The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Michael_Alb
Date: 2019-03-08 22:56
I’m a high school student and I have a passion for playing the clarinet. I want to get into the Eb clarinet as a hobby, but the high prices and rarity makes it very difficult for me to obtain one. As I will be using this clarinet for fun and not for performance, I’m looking for a cheap option. I’ve researched cheap chinese models, but I’m not sure which sellers are reliable, and which models are decent. I hope to spend under $300 (preferably $150 or less). Thanks!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-03-09 00:17
Eb clarinets are a special utility horn. Therefore they are usually only made for professional grade situations. There is nothing particularly "fun" about it. It takes a bit of skill to get around inherent intonation issues (having a lot of alternate fingers and various vent options available at a moments notice).
I would also add a cautionary tale about less expensive Chinese clarinets. A student I know got a Bb one (looked like cocobolo wood; sold for about $300) for Christmas a year ago. At the time it seemed to be a decent made horn, and with a VERY short barrel that I ordered for it, the student got a decent pitch out of it. I ran into this student a week ago to find out that the Chinese clarinet was replaced with a student Yamaha horn. I asked what happened to the erstwhile precious clarinet. I was told that "it was always broken."
Don't do it.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2019-03-09 01:20
Michael - good advice from Paul. About the only thing a cheap Eb might do would be to put a damper on your passion for clarinet playing. How about checking around in your community to see if someone has an Eb you could borrow for a while to try. Personally I think they are fun to play....but difficult in the ways Paul mentioned. It is not a bad skill to have since you never know when someone might need an Eb part played.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: xiao yu
Date: 2019-03-10 04:10
Selmer Bundy second hand Eb is fine.
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Kenny clarinet studio from China.
Lyrique libertas, ridenour hw mp,legere euro cut reeds.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2019-03-10 22:38
https://www.musicalinstrumentcity.com/index.php/noblet-45-eb-wood-soprano-clarinet-ser-898459-detail
I own this exact Eefer. I bought it from Clarinets Direct out of England. It's an intermediate level clarinet and plays very well in tune and Clarinets Direct was a pleasure to work with. It's taken awhile to really feel comfortable playing it, but love doing so. There are some drawbacks with ordering from out of the country. One of them being humidity. If you buy an instrument used to a high humidity and you live in the desert, there could be some cracking issues....and visa versa. I've been lucky and not experienced this. Another "surprise" is the bill you will get from US customs a few months later. You have to pay a tax on it. Clarinets Direct has at least 2 Eb's for sale right now. Oh, and a third thing to keep in mind is bore. I was told the bore of foreign clarinets can be quite different from ours here...again, I lucked out! (I think the Boosey & Hawks brand has this issue if I recall correctly.)
Best of luck! Don't give up on your desire to play an Eb...they're a kick. But don't buy "cheap!"
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