so that's an excuse I guess. She got me a guitar , and eventually got swapped for a bass., so I guess I've forgiven her Hope you get a good deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 My daughter has just given up the clarinet after 3 years so I have a decent quality starter/intermediate instrument with upgraded mouthpiece etc sitting around doing nothing. It's a Boosey & Hawkes. Would consider selling if you're interested PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 (edited) Speaking as a Clarinetist/Saxophonist (please don't tell anyone!) I don't think you can go wrong with either a Yamaha (my preference), B&H or Buffet to start with. In fact, Yamahas are used by some of the very best pro players out there. Kids can be funny about secondhand instruments, but if you can I'd try to get a wooden Clarinet. The sound is a lot warmer and fuller and it would be an instrument that you can grow with. Beginner instruments are exactly that; beginner instruments. When you develop your embrochure and own sound, you really need to move to a better quality instrument. That said, the Yammy's are very good quality. As mentioned above, it's important to get the right mouthpiece too as it will make a world of difference. Beginners mouthpieces have a large bore which is easier to blow and play louder, but they do sound very honky after a while! If I can help any more, please don't hesitate to ask. Edited October 15, 2013 by Old Horse Murphy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexbasscat Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 The Yamaha YCL 26 would be a great clarinet, good quality and can be had for around £100 - £150. Ebonite, but a very fair start on the ladder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 Ah - that Yamaha YCL26 seems to be like one she's been offered by another player who is moving up to a better instrument ahead of his Grade 6. I shall investigate that further - he plays in the same school group my daughter does and it sounds great in his hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 As well as playing bass I play the flute and have done ever since I was in high school. Yamaha, Buffet, and Boosey and Hawkes are by far the most popular clarinets that I've encountered. I'd personally go with Yamaha---it will be a decent instrument and will hold its resale value fairly well should she/you decide to upgrade her to something else. My experience as a learner was that woodwind shops would be quite flexible about things. You may find that the shop will let you rent one for a few months, but then deduct the rental price from the cost of buying an instrument from them. If you ask really nicely they could probably rent you a yamaha for a few weeks, then a Buffet, then a B&H, just pay one rental fee and then buy a new version of the one you like. Once you get onto really expensive wind instruments they are all sold on approval anyway! Also, bear in mind that with woodwind instruments you can quite often turn an OK instrument into a great one by upgrading the mouthpiece. I suppose its the wind equivalent of putting a good preamp in a cheap bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTypeV4 Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 +1 on Buffet B12 although I found a change to the Rovner style ligature to make both the playing of and sound much smoother with less squeaks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 How does a different ligature change the sound? I assumed all they did was hold the reed in place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTypeV4 Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 The proper posh ones are made from leather although the one I had was made from a nylon type stuff. I think because they only have one adjuster and the material is soft that they hold the reed in a more uniform manor. My experience was that it reduced the hard (probably my bad technique) and brittle sound in the upper registers. Made it less prone to squeaking too.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grenadilla Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 My first clarinet was a Boosey & Hawks . Then a Le Blanc. Then a Jazz Bass and I forgot clarinet. It was the best part of school and I wish I still played... Selmer and Buffet are good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 My lad wants to sell his clarinet, if this thread is still active i`ll ask him what kind it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 We found a lovely used Yamaha that her teacher thought was a bargain and had been very well looked after. It sound so much better than the school hire one, and sprog tells me it is easier to play. So she is playing more already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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