Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-03-17 18:57
Lorrie,
"Image" may very well be the working brand name. These days our music stores (not to mention discount department stores) are overrun with Chinese-made student model clarinets. Occasionally, they are decent. Occasionally the seller checks them out very carefully. Unfortunately, however, too often they're just a cheap option to fill the low-price niche. Parents who don't know any better buy them because they are new, shiny, inexpensive and one clarinet looks pretty much like any other -- until it starts to fall apart. We have a term for such clarinets around here -- CSO for clarinet-shaped object. (BTW, I find the "Image" cleverly named. Guess what happens if you try to Google "Image clarinet" to learn about the instrument or its manufacturer!)
My take on your situation is quite different from what Steve has suggested to this point. In my experience, a good new student clarinet from Yamaha, Selmer, Leblanc or Buffet (the big-4) should be plenty of instrument to carry the average child through high school. If a child really takes off and becomes serious about his/her playing, it also should be enough instrument until that child is ready for a good (and relatively new) professional model. I doubt very many students reach this point before they are in high school. And most students probably aren't ready until their junior (or, in exceptional cases, their sophomore) year.
In general, unless money is not an issue, my recommendation is don't look to replace a child's clarinet until it's clear the clarinet is holding the child back. You say your daughter has been playing for around 2 1/2 years. I'm guessing then that she is in 6th or 7th grade. You obviously know your child much better than I do but, if I were you, I wouldn't be rushing out to buy a professional clarinet just yet. First of all, I doubt your daughter has reached the point where she needs it. Second, if you buy it now, it will have just that much more use on it later when she is ready for it and wants it to be in peak condition, e.g., for competitions and college auditions. Third, at your daughter's age, the one thing that is constant about children is change. What may seem an overwhelming interest now may fade rapidly in a few years when she discovers boys, school musicals (and singing and acting), science club, etc. Right now, the clarinet is probably still very much in jeopardy of becoming a passing fancy.
Depending on how well-designed and constructed the Image clarinet is, your daughter may or may not need a better instrument at this point. If it is a CSO, I wouldn't be rushing out to buy her an intermediate model, and certainly not an old used one. At this point, what she most likely really needs is a good student model. IMO, you should be looking at a new (or at least recent) student model clarinet from one of the "Big 4" I mentioned above. My preference would be new. Steve says it's absolutely essential to try a clarinet before you buy it. Good advice for someone who has the expertise/experience to evaluate an instrument accurately. The problem in your case is that you really don't have anyone with that kind of expertise and experience. You don't play, your daughter hasn't been playing long enough, and it sounds like her teacher is not really an expert. Therefore, while it's still a good idea to have your daughter try the clarinet, I think it's particularly important for you to buy a brand you can trust from a seller you can trust. That way the instrument you buy has the highest probability of being reliable out-of-the-box. You're still going to have some risk but at least you'll minimize it.
If a new (Big-4) student clarinet is out of your price range, I would look for a clarinet that was purchased new and used lightly for a year or two by a beginner who has given it up. (In spring, after school lets out for summer vacation, is often a good time to buy.) Such a clarinet is likely to be in good playing condition though, for hygienic reasons, you probably want to consider having it at least cleaned and disinfected at a shop.
A few more random thoughts:
1. If your daughter is playing on the mouthpiece that came with her clarinet, you might be able to improve her playing experience dramatically simply by purchasing her a relatively inexpensive good quality (student) mouthpiece.
2. Buying an instrument from a repair shop can be a good strategy but, for you, I would recommend: (1) only a clarinet made by the Big-4, and (2) nothing more than about 10-years old.
3. Steve listed a number of intermediate clarinets that he thought might be a good choice for you. Rather than start a big argument, I'm just going to say that, for your likely needs, I disagree with him. With one or two exceptions, the clarinets in his lists are older (in some cases, quite old) discontinued models that carry too much risk for someone who doesn't know a lot about clarinets. Several, BTW, are wooden student models, not intermediates at all.
4. If you don't know something about musical instruments before you start, finding the right equipment for a child's first musical experience is a minefield experience. Trying to do it on the cheap is even harder.
5. My evaluation of your Buffet is a general assessment based on my experience with the instruments I've seen. Yours may be similar or it may be different. I wonder what your repair tech thinks. (Remembering he may be trying to sell you some service.) What does he think about the instrument's condition. What work does he recommend and how much will it cost?
6. You mentioned your daughter is potentially interested in teaching music. If you haven't already considered it, now would be a good time to consider piano lessons.
7. I just went back to check the original thread and discovered that, while I have been writing this, there have been a couple more posts, including Steve's about avoiding older clarinets in your case. You can probably tell from what I've written here that I totally agree with him (except that I probably wouldn't go much before 2000 for a student or intermediate model, or 1990 for a professional Leblanc. Clarinets do not improve with age.
Best regards,
jnk
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