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I'm thinking of buying my other half a (likely second hand) Clarinet for Christmas this year.
She played to a good standard a long ago but hasn't picked an instrument up in about 8 years.
Whilst I play the piano, I know NOTHING about woodwind instruments, but don't want to ask her too many questions for fear of giving the game away.
What should I be looking for? How much should I spend (a please don't say as much as you can afford!) Do Clarinets come in bottom/mid/high ranges in terms of quality, and if so would a newer mid range one be better than an old higher range one?
Questions questions...
Any help gratefully appreciated!
Thanks
I also know nothing about clarinets, other than they make my dog howl.
But, as with flutes, I'd imagine you can't go far wrong with a Yamaha. There are several different grades in any range, with Yamaha's beginners being the 2 series, then 3 series etc...
Have a look online and get an idea of what's out there.
Either buy a newer model or an older one that has been serviced regularly. ie looked after. A service can cost well north of £100.
What happened to her old one?
I also know nothing about clarinets (we have one in the house at the moment, but I'm still fairly clueless), but from what I know about trumpets I'm sure there is a wide range in quality - probably an even wider range than with trumpets which are relatively simple things (as are flutes?) If she played to a good standard, then you should be wary of getting her something that's too rubbish - I'm afraid it's also something I'd be quite wary of in general - how do you know she'd be interested in playing again?
My trumpet is a Yamaha, which is a good mid-range one, though if I wanted to get something better I wouldn't get a Yamaha.
I have been in same boat a year ago. Ended up paying £100 for a service and another ton for another B+H edgware. They are a semitone out. I'm hindsight a yamaha would have been a safer bet, but in my books woodwind means wood. ( I might have a steel SS lurking about too). Avoid shops, Google an enthusiast who services them and sells a few.
My son has a Yamaha - I think - clarinet, with which he's got to about Grade 6/7 standard, it's really nice instrument - was IIRC a second hand one from local instrument teacher and repairer, it still sounds great.
If there is a local service guy - or ask a local teacher where he would go, or have an instrument in stock - go with that. But yes Yamaha sounds perfectly good to me...
Ah, just seen above, what Wally wrote 🙂
As too low/mid/high ranges
- Low will get you a relatively good quality plastic clarinet.
- Mid will get you a lower end wooden or higher end plastic - tbh from speaking to people you need to spend about 1200 before wooden is worthwhile - others may have different views.
-High will get a professional quality wooden clarinet
With a wooden clarinet they do require more regular servicing and if you did get a second hand one there s no guarantee that the wood is in good condition / won't split.
If going for a plastic one a lot of shops will do a rental service and if you decide you want the instrument you pay the difference up to the price. (did this with mine)
If buying second hand I would recommend plastic unless you can be CERTAIN of the instruments history! Cracks can be catastrophic / cost a lot to repair!
She played to a good standard a long ago but hasn't picked an instrument up in about 8 years.
Not to put too much of dampener on things but do you know why she stopped? I got my grade 8 (saxophone rather than clarinet) but eventually stopped playing because of the time commitment required to maintain a good standard (1-2 hrs per day is what I was doing when I passed my grade 8). There's a lot more physicality in playing a woodwind instrument compared with a piano as your embouchure gets weaker which then impacts the tone created.
We paid around £330 for a basic Buffet for our 10yr old - now doing grade 3.
Other half has a Buffet too - though this was more like 1500 ... she has grade 8 and plays in a band for fun.
Bit like bikes ... a big range of prices for things that essentially do the same job.
jb72s prices would seem about right to me. I'm not a clarinettist (I play oboe) but I think the Buffet E13 is reckoned to be a "normal" intermediate clarinet at just over a thousand. I have heard some people rave about Hanson clarinets and I agree that Yamaha are usually a safe bet (whatever they make is pretty decent).
[url= http://www.howarth.uk.com/clarinets.html ]Howarth's[/url] website will give you an idea of the wide spread of prices.
Unless you really know what you are looking at secondhand can be risky.
BUT... To be honest, my inclination would be to not buy an instrument as a surprise for someone who has previously "played to a good standard". Instruments are very personal and the player will have a better idea of what would suit them than you (or us).