 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: missymarie8
Date: 2020-07-02 03:22
My daughter has been playing in the band for about 3 years. She plays quite well and is in advanced band and competition band. She's wanting her own clarinet to play on the church worship team. Her old band director suggested to look on ebay for a yamaha. I did that but there are soooo many different kinds, I am at a loss. Our budget is under $300. Any suggestions?!
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-07-02 03:32
Look for a Yamaha 34. It’s an older intermediate model made of wood that is a great option for a more advanced player. Be sure to sort by “Seller Refurbished” unless you are prepared to have it serviced yourself.
If those are too much then you may have to stick with a student model. Look for a refurbished 250 or Advantage in this case.
Make sure she also has a good mouthpiece of her own too. A good cheap option is the Fobes Debut.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: m1964
Date: 2020-07-02 17:57
missymarie8 wrote:
"My daughter has been playing in the band for about 3 years. She plays quite well and is in advanced band and competition band. She's wanting her own clarinet to play on the church worship team. Her old band director suggested to look on ebay for a yamaha. I did that but there are soooo many different kinds, I am at a loss. Our budget is under $300. Any suggestions?"
Buying off eBay can be a hit or a miss.
You might want to check local craigslist or a music store specializing in wind instruments where your daughter could play-test the clarinet.
Unfortunately, many eBay sellers provide dishonest description- I bought a clarinet that was advertised as having "new pads and corks" and the pads were original 30 y. old pads. Corks too. It played but was not sealing well. Seller had 100% feedback.
Another time I bought an E12 and received a B12 - the seller intentionally blurred the logo on the picture...
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2020-07-03 01:19
I usually suggest buying a student model new. Any Yamaha is probably good. I practiced on a plastic (non-wood) one for years. Two years ago I bought a plastic student Selmer new for $150 CAD plus tax (= about $115 U.S.). No problems at all. Doubt you'll find a deal like that, but going over your $300 figure by a little may be a wise choice. My recollection in the '70s-'90s teaching Band was that new instruments are no more expensive today then they were back then and that's with 2020 dollars. I do think they are more "rugged" then back then as well.
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2020-07-04 19:23
$300 is low for a Yamaha unless you can check it out first. If it needs repair it could increase the final cost quite a bit. I never trust the descriptions that say "ready to play" or "just overhauled". If your budget is truly limited, put feelers out into your immediate area. Someone in your area has one sitting in a closet that they'll sell cheap or give away. One customer of mine put up a note at work to find instruments for his kids. Maybe someone at church has one gathering dust.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2020-07-04 22:09
Steven, I agree--about checking anything used out first (or have someone qualified to do so). I bought a used Yamaha for $100 CAD which lasted well over 10 years. Still plays but needs work.
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: Neil
Date: 2020-07-05 04:53
This board has a "For Sale" section; you might want to check it out.
Yamaha is a good brand, but there are others as well. Stay away from "CSOs" (Clarinet-Shaped Objects).
Unless you're buying a reconditioned instrument directly from a tech, plan on having a few leaky pads replaced. A decent quality, playable instrument within your budget should be possible. If you have to compromise, stretch your budget.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-07-05 05:06
I don’t understand the hate for eBay these days. I’ve had much better luck with eBay than with local techs. If there’s anything wrong with it whatsoever eBay will usually side with you and you can get your money back without even paying for return shipping. Heck I went to one of the “top” stores in NYC to try out a Yamaha Custom and it had a ton of leaks despite being “restored”, so buying in person is not inherently less risky. There’s just no good reason not to get a clarinet on eBay or Reverb these days IMHO unless you’re buying new.
-JDbassplayer
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Author: m1964
Date: 2020-07-05 19:24
jdbassplayer wrote:
> I don’t understand the hate for eBay these days. I’ve had
> much better luck with eBay than with local techs. If there’s
> anything wrong with it whatsoever eBay will usually side with
> you and you can get your money back without even paying for
> return shipping. Heck I went to one of the “top” stores in
> NYC to try out a Yamaha Custom and it had a ton of leaks
> despite being “restored”, so buying in person is not
> inherently less risky. There’s just no good reason not to get
> a clarinet on eBay or Reverb these days IMHO unless you’re
> buying new.
>
> -JDbassplayer
Hi jdbassplayer,
I have no hate for eBay, and have bought many things without a problem. Usually new.
However, my used clarinet buying experience was not that great.
Maybe I was unlucky. However, if you just search for a "Buffet clarinet", there will be probably over a hundred clarinets advertised as Buffet but in reality they would be Evettes or E&S.
