Has anyone heard of this new sky brand clarinet made in the USA? It is very cheap and I was wondering is there anything going for it. I looked up the buffet r13 and semler paris clarinets that everyone kept mentioning and they are $4200 in Australia. Out of my reach. I am just starting to learn the clarinet and know nothing and I mean nothing about them.

the best company for calrinets top one is BUFFET clarinets they just produce a nice sound they are recommended by the top clarinetest like the R-13 Buffet and the R-13 Vintage and the R-13 Prestige.Those are great clarinets you can have selmer I will never play in my whole intire life.

I understand that Buffet clarinets are the best but they are too expensive at this point. I wanted to know if the sky brand have anything going for them because they are cheap and it would do until I could afford a decent clarinet. I know someone will mention renting but I want to own my own clarinet.

I started reading this forum in my search for an E-S Buffet, and couldn`t help noticing that this conversation has been going on for more than a year (as long as my computer is displaying it correctly). I thought I would chime in with my set-up and $.02 (sorry I cannot help the above post about Sky).

I am a private lesson teacher in the Houston area. I`ve been studying privately for a few years and am a music education major (transfering to U of H - finally....). I would say I`m a decent player <<being a little modest here>>. I began playing on the above mentioned clarinet many, many years ago. Absolutly loved it. When I got into college I wanted another clarinet (to rotate when my Buffet was in the shop - which was many states away....). When I tried them out, the one that fit for me was a <<gasp!>> Yamaha 64. The tone production, resonance, and free blowing (especially over the breaks) were better - in my opinion - than the Festival I was trying. No one knows that I have a Yamaha. Many people scoff at that brand without knowing that I have one. When they do, they all try it and love it. Why - because it`s not a student line and because it`s good. While I wouldn`t recommend buying a Yamaha over a Buffet, I would recommend going out and seeing which one feels better (as stated before - just not [and here`s where I have to put my foot down cause repair shops won`t tough them] first act). Selmers were too heavy and did not feel comfortable in my hands and I didn`t look at LeBlanc. So, for you nay-sayers out there that automatically think "Yamaha sucks! Buffet is the best!" I challenge you to come to my audition in 2 weeks and see if you can tell what model clarinet I`m playing on.

My set up:

A. Yamaha 64
Vandoren M13 Lyre
Vandoren 12 reeds in 3.5 (4`s are funky in this set up)
Rovner ligature

B. Buffet Evette-Schaeffer
Bay Equalizer mp
Vandoren German Blacks in 3.5/4 (depending on weather)
Rovner ligature

SB

I`m a repair technician in the Toronto area and I would advise you to stay away from Sky brand instruments. I haven`t actually seen one of their clarients, but their flutes are of very poor quality and the shop I work at refuses to fix them. If something goes wrong we can`t order new parts and they are very hard to work with. If we have to solder them, they melt because it`s made out of a pot metal.

So my advice, pass on the Sky clarinet and try for a student Yamaha, Bundy, Vito...Armstrong/Artley if you have to but personaly, I hate them.

N/

Thank you for your reply. I definitely will stay away from them then. I will look into the other brands you mentioned.

Has anyone heard of Andre Mollett of Paris....it`s a wood clarinet with great tone. I am trying to find out more about it. Has to be over 50 years old?????

Your only influence on choosing a clarinet should not only be sound, but comfort aswell. I play on a buffet E-11 and i find that the keys are too small, while the selmers are more comforatable. So before you buy a clarinet see how it feels as far as if your fingers can comfortably cover the holes

To answer your question I thing selmer paris clarinets are the best you can buy. Especially their signature model.

Has nobody anything to say about the tosca who has expirience with the instrument.I am gonna buy mine this month!(if it`s ready)

Tosca- marketing ploy by Buffet. I have tried several and was not impressed. Is it better than an R13? Yes. Is it good enough to be the flagship clarinet? NIMHO. Prestige still the best.

Hey dmitri,thanks for your honest answer!I find it weird that you say prestige,because most people would choose the festival.Do you mean the RC prestige or the R-13 prestige?

deity you believe in don`t buy a SKY USA clarinet, biggest piece of trash. I happen to have bought one recently for the `cheep price`
The register key has a metal piece that sticks out half way into the upper barrel...impedes air flow, must be filed off.
sticky F key, stays closed when you want the Open G.
imbalenced C Sharp key on the upper barrel...won`t stay closed untill you stuff a piece of cork under it.
In two days I`ve had to do extensive modifications to make it PLAY anything other then D, E, F, and C.
save your money.

lord how I miss the Leblanc I used to play...now THAT was a clarinet!

Does anyone know what the `college pro` clarinets are like? There is also a `Skyway` brand, is that just like the trashy `sky` brand? Has anyone heard of Ashton musical instruments. I believe they are Australian. Are they any good?

I prefer the R13 Prestige to the RC Prestige. Both are nice, but I prefer the bigger sound of the R13P. Regarding the festival, this clarinet is much easier to blow air through. This is why some would probably prefer this over the Prestige, as the P has more resistance. Same with the Tosca. The Tosca has much greater resistance. Having played all, I certainly would be fine with any of the four. Although I would probably put the Tosca on the low end. I owned a festival back in the late 90s and like it alot. I changed from the festival to the RCP and never had any regrets.

I need your advice. I am in the market to buy my 8th grade daughter a new clarinet. She has been playing on an older wooden Noblet clarinet, but here school teacher told me she needs a new one. He suggested either the Buffet E11 or R13. The price of the R13 is too hight for me, and I cannot find a used one. He also mentioned the Yamaha 650. Can anyone give me advise of what would be good. She plays well and her teacher told me she can take it far. Any help, thanks!