Hey Guys-- need some help! I am about to purchase a used clarinet on e-bay and have already made the mistake of thinking I could get something cheap and "brand new" for a new student and it wouldn`t matter-- but the one that I mistakenly purchased was complete crap! The thumb rest is not supposed to be at a 30 degree angle right? ) Anyway, I`m eating those shipping charges and sending it back. So now I need to know-- which would you choose to buy for good student quality to last awhile and be user friendly to a struggling-squaking 5th grader? Vito, Artley, Buffet B12, or Jupiter? They are all great prices!

Hurry-- auction ends soon. Thanks for your help!

Also, Just found some Yamahas-- YCL 24 & 26 or 20??? What do those mean? Is one better than the other?

Hi, I am selling a yamaha clarinet for 200 dollars and a buffet clarinet for 1200 or best offer. I have pictures of them if you would like them. The yamaha has been a faithful clarinet for me. It has nice tone. The Buffet is wooden and in great condition. I hope all works out for you.

Thanks for the offer Amanda-- I will keep the Yamaha in mind. I`m looking at a Vito on auction right now which will hopefully go for around $100.00

i think the buffet will be good. i have a buffet wooden clarinet, i`m not sure about the plastic ones tho. They`re not that much difference, but i like buffet.

The Buffets are rumored to be the best that money can but, i have one (which i recently aquired), its a professional model, and it ran around $1700. I wouldnt reccommend buying the professional model (Buffet R13) just yet, unless you are sure that your 5th grader will stick with it. Before i purchased my Buffet, i rented a Vito which i liked very much, it was a student model, and i still prefer the mouthpiece on it to the one that came with my Buffet! I suggest that you start with a Vito, if you feel it will fit, its made out of a substance that i dubbed "plood", its plastic, so its durable, but it feels a lot like a wooden clarinet, and has a nice tone. i hope this is of some help to you!

The Buffets are rumored to be the best that money can buy, i have one (which i recently aquired), its a professional model, and it ran around $1700. I wouldnt reccommend buying the professional model (Buffet R13) just yet, unless you are sure that your 5th grader will stick with it. Before i purchased my Buffet, i rented a Vito which i liked very much, it was a student model, and i still prefer the mouthpiece on it to the one that came with my Buffet! I suggest that you start with a Vito, if you feel it will fit, its made out of a substance that i dubbed "plood", its plastic, so its durable, but it feels a lot like a wooden clarinet, and has a nice tone. i hope this is of some help to you!

Thank you all--- I just got a Vito 7212 for $87.86! It looks pretty good from the picture, the corks are clean and undamaged, the case seems to be a newer one and it says that it has had minimal usage. Hopefully this one works for us for a long time!