Adds with blurry pictures hiding wear and tear, or worse damage.
I bought one advertised as E12 and the seller sent me a B12. Pictures were low quality and yes I should have known better. The seller refunded me in full but demanded that I send it back on my expense which I refused. Ebay sided with me and told me not to send it back until I get a return label from the seller, which he never sent.
So now I have this B12 in my garage waiting for the return label since 2 months ago.
Just a BIG headache I didn't need to.
A couple of years ago bought a used RC A clarinet, from Italy, advertised as having new corks, pads and silver plated keyworks. Every pad was origina, 30 y. old and keys were nickel plated. Got a small partial refund from the seller and repadded it myself. Not everyone can repad a clarinet.
That was another big headache. I actually regretted more than once buying a used clarinet from abroad because shiping it back could become a problem…
Where I live (a large metropolitan area) I see many Yamahas on craigslist which can be checked out for leaks and other problems. A few evettes and buffets too.
I like Steven's recommendation to reach out locally. At least, the OP would not have potential headaches.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2020-07-06 17:16
I am boycotting Amazon, so my online purchases are mostly from eBay. I don't buy instruments there but I check out ones that customers buy. The repairs are often not up to my standards. This is fine if it is budgeted in.
For an Asian clarinet that has is returnable you may try one from Musicmedic. The owner has spent a lot of time in China and is familiar with the factories over there.
https://musicmedic.com/products/clarinets.html
Steve Ocone
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Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-07-07 13:16
eBay is actually a crazy good option sometimes. You'd be surprised just how often PayPal's buyer's protection steps into the breach for you! Got 400$ back for my Selmer alto clarinet, which I already got cheap anyways, because it had a crack that was not mentioned by the seller and because he didn't bother to explain it properly. That and vendors have to manage logistics on their own, so there's at least a chance of them not being as evil as Amazon.
My tip: Look for a lightly used Buffet Prodige, there's many for sale these days. As your daughter progresses, you can upgrade it with a better barrel and mouthpiece, but for starters, it has everything one needs.
Best regards
Christian
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2020-07-07 19:31
I'm an admitted Ebay clarinet junkie. I've been buying clarinets and accessories off of Ebay for about four years now after returning to playing after several decades away from it. But I must say that I spent a great deal of time studying that site and other clarinet-related web sites learning about the different makes and models of clarinets and types of Ebay vendors before beginning to actually purchase. Ebay can be a quagmire for the uninitiated. One has to know what a "clarinet-shaped object" is and be able to identify them before being able to avoid them. I don't know that I would advise missymarie8 to go the Ebay route first not knowing any more about clarinets than she apparently does unless she is first prepared to deal with any problems that can arise. I've made some really great purchases, but some clunkers as well. And some great clarinets that just didn't work for me. The first thing I discovered was that I had to find a good instrument tech to work out problems with the instruments I bought. Finding a skilled, knowledgeable and honest tech added a whole other layer of complexity to the issue.
I think if I were her I would identify good potential models (Yamaha, Selmer, Buffet, Leblanc) and see if I could find a brick and mortar store that has one in her price range. If buying off of Ebay (or Reverb, which I've not tried and which looks a tad more expensive), I would try to learn to identify and stick with vendors that are identifiably music stores and not individuals selling just an instrument or all kinds of miscellaneous stuff. Listings by stores that indicate that they have a tech on staff would be safest, although they may be a bit more expensive. If she can locate a good instrument tech in her area before buying, she might be a bit safer in buying of Ebay or Reverb knowing that she has a resource for bringing the instrument into good playing condition if needed. Maybe her daughter's band director can help her with that.
Hope this is at least somewhat helpful.
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2020-07-08 02:48
For $300, buy a vintage instrument (Leblanc, Normandy, Evette, etc.) for $100 and have someone restore it for $200.
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2020-07-08 04:49
BTW, when I went back to playing and hadn't found a local tech yet I had amazingly good luck with the clarinet overhauls sometimes offered on Ebay. I haven't seen too many lately, but I think there is at least one offer on there right now. My hunch is that they are usually experienced techs trying to fill up some slow times. I had two vintage intermediate instruments and one worse-for-the-wear pro level clarinet done by three different techs with listings on Ebay, each for under $200, and they all came out very nicely. Not artist level, but certainly great for most amateur purposes. Being primarily a vintage Leblanc fan, I like to joke with the Buffet players about my $225 early-60s R13 - $100 with a pinned crack off of Ebay and a $125 overhaul also off of Ebay. Plays pretty damn well.
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