 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2023-08-17 21:52
Information on how to choose and buy a new or used instrument seems to be a bit spread out for me. There was some really good information in the GOOD-BYE thread, however, I thought "who would look there to find useful, 2023, information on how to buy a new or used clarinet?" Then, I thought... wouldn't it be nice to have one place, one thread with responses from experienced players on how they would choose and buy a new or used clarinet. (For sake of simplicity, I'm purposely leaving out the reason why.) Who knows, this thread might even wind up in the Keepers section!
Please be as detailed as possible. Tell us what you would do, what you would look for and also include what you would definitely not do. The more details the better.
So, if you had the funds available or were willing to finance the purchase, exactly how would you go about buying a new or used clarinet?
I thank you in advance for your responses.
Edited for change of title. (5th time!)
Post Edited (2023-08-18 07:23)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-08-17 22:22
I saw some examples of having multiples of the same horn on hand and that’s great if possible but the modern reality is that you may be looking at one example.
I would make sure you have your horn and best mouthpiece and reeds there with you as a starter. Then, play that first…..with tuner. You want to know how YOU are sounding in the moment and in that room. Now you can grab the new horn. My approach is less “scholarly” in that my first priority is something that just sounds good and is FUN to play. If that happens, then you can run the range with tuner to check resistance, timbre and tuning of most if not all the notes. Keep in mind that you check for leaks that you may have to make a mental note that related issues can be corrected.
Mostly for me it’s an emotional choice. You have to have a connection with the new horn or there is no point.
……….Paul Aviles
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Author: Selmer Buff
Date: 2023-08-17 22:51
Not sure if I'm allowed, as I'm not a professional.
I bought a new pro Selmer two years ago. I wanted the "Selmer sound". I had other Selmers and like their keywork, too. They fit my bent pinkies well. As there are no dealers nearby where one can review all Selmers or other brands, this would be a blind choice; therefore I was sure to get return privileges. I watched and read every review I could find. My climate is hot dry summers and soggy winters. With all the talks of cracks, something crack resistant was probably a good idea.
Price was a concern. I had watched a review from Dawkes in London comparing several Selmers. This lead me to shopping around Europe for clarinets. My new clarinet was to be a mail order purchase, regardless, so it didn't really matter from where it came.
I selected a Selmer that has the lined upper joint with a 10-year warranty against cracking. Shipping was free. Import tax was minimal. Delivery was 3 days. Price as about 60% of what it sells for in USA. I'm happy. Good sound. Easy to play.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2023-08-17 23:49
I changed the title to broaden the spectrum as I thought "Professional clarinet" was too narrow. Hopefully, this will encourage advice for amateur and student clarinets as well.
p.s. If you have posted something previously in another thread, please feel free to copy/paste it onto this thread.
Post Edited (2023-08-18 00:25)
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2023-08-18 01:33
Hi Dan,
I think this is a wonderful idea for a thread.
I'm no professional, but I wondered if I could give a view from the adult learner perspective to help the 40-somethings coming along after me?
I started on a very broken old instrument. I spent the first year being told by literally everyone that I was wasting my time and needed a new clarinet. It was hard, because the vintage instrument had a lovely sound and had huge sentimental value. The new plastic student horns sounded flat in comparison. Also I had no money.
However, I had really got the bug from playing my rubbishy horn. Eventually, some money came along quite suddenly, and I made a snap decision to go to the shop, try all the £2500 horns and buy one there and then.
With hindsight I should have explained to the shop man that I was planning to make a purchase that day. He definitely thought I was taking the mickey when I spent a couple of hours trying horns in the test room.
I already had a good mp, which helped. I also took my tuner.
For me, it was very obvious which horn I should buy. With the Selmer ones I couldn't reach the keys - the ergonomics were just not right for me.
The Buffets had good ergonomics, but the sound had no soul. I was really suprised by that, because I had heard that they were best. I realise now that this was probably just a feature of the individual horns, but I didn't know that then.
I tried a £1800 and £2500 Yamaha and was perplexed that the £1800 one was the one with the soul. I really echo what Paul said about feeling a connection with the horn. This was the biggest factor for me.
The more expensive one had a lovely gold twiddly bit on the barrel, but it didn't sound nice. The cheaper one had a more basic picture on the barrel that had been mostly worn away, but the emotional connection with the sound was good.
My husband came that day too, and he said he liked the cheaper Yamaha sound too. We swapped back and forth many many times, and it was clear that the cheaper Yamaha was the best.
I asked the shop man, and he said that it was because I wasn't experienced enough to get the best out of the expensive instruments.
Anyway, he very kindly let me borrow the £1800 Yamaha to test at home. I spent a week agonising about whether it was the right thing to do, since I was so attached to the vintage horn, and it was such a lot of money.
Hank Lehrer was extemely kind and chatted to me about it online right through the week, and I took the instument to a professional for evaluation.
