 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: kc261
Date: 2008-06-11 18:38
My daughter is going to start playing clarinet in her middle school band in the fall. I am hoping to purchase an inexpensive clarinet for her. We cannot afford the $500 or so that it seems to take to get a good student clarinet.
I can find plenty for sale online for around $100, and we could afford that, but I am very concerned about the quality of these instruments. Are these instruments good enough for a beginner?
I can find plenty of used clarinets on ebay and similar places, but I do not have enough knowledge to know which ones are a good buy. From browsing here and other sites I've got some brand names in mind, but how can you tell from a picture if an instrument is in good working condition?
Does anyone have any suggestions of where to get an inexpensive but decent clarinet for someone just starting out? I would be happy to get a used one there was a way to be reasonably certain it would be in good condition upon arrival.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: weberfan
Date: 2008-06-11 18:47
A few suggestions:
Check the Keepers section on this Web site, plugging in a few brand names or a subject line like "plastic clarinets" or "clarinet for beginners".
You might also try musicremasters.com or clarinuts.com (same place, different addresses). The principal clarinut, Charl Van Schoick, overhauls and sells used plastic and wood clarinets. I bought an old Selmer plastic model from him last year that was probably made in the 1980's, and it is serving me well. He's in Massachusetts.
Also, "theclarnetshoppe.com", in Illinois, sells reworked plastic and wood models. You can get a decent clarinet for under $200 from either outlet. Both offer a trial period; you can send it back if you don't like it.
And both, by the way, are sponsors of this bulletin board.
You might also ask your daughter's teacher or band director if they have a lead on some reasonably priced, well-maintained instruments.
Hope this helps.
Post Edited (2008-06-11 19:12)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2008-06-11 19:39
I recommend a good Buffet B-12. You can find them used in good condition for 300.00 or so. However, if you use the online auction site beginning with the letter E you need to use a seller that has knowledge of clarinets and not someone who says in their description, "I don't know anything about these but..." Also look for a seller that has 100% positive feedback or close to that. And, don't forget to see if you can return the instrument if it turns out that it's a dud. You can always take it to the band director or teacher and ask them to play-test it for you and see if it's good enough for your student.
I highly recommend you DO NOT buy a made in China cheapie (the 100.00 or below versions you see all the time) because they are very poorly constructed and usually have extremely poor intonation. If your child doesn't learn to hear the correct tone and pitch he/she will never be able to play the clarinet well.
Another good student instrument is the Forte sold by Dr. Henderson for under 500.00 (brand new) and an excellent instrument. He's also a sponsor of this board and will hand-select one for you if you ask him. I've sold several of these to beginners and intermediates and they are great instruments. http://www.forteclarinet.com
It is hard to find one used that doesn't have a problem, but usually if it has new pads and has been set-up and the seller says it is in excellent playing condition (as long as the seller is a high scorer on the positive feedback), and you can return it you'll probably be ok.
Post Edited (2008-06-11 19:41)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-06-12 12:58
Another possibility is to check with the band director, who may have knowledge of students in the band who have stopped playing an instrument in the past year or so. If the instrument is in good shape, and is only sitting around because the student lost interest, you can often pick up a pretty decent deal on these horns, say maybe a nice Vito for a couple hundred bucks. Depends on how motivated the parents are to sell the instrument.
If your school has an e-mail newsletter that goes out to parents, you may want to see if they will take an ad asking for people to contact you if they have a student-model horn to sell.
Good luck.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: rtmyth
Date: 2008-06-12 15:43
I had good luck with my three TR147s bought off the internet. With some adjusting, they perform well, have excellent intonation, and cost , including adjustments, was low. That said, I always recommend try before buy, with a generous return, refund polocy.
richard smith
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-06-12 15:59
Second hand is the way to go. The trade in used beginner clarinets tends to be lively as there are a lot of beginners and they either don't keep it up or they move on to a better model. A competent teacher will be able to check over any potential purchase very quickly.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-06-12 16:27
If you are going to buy a used plastic clarinet, the following are reputable makes:
Buffet/Evette/Schreiber
Yamaha
Vito/Normandy/Holton
Artley/Armstrong
Bundy/Selmer USA (but NOT Selmer Prelude!)
