 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Donna
Date: 2000-08-09 16:04
Could someone please help me? My daughter is a beginning band member (6th grade) and we have to purchase a beginning band instrument. Someone has a brand new Bestler clarinet for sale - I cannot find anything on this particular brand - does anyone know anything about this manufacturer or about the quality of their instruments? Thanks.
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Author: Mark Charette, Webmaster.
Date: 2000-08-09 18:04
There's a page here on Sneezy (look in the Equipment section) on beginner's clarinets. I and most others will strongly suggest you stick to the "big 4" for beginner's equipment - Vito, Bundy, Yamaha, and Buffet, in no particular order. Even though there are a few others that beginner's tend to get (Artley being among them), I can't in good conscience recommend them. Bestler I have no information on, good or bad, but I really strongly suggest you stick with one of the top four - and replace the stock mouthpiece with one of the inexpensive but good plastic mouthpieces. Check the page out for more detailed info.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-08-09 23:48
I strongly agree with Mark about this. I never heard of Bestler, either. An awful lot of "no-name" student clarinets turn up at yard sales, flea markets, "junktiques" shops, etc.. These have next to no re-sale value (typically sell for under $50 used in such markets), so if your child quits, or if the band teacher objects to a poor quality instrument, you won't get anything back on the investment. I think only people who know a lot about clarinets and can examine one knowledgably should ever risk buying a no-name. Otherwise you might get stuck with a horrible hunk of junk that you can't even re-sell. There are some decent no-names, made by good companies under store brands, but there are also some useless, cheap CSOs (Clarinet-Shaped Objects) on the market -- plastic pads, loose keys, flimsy construction you can see and ghastly intonation the student will have to find out about the hard way. For a buyer who doesn't play the clarinet, IMHO it's much better to play it safe with one of the companies known for reliable quality control.
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-08-10 19:10
I believe a Bestler is one of the current crop of Chinese-made p_ _ _ _ _ of s _ _ _. Please correct me if am wrong, in which case I will apologize profusely to the Bestler folks (whoever they are)........
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2000-08-23 15:08
Yep. Chinese junk (and I don't mean a boat). Our school district explicitly warns against them.
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