 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jim Han
Date: 2024-04-12 03:31
Hi! I’m a 68 yr old newbie player with a beater Selmer sig 100 I got from eBay in the mid 90s. It’s ok for now, tough to keep in tune, although part of that is probably me. My goal is to play with our local concert band here in Gainesville Fl. I’ve decided that if I’ve still got the musical itch(trumpet player since 3rd grade), by next spring, I will treat myself to a new horn. I know the best way to find and evaluate a new horn is to sit down and play it. Problem is that there’s no place to do that here in Gainesville. My research is leading me to Jupiter 1100s, Backun Alpha Plus, and Ridenour Libertas.
Any ideas/advice?
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Author: m1964
Date: 2024-04-12 03:59
Hi Jim,
Firstly, I would take your Selmer to a good tech for evaluation.
Most likely, it can benefit from some regulation and maybe one or more pads needs to be replaced. That alone can make a big difference in how it plays.
If you still want a new instrument later, I would consider buying a used pro model: R13, Selmer 10S or similar.
If you buy from a good local shop or a known clarinet shop (even if buying online), you will get an instrument that is properly serviced and should play well.
Buying from eBay can be a hit or miss, so I'd only buy from a reputable seller with 100% positive feedback.
The good part about buying a used pro clarinet from Buffet or Selmer is that they retain their resell value.
Any clarinet you buy new is half the price if you decide to sell it later (or maybe even less...).
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Author: moma4faith
Date: 2024-04-12 04:43
Welcome to the world of clarinet, instrument of the gods. I live in a really small town, much smaller than Gainesville.
I have had very good luck (stress on "luck") with the online stuff. I sit and watch and watch and watch, until just what I'm looking for at just the right price comes online, then I try to purchase/bid. I've gotten a good price on a used Buffet R-13, found a lovely LeBlanc Opus, a Bach Strad trumpet for my youngest son, and have bought two Yamaha silver trumpets for each son to march with, along with a Yamaha 62 purple logo alto sax and a professional flute, the old Armstrong Heritage, for myself... and have helped quite a few band parents shop to get a better instrument for their child without having to sell a lung to pay for it. I've also found a great Buffet E-11 for a student on facebook marketplace. I also look at listings on that big "bay" store, as well as Reverb.
While I don't like the Jupiter clarinets, Backun and Ridenour are good names. The higher end Yamahas are also nice, the wood and silver keys can be quite striking, along with great response and flexible tone/sound. My go to is the Buffet R-13, but there are a ton of great instruments and makers out there.
Have you reached out to the local high school band director? They may have leads. Believe it or not, pawn shops can sometimes have great instruments, especially if it is a college town.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2024-04-12 05:33
Being a former Band Director, I've bought three near new student models from parents of students who quit after maybe a year. Two Yamahas and a Selmer. Excellent instruments I wouldn't hesitate to use if my Buffet conked out (I play principal in a prof. concert band). I paid $100-$150 for them. Or even look into a new student model for maybe $500. Not sure what they go for nowadays, but they make them a whole lot better than decades ago. Maybe something to look into.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2024-04-12 05:45
The answer is to drive to a bigger town. I see Jacksonville and Orlando are about an hour and a half from you (I used to live in Orlando). I think it'd be worthwhile to do the road time to actually try out stuff.
If stores in those towns don't have what you want, ask if they can have a few horns shipped in (if they're a dealer for the horns you're considering) for trial without obligation to buy. I bought my Yamahas that way (from an authorized Yamaha dealer that did NOT regularly carry professional horns).
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2024-04-12 23:56
Hi Jim and welcome to the Woodwind Clarinet BB!
Have you gone over to Hoggtowne Music is Gainesville? They have the Yamaha YCL-255 student clarinet as well as the Professional YCL-650 clarinet in stock.
It might be a worthwhile little drive to go over there and check out those clarinets. The YCL-255 is only $34 more than their advertised Jupiter model.
From reading many posts on this BB, the Yamaha's have a good, solid reputation.
https://www.hoggtownemusic.com/c-28-clarinets-bs-clarinets.aspx
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Author: Jim Han
Date: 2024-04-14 23:08
Thanks for all the advice, folks! Much appreciated. I have a long way to go to get to my goal. I wont be looking seriously till next spring, but now I have a lot of food for thought. Time to work on my embrochure!
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2024-04-29 22:22
Hi, Jim:
It's been my experience that the Selmer Signet clarinets don't play in tune with many of the mouthpieces available today. Many of the Signets came with Selmer HS-Star mouthpieces which yield reasonably good intonation; if you're not playing the HS-Star, the Hite Premiere is an affordable option that tunes well on a Signet.
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