Author: Jenny C
Date: 2020-09-04 05:50
Hello. I'm hoping to get some help regarding choosing clarinet. A bit background about myself. I've played clarinet back in middle school and high school for about 5 years. Loved it, but didn't think making it a career would work out, so went for something else in university. I considered buying a clarinet as a graduation present for myself, but didn't think I would get much practice done living in the dorm. And then with the student loan, I felt that the purchase should wait. So now that a few years later I'm loan free, I have finally decided to pick up clarinet again as a hobby.
I've never owned a clarinet. I've done some research online and it seems like getting a refurbished professional clarinet would be a better idea than getting a new intermediate one. And getting refurbished clarinet from repair technicians would be more reliable than from internet ads especially for someone like me who doesn't know much about choosing clarinet. So I did send several emails out to local technicians and was able to get some responses.
I'm not sure if it's okay to mention the prices, if not please let me know or please delete this post and I'm very sorry. I'm in Canada, so keep in mind all the prices I mentioned are in CAD. One local store informed me they have refurbished R13 available. 1970's (~$2700) and 1960's (~$1800). There's also custom horn that's similar to R13 (~$1700). Another repair technician informed me he has a Yamaha custom CS (~$2000).
Everyone I contacted was nice, but I just want to double check if the prices sound reasonable? It's easy to find the new price for the models, but when it's refurbished, I am not too sure what's the expectation as I see all kind of prices listed on internet ads. The ~$1000 difference between 1960's and 1970's R13 also makes me wonder if there's a big difference between them. I don't think I've seen a thread comparing R13 from these two decades, they are usually just grouped together as vintage. Please let me know if I’m missing something obvious.
I’ve read up reviews on these models, but of course, there are always people who like it and those who don’t. I know it’s suggested to try out the instrument. However, I've only played plastic clarinet before and it's been 8 years since I last played, so I don't even know if I can play the sound properly now. I am unsure if trying out the clarinet myself would be of much help. I've tried listening to professionals playing different models on Youtube, but either it's the sound quality of the video or just my crappy ears, I don't hear that much difference between different models. And personally, I do not know people that play clarinet, so I don't have anyone that can accompany me to actually test them out.
I am pretty lost as to which one would be the best choice, so would really appreciate some pointers and advice. I am unsure where to go from here. Thanks in advance.
Post Edited (2020-09-04 06:34)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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