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 Help for New Student
Author: Faye 
Date:   2000-09-29 12:39

I am looking for information on buying a clarinet for my daughter, band teachers are busy and send me to the local music stores, music stores tell me what I need is only what they are selling, 400- 600 is too much for a over used one. Basically I just need to know what brands and types are good for a beginner and which are not. Thanks in advance for any info, now onto the daughter that wants a snare drum...

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Bill 
Date:   2000-09-29 13:02

Look at Equipment - What to Get the Beginner.

I recently got a Yamaha CL-20. I think it is great. I got it from www.music123.com under their purchase/rental plan. It sells for under $400. The Yamaha 4C mouthpiece is okay, and won't need to be replaced like the Buffet B10 which also gets excellent reviews.

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Dee 
Date:   2000-09-29 22:07

The following are all good student instruments:

Leblanc Vito
Buffet B-12
Selmer plastic
Yamaha plastic

Any of these sell for under $400 brand new from the mail order retailers who are listed on this site. Other than the Yamaha, you should probably replace the mouthpiece. The Hite Premier and Fobes Debut are often recommended here and can also be obtained at quite reasonable prices from the same mail order retailers.

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Jim 
Date:   2000-10-01 02:57

All of these plastic horns are much more likely to stand up to the trials of life with a beginner than more advanced wooden instruments. They also are less affected by temp and humidity changes common to taking instrumrents back anfd forth to school. When my son needed a student horn, I lucked out 6 years ago and found at a music store a Bundy (Selmer) in good shape for $150 which only now is showing signs of needing re-padding, but the new horn is probably the better buy in the long run.

As for the drummer... Unless the teacher insists on your having a drum at home, for your own sanity (and that of any neighbors) try to keep her on a rubber practice pad as long as possible! A beginning drummer loves to make noise, which really can be disruptive. (My brother was a drummer.) Also... discuss her direction with the teacher, most drummers eventually require a "trap set" and a drum that is not a part of a set may become an orphan. Good drums kept inside generally don't wear out (only the heads do) and can be a long term investiment. Also, drums bought outside of sets generally cost more. (A "trap set" usually is a snare, tom-tom, bass with foot pedal, high hat cymbal and a crash cymbal, along with stands, hardware and a seat.) Gee, I know a lot about drums for a clarinetist. I do know that I'd much rather carry my horn than transport my brother's trap set!

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Allen Cole 
Date:   2000-10-01 16:18

Good clarinets do run over $500 in most music stores. Have you priced used rentals? At a reputable store, a used instrument is just as good as a new one except in terms of appearance. Not only is it cheaper, but chances are that it's been adjusted in the repair shop. New ones are straight from the factory, and sometimes not as well adjusted.

Avoid the really cheap brands like Winston.

What--specifically--to do. Ask your band director which local music stores do the best quality repairs. Then visit the ones which sell the brands that Dee mentioned. Get yourself a used one, even if it does cost $400. You will have a basically good horn, and a relationship with a store that does good repair work. Your local music stores are not always the cheapest solution, but Music123 and The Woodwind are not going to help you when you need private lessons, or supplies/repairs on short notice.

Allen

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Dee 
Date:   2000-10-01 17:45

Allen Cole wrote:
>
> ... What--specifically--to do. Ask your band director which local
> music stores do the best quality repairs. Then visit the ones
> which sell the brands that Dee mentioned. Get yourself a used
> one, even if it does cost $400. You will have a basically good
> horn, and a relationship with a store that does good repair
> work. Your local music stores are not always the cheapest
> solution, but Music123 and The Woodwind are not going to help
> you when you need private lessons, or supplies/repairs on short
> notice.
>
> Allen

That's good advice to find the store that does quality repairs. However if you have the catalogs from places like Music123 or Woodwind & Brasswind, you can usually get a competitive price on a new horn from your local store. Afterall the four recommended beginner's horns all run under $400 brand new from the mail order dealers. Why pay that much for a used horn? You can still develop a rapport with your local store AND save some money if you bargain a bit.

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Ryan Simpson 
Date:   2000-10-01 18:00

If you want to buy your daughter a good beginner clarinet, look at the Buffets. Theyre a little more expensive, but they're ''top-of-the-line'' instruments. Don't let the sales man trick you into buying an R-13. They are expensive pro. clarinets. Although, if your daughter plans to play the Clarinet for a while, you might want to consider an R-13 later on down the road.

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 RE: Help for New Student
Author: Mark Charette 
Date:   2000-10-01 18:51

The Buffet B10/B12, Vito 72xx & 74xx, Yamaha, and Selmer (Bundy) are all about the same price. The Buffet is not more or less expensive.

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