I`ve been paying clarinet for about 9 years and have always had a Buffet B12. I`ve manged to create a pretty good tone even tho it`s plastic but have finally saved up the money to buy a wood one. I`ve been told by my teacher that I sould be looking at professional instruments such as the Buffet R13, Selmer 10SII or Selmer 10G. I`m not really sure how to choose between them. I have heard that The 10G is more of a solo instrument but that`s about it! Because I`ve always had a Buffet and loved it I`m kinda biased towards them too but don`t want to ignore something that could be better. I`m not going to do music professionally, but I want a really good instrument that I can keep for ever and I will never grow out of. Have you got any experiance of the instruments mentioned? Can you offer me any advice? I want to choose the right instrument but it`s kinda scary! Thanks!!

Hey, I`m not sure about the Selmers but I play an R13 and its the right instrument for me. It has a particularly warm tone to it. There are problems with it though. Intonation is shaky on this instrument particularly in the throat note area and in the altissimo so you have to be wary of that and adjust accordingly. The instruments are also quite inconsistant so make sure you try several out at once and take your teacher with you so that you have a second opinion. Test everything from the barrel to bell tones. I love the instrument but it may not be right for you so try everything - you could try higher end Le Blancs or Yamahas as well as the Selmers. Try as many as possible.

I have a 1973 Buffet R13 that plays great. She is right, try several instruments. They are all great, but ALL OF THEM ARE DIFFERENT. I like the dark classical tone because that is the type of clarinet i need for orchestra sound. Selmers are great, but Buffets are pretty popular. Check em out...!

You sound like i did! I used to just rent yearly but this year i finally bought a Buffet R13 clarinet. I personally love it, it takes a little extra "TLC" and a little getting used to, but i felt that overall, it was worth it. you may not feel the same way i do, but i hope i helped a little! also, research the names online, and see what people think! www.wwbw.com has reviews on each model from people who buy them (but i do NOT suggest purchasing one from the internet). hope it helps!

SInce you can order many at a time to try and then select one to keep- and only have to pay for 1 in the first place, I suggest you SHOULD go through www.wwbw.com or www.intlmusicalsuppliers.com because they both have cheaper prices than basically any local store. Maybe if the local store is like Sam Ash and will match the price of www.wwbw.com (the cheapest source in the US), then that is a viable option.

I totally agree with Alyssa. While I do not play an R13, I tried about 30 before I found the R13 I eventually bought. I then returned it to wait for my Leblanc Concerto II which I eventually ordered from somewhere else (R13 I got at Sam Ash, Concerto II I got from www.wwbw.com). I`ve always liked Leblancs, and I realized another, newer one would suit my needs right now. The Concerto II has much better tuning throughout its scale than any Buffet or Selmer, and has a nice warm clear tone. Selmers are darker than Leblancs generally- so if you want a really dark tone, then check them out. They are also often very stuffy and do not project as well obviously, so be careful. (Selmers I mean are the Recital and Signature).

Bradley

Thanks for the info on where to buy clarinets because I have been hopping from music store to music store which seems to only stock 1 great clarinet at a time....