 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Claire N'yet
Date: 2005-02-28 22:35
Hello,
I came across this board while researching what type of clarinet to purchase. It has been 15 years since playing in high school..whew.
I like the low and warm tones (probably from playing bass guitar for the past 5 years) and have heard Buffet does a warm deep tone. Any info. would be cherished, I am anxious to get back into playing! Also, it has to be as inexpensive as possible to start out with..Thanks!
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2005-02-28 22:51
Are you looking to play a Bb soprano clarinet or a bass clarinet? I only ask, assuming you are planning on the former because maybe you should consider something that does low *really* good. :o)
There are so many great instruments to select from that I suspect you won't find many people saying you must have this or that. Buffet is great, but then so is Leblanc and others.
If you are looking at a purchase on ebay, you can get a great price. But I have never bought an instrument off ebay that didn't need some shop work. So a $400 Leblanc needed $200 adjustment to the regulation and some new pads. That's pretty normal. I'm still happy with it though because it is a killer instrument.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: Claire N'yet
Date: 2005-02-28 22:57
Thanks for such a fast reply.
I was thinking of sticking with the soprano clarinet simply because it is something I am familiar playing and it appears to be a bit less expensive to start out with.
I checked out eBay and there are at least a trillion clarinets on auction....
seems a bit daunting, but I shall persevere!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-02-28 22:59
To be honest, if I were you, I'd be looking at awesome mouthpieces. With my current mouthpiece, ANY of clarinets have warm deep tones. I love it!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: pewd
Date: 2005-02-28 23:22
what kind of horn did you have in high school?
since you mentioned buffet:
buffet e-11 , about $600
buffet e-12, about $1000
buffet r-13, about $1800
there are other good brands - yamaha, selmer to name 2.
add $60 for a decent mouthpiece and another $15 or so for a good ligature.
an upgraded case runs about $50. the mouthpiece that comes with new horns is junk, you'll need a different one.
check out www.wwbw.com - call them phone prices are cheaper than web prices. nope i dont work for them. thats just one vendor of many. prowinds is good too. www.prowinds.com
one approach is have them send you 3 horns, you pick the best and send the other 2 back. costs you a bit in shipping but you end up with a better horn.
or get a local private teacher or pro to help you with the selection process.
watch out getting one from ebay. like gandalf said, they usually all need major shop work, regardless of the posted description. some are decent, others off of ebay downright nasty. a few are ready for the scrap heap, beyond reasonable expectation of repair. so be careful... far better to get a new one from a reputable vendor imo.
-paul
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Claire N'yet
Date: 2005-02-28 23:27
thanks for all the info.
I beleive it was a Vito I had in high school, rented from the local music store.
I did see a King clarinet and for some reason I think I may have played that one too...way back in the day...
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Author: Claire N'yet
Date: 2005-03-01 22:33
All good advice, I checked out the web sites mentioned and decided to get more support before investing (even though I will probably start off inexpensively). Does anyone know of a good teacher or "pro" in the Portland, Oregon area that I might be able to hook up with to try out different clarinets and find the right one for me?
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