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Re: What Clarinet to Buy?

Author: IndeterminateEuler
Date: 2019-02-20 19:19

Here's my $0.02: (Copied from the thread necrobumped by the OP from 4-5 years ago.)

I would recommend against outdoor use of a wooden clarinet. Varying climate conditions and the general rough attitude towards marching instruments can put a clarinet through a lot of stress. Additionally, a wooden clarinet can be a bit heavy to march with for extended periods of time.

However, a common practice is to have one clarinet for indoor use, and save a "beater" for marching (or pep bands). If most events are outside, though, getting a new wood clarinet for indoor use and saving the existing one for outdoor use may not seem like it would offer the greatest benefit for the expense.

The Buffet Prodige is a plastic one that is the successor to the B12. I have a B12 from my days as a younger student and it has served me well. (Of course, don't take my word for it. Look around more, and you'll see many mentions of quality control issues. I still found mine to be a good horn for what it was, though.) Note that my experience with the B12 is not necessarily representative of the current Prodige.

I would also recommend against buying an instrument for her without her knowledge. In general, I'd avoid surprise-gifting an enthusiast something of their trade that I am not familiar with. (Like buying a PC enthusiast an expensive PC component when you know little of PCs.) A clarinet, especially, is something subject to personal idiosyncrasies: How it "feels" when she holds it, and how it "feels" when she plays.

Try before you buy is a good philosophy to follow for instruments, so you should be sure to involve her in the process.

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