The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: kkoch
Date: 2018-10-27 07:24
Hello! Stumbled upon this site and was wondering if I could get some advice on purchasing a used clarinet to begin playing after over 30 years of not playing. I miss it very much, but don't know where to start. I regrettably loaned my clarinet to a family member and never received it back (they gave me 2 flutes instead of my clarinet? lol), so I don't even know what brand to look for and what is a reasonable price.
I have 3 kids, all play instruments (DD plays piano/keys - used to play violin, DS plays drum set, percussion, bass guitar and took piano for several years, and DS #2 plays drum set and percussion), so my budget is not very large considering that all of them take lesson for their interest.
Thankful for any advice you can give!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-10-27 08:06
Look for a Leblanc Vito, a Selmer Bundy or a student-level Yamaha such as a YCL 20, 23, or 24, or a Yamaha C100. There are many others you could choose, but these are pretty well bulletproof and you can pick them up for a fairly low price. Try to get one that is in good condition and needs little or no work to make it playable. Where are you located?
Tony F.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: 3dog
Date: 2018-10-29 00:11
About 5 months ago I was in your position but you may not have the same reasons for playing the clarinet again after so long that I did. I am a sax player wanting to get back in to doubling on clarinet for playing in a big band. Wanted to reduce the learning curve as much as possible so I watched a lot of youtube clarinet videos and read a lot of posts. Also was playing guitar so my fingers were calloused. Had purchased used saxophones which can be a minefield so I decided to buy a new clarinet and stay away from wood which was all that I had played in the past. When I last played the clarinet the internet did not exists so all I knew about clarinets was learned by taking lessons so take advantage of all the opinions out there. By chance the, tech that sold me one of my saxophones played a plateau clarinet and had a brand new one in the showcase. It addressed my issue with calloused fingers and looked like it would reduce the learning curve as all the holes were covered with sax like pads. I never knew this type of clarinet existed. After 5 months I have no regrets and played my first gig last weeks so it met my requirements.
Also learned from a fellow pro player and doubler that used carbon fiber reeds. As he does, I have them on all my instruments. I tend to keep the clarinet together in a stand in my bedroom so I just pick it up and start playing. I think this is helping me practice more as it is so convenient.
For more details: http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=465216&t=380870
Post Edited (2018-10-29 00:46)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: kkoch
Date: 2018-11-11 16:52
Thank you for the suggestions! I live in Baltimore, MD. This information will be very helpful as I begin my search.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
|