Author: Mikael
Date: 2022-11-30 22:49
I had a fancy G-clarinet in wood ready to go on a stand for a couple of years. The silver plating got tarnished pitch black, and the cork got somewhat compressed. Not a big problem except for the bell, which got a bit wobbly. No worse than an extra helping of cork grease could fix though.
As I see it, the silver plating tarnishing is the main problem with leaving an expensive clarinet out in the open for an extended time (assuming the wood is well aged and not susceptible to cracking!). For this reason I keep all my fancy wood clarinets safely tucked away at all times. Instead I have two cheap Chinese clarinets on a stand for when I just want to grab a clarinet and play. One in A and one in C, both made out of hard rubber and with nickel plated keys.
Owning a cheap "practice clarinet" that you don't have to worry too much about ruining makes a lot of sense. Mine were $215 each:
https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Rosedale-Intermediate-A-Clarinet-by-Gear4music/12AB
https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Rosedale-Intermediate-C-Clarinet-by-Gear4music/12AA
They are rated as "intermediate" quality, which isn't as much of a lie as you may think. Both instruments are perfectly playable, and could even be used professionally if you only need an A or a C on rare occasions, in case you can't afford "real" instruments. I'm not kidding, cheap Chinese junk is far from junk these days!
If you want something even better to practice on, I'd recommend a Ridenour Lyrique. Costs three times as much, but is still hard rubber and nickel plated, so it still serves well as a "beater".
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The Clarinet BBoard
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