 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Emily_P
Date: 2015-02-07 21:12
I am starting off college and need a new professional clarinet. I however have a very low budget of $1500 max. Are there any decent clarinets I could get in that range?
I have been playing for 10 years but have never bought on, I usually rent. I play a selmer soloist now and want to upgrade to a Professional clarinet.
If possible I would like to stay with selmer.
Post Edited (2015-02-07 21:17)
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-02-07 23:07
If I don't post it, someone else will, justifiable so.
http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/
Great, reasonable, IMHO professional, consistent, sweet sounding, reliable and durable instruments.
I might advocate using this board's search feature, to look up "Ridenour," if not for fear of taxing the moderator's computer servers. ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Joking aside, this system can well handle it.
No affiliation with Ridenour here.
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-02-08 00:39
I agree re the Leblanc Concerto- though some clarinet teachers might complain that it doesn't have enough "ring" and brightness to the sound, this is an excellent clarinet that seems to have low value on the 2nd hand market for no good reason.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-02-08 01:15
In a major metropolitan area, odds are good that you can get a nearly-new, pro-quality clarinet for under $1500 -- way under. Try your local repair shops and see whether they sell on consignment. You may luck into one of those situations where an affluent parent bought a student a brand-new, fine-quality instrument as an incentive but the student quit about a nanosecond later. An amateur may "trade up," then quit.
If you don't mind a clarinet that's twenty or thirty years old and probably needs refurbishing (pads, corks, springs), then try the "junktiques" stores and the flea markets, too. Estate sale instruments end up in those places. I'm an amateur, fwiw (I don't need the latest model as a credential . . .) but I've lucked into fairly-modern instruments in those markets.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-02-08 01:18
I concur that Leblanc Concerto is a good and frequently under-priced model.
If you want to stay with Selmer there are usually good examples of their older professional models e.g. 9, 9*, 10, 10S, 10G, etc at reasonable prices.
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-02-08 01:52
Contact the clarinet professor(s) at the university you'll be attending. It's possible that they won't care what brand you have, just as long as it's a good instrument.
It's also possible that they will have strong preferences.
Lelia is offering you good advice. Contact the reputable music dealers in your area, and you might find a great deal. My favorite music store doesn't sell professional clarinets, but they recently had a Selmer Series 10 and a Patricola that they were selling on consignment. If you let your local stores know what you want, they might look around for you.
Sometimes music stores have great instruments with minor blemishes that they just want to unload. Several years ago, I bought a Buffet for my daughter. It had some minor blemishes and it had been sitting in the store unsold for several years, but I got a great deal on it. It turned out to be a wonderful clarinet.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2015-02-08 03:38
Not a professional model, but a very good model is the leblanc bliss 210 (the wooden one). Change the barrel to a better barrel and it plays very very well for the money. Especially if you can find one used.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-02-08 06:16
I got a fantastic deal ( < $725 ) on a Selmer Series 9 on that auction site. It was NOS from a shop that was going out of business. It had not been sold because the case had minor damage. At that price, I could have had it overhauled, if it needed it, and still been under your maximum. If you are patient and keep an eye on that site you can often find a great instrument for not much money. I also got a Selmer CT in need of pads for < $500 and a Series 10 for just over $300. However, do check if you are going to be expected to have a particular instrument, first.
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Author: yaseungkim
Date: 2015-02-08 07:34
No sane professional clarinettist will buy his or her instrument online without having played it. With that said, why wouldn't they buy one just because it's an r13 or a tosca... this is because from r13 to r13, they all sound different, and no two wooden clarinet of the same model will sound the same no matter how much the tech adjust them. This is why you have to play them and you have to be happy with the sound. All the mechanics to the instrument can be adjusted, but you can't adjust the way the wood has grown and the way it was cut. .. this is why you have to play it and like the way it sound.
Don't buy something because it was on sale or it was cheap, buy it because you like the way it sound. If you don't like the sound of your instrument, then it will be a sunk cost to your tight budget.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-02-08 07:41
Admittedly I have not gone around trying EVERY clarinet at EVERY price range (I'm particularly inexperienced at the low end), but I must say that I recently tried a Uebel "Classic" which is selling at around $1,300 brand new. This is an AMAZING clarinet of professional quality and sound (and I only get excited by good SOUNDING horns) and that's even before considering the price. In addition to being well tuned and having very good sonic characteristics, it is a wooden horn with silver plated keys and it is finished with all leather pads (professional upgrades you don't even see on the standard R13!!!).
A true bargain !!!!
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: NB
Date: 2015-02-08 19:01
Attachment: map_cover.jpg (53k)
>Were you able to try the Uebel here in the USA?
Oh, NO! Please, don't say it has happened!
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-02-08 22:49
Part of my patience suggestion with the auction site was to take into consideration trying the instrument. Many of the sellers will allow a few days for trial. With the level of instrument being discussed here, if they do not offer a trial period, the instrument can easily be resold. On the other hand, it could definitely be a different story if you don't do your own repairs. For example, an instrument in need of a repad I can resell at a profit with new pads and corks because I do the work myself. The CT and Series 9 I mentioned above are instruments I absolutely loved and kept. I loved the Series 9 as it arrived. However, I have since replaced the original pads with Roo pads and cork pads and it is now my primary player with the CT for backup. (I have never had to actually revert to the CT myself, but I have needed to loan it out a number of times for people whose clarinet has failed at the worst possible time.) The OP has made it clear that cost is currently an issue. When/if she becomes a professional, I would expect her to set that limitation aside and try many instruments before making a final decision.
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