My daughter is taking clarinet for the first time and I`d like to get her something nice she can grow with that is easy to handle, in a reasonable price range, but not cheap. Any suggestions? Thanks very much!

For a mom wanting to buy the best student clarinet, is the Leblanc 7214 or Yamaha 250 better?

The leblanc will probably sounds better

But the yamaha is more servicable
and durable

Hope this help mom-and fyi, u shud consult a private teacher or professional player in your area and have them playtest the horns ...

Patti~!

heres my advice, for something that she can grow with and enjoy and use to learn effectively-the buffet B12 is an extremely popular model in Wisconsin. WWBW.com has a great deal on a B12 student clarinet right now, but if u can go to a local music store and see if they can compete as it is much more convienient. make sure u buy a new clarinet since it is a student one (most used and rental student clarinets dont work as well as they should -regardless of what people say or do for and to them. it just doesnt work out very well lol.

Advantages to the Buffet B-12 are that they are made of ABS plastic resin, and play well enough to be used well into high school marching band ( but for concert band your kid will need a wooden one or she will not be able to achieve as much as she can.

Yamahas Student: YCL 250 model is pretty good to, and should be ok for marching band down the road.

The most important thing to remember is that eventually u will have to drop around 2500 dollars for a concert clarinet-professional quality.. I am against the purchase of intermediate clarinets after a beginners clarinets because it is not very good financially. You dont get enough ofut of your money in most cases.
The best road to take is getting a beginners followed by an advanced in 7th/8th grade

I have played in a Borgani/ Macerata clarinet for twenty years, and nowadays I bought a Le Blanc concierto clarinete (second-hand). I really dicovered the magic that this clarinet has. I play in a B45 Selmer mouth piece, so nowadays, I am very happy to play in this instrument.
Sergio

I just bought an old wooden clarinet at an antique mall and can`t tell for sure what kind it is. it doesn`t have the maker stamp anywhere....just number 825 on it. The mouthpiece says Noblet but don`t know if it`s original or not. The case is tan with leather handle, black lether sides and blue velvet inside. The wood is beautiful black and brown grain. Any ideas anyone?

Number 1: Selmer Paris (best quality)
Number 2: Leblanc (best engineering)
Number 3: Couesnon (best sound)
Number 4: Buffet Crampon (best resell value)

does anyone know much about buffet`s new tosca line? i`m playing on an r13 vintage i bought several years ago, and am interested in the claims of "perfect intonation" and "smooth tone" from the tosca. I love my vintage, but am curious about this new addition from buffet.

and as far as the best clarinet brand goes, i think it`s really a matter of preference. i like buffet`s because i`ve been playing them for 10 years and like the way the keys feel. i`m comfortable with their resistance and ease of tone production, and have adjusted to the unique intonation problems of each of my instruments. But to be honest, you just have to try them. between r13, yamaha custom, selmer`s top models (not sure of these, so correct me if i`m wrong) or the leblancs, you really can`t go wrong. i`ve actually heard some great things about yamaha and their wood quality these days.

I`ve heard good things about the buffet E11 and E12, retailing at 670 and 1100 respectively. both are tagged as intermediate level instruments and one would probably not grow out of them for some time.

but in my opinion, the best way to go is to find a quality used instrument. i started in 3rd grade on a plastic clarinet and a year or so later got a used buffet r13 (at the time about 35 years old) for $600. It played (and continues to play) beautifully and gave me the opportunity to grow as a player and never really grow out of the instrument. about 4 years later we overhauled it to make it play up to its potential (adjusted key action and some other issues that we bought it with). that cost a few hundred dollars, but even now, after about 10 years with it, it plays as well as any other clarinet I`ve tried. and with a used clarinet you don`t lose the sticker value as quickly. with a new clarinet you get the initial depreciation, so you will always have to sell it for a loss. and if you buy a student clarinet, you will eventually need an upgrade. with a used instrument, you can probably sell it for close to the purchasing value if necessary, so that is an added plus.
i hope this helps.

Buffets are easily and by far the best clarinets you can buy, Vandoren and Selmer make excellent mouthpieces and the best reeds you can buy are Vandorens.

Yeah, Vandoren are fine...if you have a month to spend breaking them in. I use Rico Evolution; 7-8 out of ten play well as soon as you take them out of the box, and the others usually play well with a little bit of balancing.

Hi there,
Don`t argue about wich brand is the better one.Customize your clarinet (find good reeds,a good mouthpiece,ligature of your choice)and practise hard.You will beat them all!!

Ok, just listen everyone, Buffet Crampon is hands down the best clarinet you can buy. ive been playing my whole life and you can not have a better instrument than a Buffet R13. other brands might be ok for beginners and those of you who want to switch from instrument to instrument, but if you want to step it up and have a truly superior clarinet buy the Buffet, it might cost more than others but it is WELL worth it.

"Ok, just listen everyone, Buffet Crampon is hands down the best clarinet you can buy. ive been playing my whole life and you can not have a better instrument than a Buffet R13. other brands might be ok for beginners and those of you who want to switch from instrument to instrument, but if you want to step it up and have a truly superior clarinet buy the Buffet, it might cost more than others but it is WELL worth it."

Not only is it not "hands down" the best brand, it also certainly doesn`t cost more than other brands. Please don`t make such tall statements when you obviously do not know what you`re talking about.

I am going to go all high and mighty, and say the best clarinet manufacturer is the one that makes the clarinet best suited to YOU.
When buying a clarinet, always try out as many as you can, using your own mouthpiece / reed.