Hello, I am looking to a buy a new clarinet for my son. I am completely inexperienced in instruments and am doing a bit of research to find what I need, coupled with the best pricing and quality. I have heard that Buffet Clarinets are the best around, but the pricing is outrageous! Have any of you heard of "Sky" Clarinets? I don`t know if their quality is acceptable or not.

What type of ligature or swab do I need for the instrument? I would appreciate if any of you could give me an idea of the pricing range for clarinets and its accessories and the quality of the items.

Thank you.

Buffets are one of the best Clarinets out there but I don`t know how serious you son is. But if he really wants to pursue Clarinet than not only will the Buffet provide a clear sound and good dynamics but a lifetime of playing as they are durable. I have played on my R13 for 7 years and it has only went to the shop 1 time and that was just for a checkup!

Here is a link to a great website where I buy all of my instruments from. They have the Buffet R13 for about 2,000 dollars and it is brand new.

http://www.wwbw.com/Buffet-R13-Bb-Clarinets-i57545.music


I really hope that this helps and email me with any other question if you need to.

Your clarinet friend, Shawn

If your son is just starting, dont spend $2000 on a instrument yet. Buy a cheap, known brand, that is plastic and have him play that for a couple of years. Once his instrument no longer can help him improve, then step up to a more expensive instrument. Let`s be smart here, of course the more expensive instruments are going to be better, but right now does your son need a intermediate one? Not now he doesn`t! Be a smart shopper!

Ok, so I probably won`t be getting my son a Buffet clarinet. He`s been playing for about 2 years in his school band...what brands would any of you recommend that are good for high-school students?

And what kind of mouthpiece or ligature should I use?

Buffet is not SO expensive. After just 2 years I don`t think your son needs a Buffet R13. You could by him a Buffet E11 (707 US$ at music123.com). It is the perfect intermediate wood clarinet. You will not find better price/quality. I upgraded from a plastic clarinet to a E-11 and I think was the best decision. Other brands of plastic chinese-made clarinets do work and are really cheap but the difference is durability, sound and tone.
Go for the E11, you will not regret it.

Hey, I have never heard of a buffet clarinet and 2,000 dollars seems a little over the top. What I would do if I were you is buy/rent a cheap clarinet. See if he likes it, then if he really likes it and wants to keep playing buy him a better one. My one friend bought a brand new clarinet and only played one year! If he likes it buy him a Bundy, they have good tone quality and they last, if you buy it new it`s normally around $500 dollars.

A few good plastic clarinet brands I would suggest are:
Yamaha( I`ve heard it`s pretty good)
Vito(My first clarinet)
Selmer-Bundy(not always the best in my opinion((I need to upgrade))but very good for beginners)

If you know what you`re looking for, you could try E-bay but stay away from brands like `Band Now`,etc.

Good Luck!

Forget rental. Big waste of $. Wanna save $$? Buy a used clarinet. eBay is loaded with them. Buffet is great no doubt (I had the pleasure of using my high school`s model when I advanced to 2nd chair 25+ yrs ago - my clarinet was an intermediate model at best). Not sure what a used Buffet runs for these days as I`m just now returning to the scene. Put a bunch of clarinets in you eBay watch list and see what they sell for. Best to buy from someone in the business of selling on eBay rather than from some parent selling their kid`s old horn. You can certainly find some deals from such sellsers but they don`t know a thing about the horn and may not be aware if there are problems with it.

I just bought my wife a restored vintage trumpet for a great price on eBay. Just don`t jump right though. Watch the market for a week or more, visit all the discussion boards you can find (like this one). When you feel you know what the heck you`re looking for the "buy away" Also, soak your local shop and instructors for info. The local shop may have a good used one for sale. Don`t think that they can`t negotiate either!

Alright, thanks for all your suggestions everyone!

i have been playing for 6 years and just upgraded from a beginner to an intermediate. i play for my highschool band and got a good deal on a used buffet from my local music store (i used to play a beginner vito). you should check with a music store if your going to go with something used. there you can get a good deal without ending up with a piece of junk like you could on ebay. the music store could also help you with purchasing the right kinds of other supplies for the clarinet.

I was wondering, it is my fifth year in band, im a sophomore. How much would a Belcrest Bb clarinet be worth, or should i go with another brand? If u could could you email me back with a reply? thankz alot or if u can just rply here. THankz

I am closing my instrument business. Besides a bunch of violins and flute, I still have one clarinet and saxophone left. They are brand new units. You can have the clarinet for $150 includes UPS ground shipping. Like one of the guy said, let the kid owns his/her own instrument is much better than rent.

Mark
Excel America
2812-C Walnut Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780

I teach band. My experience has been that Sky horns are awful, along with anything from Wal-mart or Sams. "First Act" horns are worthless, too, in my opinion. All of my students play Buffet, and any student who cannot afford at least an E11 borrows one from me personally.

I'd ask your son's future band director what he/she would like your son to play. Most directors want all the clarinet players on the same brand horn. Good Luck!

in my experience, buffet are the best.
they produce great tone, and play easily.
ive got an R13, and they're considered among the best and most popular- they used to be the professional series. mine is 20 years old and still great.
if the clarinet is for a beginner, dont go wood, too expensive, rather go with a plastic, yamaha and artly make adequate beginner models for under $1500. if for a beginner, id also go 2nd hand, my 2nd one is and is in good nick for just under $2000

I'd say plastic clarinets are not so great. And the ones at wal-mart only last about a year. So lets say you get the ones at wal-mart, it would only be half okay in his or her starting year maybe.

I agree with Matt, forget the rentals. It's best buying a clarinet because the renting money will add up in the end. I use a Yamaha clarinet(it's not plastic) and it's great. I've got to admit that most of the others have Buffet ones.

One word, warrenty. I'm not sure about your son but if he is as clumsy as I am, warrenties are good.