Though with buying used, the condition of used clarinets is hugey variable from very good (or 'nearly new') to very poor depending on how well it's been looked after. So have someone that knows what to look out for and is a competent player to assess the condition before you part with any money.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: allencole
Date: 2008-06-12 16:59
If you're new to all this consider rental-purchase at your local music store. You don't build equity until the purchase is complete, but at least you can stop the payments if this venture doesn't work out. Also, they will exchange an unsatisfactory instrument.
Also, consider starting some lessons if you can afford them. If you can't afford to take lessons, ask a local clarinet teacher if they will do a one-time consultation. Summer is a slack time for many teachers, and a good time to try this.
There aren't many contraindications for playing clarinet, but two notable ones are being double-jointed in the thumbs (possibly remedied with a neckstrap) and fingers too slender to seal the tone holes. (possibly remedied by a different model instrument) I watch young girls in particular be tormented by this situation. A good clarinet teacher can intercept these problems and advise you on how to deal with them.
Too many parents go out and buy something outright, bragging about how much 'smarter' they are than the renters. They're not looking so smart when their kid can't interface with what they bought.
Meet your instrument in person before you part with that hard earned cash.
Allen Cole
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: redwine
Date: 2008-06-12 16:59
Hello,
I'm afraid that if you buy a used clarinet for $100, you'll have to put a considerable amount of money into making it playable.
I must apologize to everyone else that provides this service, but the only one I know is Dave Spiegelthal. The service about which I am speaking is a competent repairman that purchases used clarinets and overhauls them. Then, they offer them to people such as you. If I were in your situation, that is how I would proceed.
In all fairness to others that offer this service, I would wait to make a decision until everyone interested in making a bid for your business has the opportunity to contact you directly. I would suggest posting another post posing that question directly to anyone willing to contact you directly.
Alternately, perhaps a section already exists or could be added to this site for people that provide this service with little or no charge to help out people such as this poster.
Good luck!
If your ISP is truly where you live, I'll be glad to try to point you in the right direction in this area, if I can be of help, although I don't offer this service. Actually, Dave Spiegelthal lives in northern Virginia, so he may be the best way to go. There's also another person I know that is the repairman for the Army Field Band that may be able to help you.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: kc261
Date: 2008-06-12 17:45
Thank you everyone for all of the replies!
At this time, I am leaning towards buying a refurbished clarinet, or obviously a used one that does not need refurbishing would qualify also. It is more that buying from one of the 2 places in the first post (musicremasters.com/clarinuts.com and theclarinetshoppe.com) seems a good way to get an instrument that I know is in good working condition. Or possibly this Dave Spiegelthal person, as I am in northern Virginia, so that would be exceptionally convenient if he has anything.
So I would welcome any experiences (good or bad) anyone has had with these people or anyone else in the business of selling used clarinets that have been refurbished if necessary.
Also, please feel free to contact me privately if you fit that bill and have something I might be interested in purchasing.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-06-12 22:33
kc261 wrote:
> So I would welcome any experiences (good or bad) anyone has had
> with these people or anyone else in the business of selling
> used clarinets that have been refurbished if necessary.
I can't comment on clarinuts/musicremasters as I haven't bought anything there (although I'd be tempted to if I were in such a situation), but I have no doubt that David's repair artistry is not far from what he's doing unto mouthpieces, and you'd be in very good hands.
Edit: Contacting you privately would require you to disclose your email address in your profile...
--
Ben
Post Edited (2008-06-12 22:34)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: kc261
Date: 2008-06-14 04:37
Oops! Sorry about the undisclosed email address. I didn't realize this forum didn't have a way to PM within the forum.
I have found a clarinet that I am in the process of purchasing for my daughter. So, one hurdle crossed! How many more to go? 
Thanks once again for all the great advice. It really was very helpful.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