The professional told me to take the Yamaha horn back to the shop and keep using my vintage horn. But after a week I came to realise that my vintage horn had problems that I had not been aware of before. The pinkie keys really didn't work, and the instrument was badly out of tune with itself. It was also a high pitched instrument, which I was playing in a not-high-pitched orchestra.
The yamaha was a little flat, but it was the same amount flat across the whole instrument, so fixable with a shorter barrel.
Anyway, in the end I bought the Yamaha, and that was definitely the right decision for me. It is only now, about 4 years later, that I really understand how critical that decision was. The Yamaha does have less soul than the vintage instrument, but it is actually a playable instrument. The vintage instrument has so many holes in it that is like a colander, and is really badly out of tune.
Sometimes I get the vintage instrument out again, and it is like riding a beautiful, much loved, rusty penny farthing bicycle. When I go back to the Yamaha, it runs like a motorcycle. It almost plays itself by comparison, and is so nimble and just *works*.
It was quite a stressful change, but I'm glad I did it. I definitely had to go to a real shop to do this work too. Buying online from reviews wouldn't have got me a horn with a soul, and that turned out to be really important. Bizarrely it was also much cheaper, because it was the cheap one that sounded best.
I had to get the Yamaha leak proofed twice, four keys extended, and a new mp to get to where I am now, so having a good tech seems to be extremely important.
I hope that helps any other besotted 40-something clarinet newbies. :-)
Thanks for the excellent thread idea.
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Author: Musikat
Date: 2023-08-18 06:39
I bought two clarinets this year. The first was a longer process. I had the chance precovid to attend a local clarinet symposium and try several clarinets, including Buffets, Yamahas, Backuns and Uebels. I fell in love with the Uebel Superior and would fantasize about finding one at a garage sale or something where it was affordable. Lol Earlier this year one came along that was used, and I was able to find the funds to make it happen. I was allowed a 2 week trial with only shipping paid up front, took it to my, tech, had a couple of clarinet friends try it and listen to me play it. Since it had been several years since I last played one I thought it didn't quite have the same "feel" I remembered but the sound was still good and I bought it. A couple months ago I asked my tech to change my throat keys to cork and in the process he cleaned out the tone holes. What a difference! Now it feels and sounds like I remember and I love it. So lesson in buying used, have it looked over and possibly cleaned out as well before you really know how it plays.
The second horn was a new Eb. For this one I planned carefully and decided to go with a professional Yamaha, despite having never seen or tried one. I wanted a professional model, silver plated but new Buffets were out of my price range, and many Ebs were hard to find. Like an above commenter I purchased from oversees, Howarth, for about $1500 less than I would have paid in the US. I chose Yamaha based on a lot of research and my tech telling me they are very consistent horn to horn, and play in tune, which made ordering oversees a little less scary. It arrived with about $40 customs tax and it is amazing. It plays in tune and I can get most high notes with regular fingerings. It was the perfect choice and I'm very happy with it.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2023-08-21 08:08
I was fortunate to buy a few new clarinets during the last few years.
All of them bought in Europe to take an advantage of the tax-free shopping. I simply would not be able to afford buying the same instruments here, in the US.
My best purchase was a clarinet that I chose from four of the same model- two clarinets played better than the other two, then I chose one of the better two.
It helps that my wife has good hearing (plays strings) and can advise on sound quality.
In the US, I would advise to go to a small shop because usually owners can hand-pick instruments they sell, and also will set them up.
Even if a plane trip is required to get to such place- plane tickets can be very cheap during off-season. Can be cheaper than a return shipping fee if returning an instrument that was bought online and does not play well.
Also, it is important to remember that no instrument is perfect and will have some out of tune and some stuffy notes, etc. That's where a good shop owner/tech comes in and will correct the problems.
My only negative experience with buying a clarinet from Europe was when I bought an A online, from the same shop I bought my Bb in person.
That clarinet was a so-so instrument but I kept it because I wanted/needed an A clarinet and did not want to pay for shipping it back to Europe.
Otherwise, my buying in person experience was great since I've done it when we went on vacations.
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Author: fromsfca
Date: 2023-08-27 02:03
I do play professionally….I currently play a pair of Selmer St Louis clarinets. In the last 10 years, I’ve played a Leblanc opus and an opus 2, two Yamaha CSVR customs.
I buy used….still plenty of life in most clarinets and I don’t pay depreciation.
The Yamaha were most consistent, the opus balanced in tone and intonation, but I prefer the Selmer bore design, as well as their keywork. I felt the St Louis had the most personality (I play Broadway shows, contemporary chamber music and swing trios ( think Benny).
So, when I’m looking, it must have a left hand Eb. I look because I’m dissatisfied with sound or feel.
I look on Reverb (3% sale commission means flexible pricing).
I may buy because I find a clarinet at a great price, play it and decide to keep it as my primary (I found my first Yamaha CSVR Custom at Manny’s in San Diego…priced very low: excellent clarinet).
I like a clarinet that:
Plays in tune
Has good key feel
Has solid keywork
Left hand Eb
Skin pads
Has personality
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