 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tinylobsters
Date: 2023-02-18 01:27
Hi. I have a 15 year old that has been playing an old Evette wooden clarinet. It says made in Germany. His teacher recommended that he upgrade to an intermediate level clarinet. She suggested either a Buffet E11, Selmer 1400, or a Yamaha 250,450, or 650. I know nothing about clarinets. I was reading another thread here that said the wooden Evette was like the current E11 and I don’t know if it would make a difference to upgrade to an E11. Just looking for thoughts or opinions. I don’t want to spend money making the wrong choice. He tried a Selmer c1301 and didn’t like it. He also plays soprano and tenor sax (don’t know if that makes a difference) but clarinet is his favorite.
Thanks for any ideas!
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Author: Hunter_100
Date: 2023-02-18 02:09
E11 is pretty much the same as and Evette, just made after Buffet bought the factory. It is actually possible your older evette will play better than a new buffet e11, it kind of depends on the age, quality, and level of care on evette and also on whether you find a good or badly setup new e11.
You could spend around $600-700 on fully overhauling the evette and adding a new mouthpeice and custom barrel, and it may be a better investment than going from an old intermediate instrument to a new intermediate instrument.
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Author: Tinylobsters
Date: 2023-02-18 02:48
Thanks for the information. We had it repadded this past summer and the pads are already starting to go. And it’s weird but this clarinet doesn’t seem to have the same size neck as others for a new mouthpiece. He tried to fit several other mouthpieces and they wouldn’t fit. He plays for between 3 and 41/2 hours a day (music program is pretty intense at his school) so maybe that’s why the pads are wearing out. I found two people locally selling clarinets. One is a recently recorded and repadded E11 for $580 and the other is a barely touched Yamaha 450 for 500. I may have him try those and see what he thinks. I just hate to spend another 300 to repad this clarinet (plus the rental cost) if the pads fail so quickly.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-02-18 03:09
As far as pads go there are synthetics that last many many years and seal better than any conventional pad. If you go down the path of re-re-padding you should at least use Valentino pads (their standard pad is quite good). There is also the Valentino Masters that are firmer and are extraordinarily very good pads (function like cork, arguably the best pad for the upper joint in particular).
I don't know the prices on the instruments you are discussing but my tack on this situation would be to go ahead and invest in a used professional horn (probably some really good options for $2,500). If your 15 year old is serious and making exceptional progress, the investment will be worth it.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Tinylobsters
Date: 2023-02-18 04:07
Thanks. I didn’t even know there were different types of pads. So happy for the information. I’ll look around and see prices for repadding and used better quality instruments.
Jenn
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Author: Ed
Date: 2023-02-18 04:47
I agree about the Valentino pads. Once I started to used those my instrument seals great and lasts for years.
I would suggest finding a good used Buffer R13 or one of the pro Yamaha or Selmer instruments. From the instrument he is using to an E11 is not a big step up. A reasonably priced used pro horn would be a significant improvement.
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Author: Tinylobsters
Date: 2023-02-18 05:13
Thanks. I really appreciate all the insight. It’s hard when you know nothing and have to try to learn as you go along. I’ll have to look into what type of pads the music store used when they replaced them last. I didn’t realize there was such a big difference.
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Author: lydian
Date: 2023-02-18 05:30
Pads should last decades. Sounds like a much better care and maintence regimen is needed. Does he swab thoroughly after playing? I wouldn't spend big money on a new instrument until he learns to care for this one.
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Author: Tinylobsters
Date: 2023-02-18 06:12
He does a pretty throughout job of caring for it. After going over it carefully with him he thinks some of the keys might be the problem. There are a few
That are loose and he has to keep his repair kit on him so he always has his little
Screwdriver with him. He has no problems with his saxophones although he only uses those twice a week for jazz band and at home for practice. It’s just really been his clarinet that has caused issues. He really enjoys playing the clarinet and doesn’t want to give it up and just switch to sax so I’m doing my best to try to learn with him. We just live in a smaller town so it’s a bit of a drive to even have someone take a look at it and the repairs we did last time were pricey and don’t seem to be lasting.
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Author: Musikat
Date: 2023-02-18 06:38
There are some pretty decent deals on used professional models (Mostly R13s). For under $2K he would get a better horn than an E11 and if he's playing that much he's ready. Check out a site called Clarinets by Copeland. He refurbishes older R13s and sells them for reasonable prices. Or check your local techs, who might have used instruments for sale the they set up.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2023-02-18 06:51
I'll throw in my usual statement. I don't like the idea of step ups. Bottom line student model or straight to a pro model. The idea of a used R13 is one to consider. He's 15 and practicing 3-4 1/2 hours daily-- more than I did at that age. Sounds like an intermediate one would be wasted money if he is that serious. Just my 2 cents.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-02-18 07:44
I respectfully disagree with "lydian" regarding clarinet pads. My brand new Yamaha CSG clarinets came with Lucien Deluxe pads. Those are designed well with resonator buttons of plastic in the center of each pad. However, they were still only white felt covered with standard bladder material. They began to fail after ONE YEAR. Yes, I play these clarinets to death but I currently have Valentino Masters on the Bb and they are currently about fifteen years old and still going strong.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: LostConn
Date: 2023-02-18 09:33
A couple of used options:
1. A very reputable seller is offering a mint-condition, barely used Yamaha Custom CSVR for only $2395 on saxontheweb.net. However, you have to be a member of the forum in good standing in order to buy and sell in the marketplace there. I don’t know whether that applies to your son, or whether he might know a member even if he's not one.
2. Kessler & Sons Music, a big online dealer based in Las Vegas, currently has several nice used pro clarinets in addition to their usual stock of new horns. Of course, a dealer will typically charge more for a used instrument than a private seller, but the advantage is that the horn would be properly set up for you.
New option: If you want to skip the hassle and potential uncertainty associated with buying a used clarinet, you can save literally thousands of dollars by buying a new instrument from a dealer in Europe. Many Americans are unaware of this option, but several big European music stores encourage foreign purchases, and will happily ship to the United States. For a small instrument, such as a clarinet, the shipping cost isn't too much more than shipping domestically here. European instrument prices (both E.U. and U.K.) tend to be lower than U.S. prices to begin with, but the kicker is that foreign purchases are exempt from their very high value-added taxes. So an American buying from one of these stores pays a super-low price. E.g., check out the export price for a new Yamaha YCL-650. Eye-popping!
Some good dealers are Dawkes Music and Clarinet & Flute London in England, and Matthew's Muziek in the Netherlands. I recently bought a Backun clarinet from Dawkes, and the experience was fantastic. It took four days from the time I placed my order for the instrument to arrive at my home. It was nicely set up, and I saved a fortune.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2023-02-18 19:14
Hi,
Could I put in a good word for the Yamaha Custom CX? I went down this same route a couple of years ago and fortunately I live really close to a shop where I was able to test 5 or 6 new pro level instruments. I really found the CX was head and shoulders above the rest, and was £700 cheaper than 4 of the other instruments that I tried and that didn't seem that good.
After much further angst, I then blew a load of money on a Fobes 10k mouthpiece and my instrument is really fantastic now. If your son is putting in so many hours on his instrument, I think that spending this kind of money would be really worth it, if that is an option for you.
I'm a stay-at-home Mum and I spend a great deal of time on my clarinet playing, just because it keeps me out of trouble while everyone is busy at work and school. Having an instrument that *just works* really makes life very good, if you're putting in that kind of committment.
Jen
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Author: Tinylobsters
Date: 2023-02-18 21:03
Thanks so much for all the information. We have a good couple of options to consider now.
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