less than $100 clarinets on Ebay- decent quality for the m..

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Hi,

My son needs a decent clarinet to practice at home. I thought about renting
one, but I see many clarinets on Ebay for less than $100. Are these of
decent quality or should I just rent one? What are some good brands of
clarinets to look for that aren't too expensive?

Thanks,
Al

 

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Albert Ashton <albertashton756yi9@erols.net> wrote:
> Hi,

> My son needs a decent clarinet to practice at home. I thought about renting
> one, but I see many clarinets on Ebay for less than $100. Are these of
> decent quality or should I just rent one? What are some good brands of
> clarinets to look for that aren't too expensive?

I purchased a clarinet just a few weeks ago from the local music store's
yearly bargain/clearance sale. At $200 CAD (about $160 USD) I was able
to get an old wood Noblet clarinet. Now the thing you will see is that
on ebay they will go for less money. However, you are going to get
something that could be very much in "as is" condition.

What I can now tell you about the clarinet (this is my first time playing,
and I am having a great time!) is that there is a lot of maintenance
involved. So, you may be able to find a similar clarinet for less
than $100, but it will probably need new pads and recorking. So,
if you are going to go this route, at least find out what your local
store charges to do these things.

The nice thing about buying my clarinet was that while it is an old
instrument, it had all new pads and cork, plus they threw in all the
little bits you need to start like cork grease, a couple of reeds,
one of those cleaning cloths.

I am pretty happy with my purchase.

The cat isn't, however.

Rob R.

 

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In article <cl8qef$pna$1@news1.chem.utoronto.ca>,
Rob Reedijk <reedijk@hera.med.utoronto.ca> wrote:

>
> I purchased a clarinet just a few weeks ago from the local music store's
> yearly bargain/clearance sale.

[snip]

> I am pretty happy with my purchase.
>
> The cat isn't, however.
>
> Rob R.

Much like the cats' response to the wife's new accordion. I think they equate
it with the vacuum cleaner. Maybe we should call it a discordion?

-Jay
--
x------- Jay Kadis ------- x---- Jay's Attic Studio ------x
x Lecturer, Audio Engineer x Dexter Records x
x CCRMA, Stanford University x http/www.offbeats.com/ x
x---------- http/ccrma.stanford.edu/~jay/ ------------x

 

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Benjamin Maas wrote:

> The best student clarinet on the market is the Buffet B-12 (I believe that
> is the number- it is their plastic horn). It isn't any more expensive than
> a Bundy, but has Buffet quality. Really an impressive horn for the price.
> Old Noblet's are decent (but are mostly wood). Also the really old Vito's
> are pretty good (I'm talking 20+ years or more) as they were made by
> somebody else, but I don't recall who. The modern Yamaha horns are also
> pretty decent, but not as good as the Buffet.

But buying an older wooden calrinet may have its perils, depending on
how it has or has not been maintained. Buying the Buffet avoids many of
the pitfalls that one may face with an older wooden axe. As always, can
you see it in person and do you know what to look for?

--
ha

 

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"hank alrich" <walkinay@thegrid.net> wrote in message ...
>
> But buying an older wooden calrinet may have its perils, depending on
> how it has or has not been maintained. Buying the Buffet avoids many of
> the pitfalls that one may face with an older wooden axe. As always, can
> you see it in person and do you know what to look for?
>


In my experiences, 9 out of 10 times the wood is fine on a used instrument.
You need to be more careful in general when playing wood so that you don't
crack it. Acclimate it to playing slowly again (over a week or so), and
don't play it when it is too cold.

The real problem point with most horns is with the pads. Even the new ones
often don't have the pads installed well. The old ones (especially if they
have been sitting in a closet for a prolonged period) can have bugs in the
pads or other problems. In any case, I'd recommend taking the horn to your
local repairman and have them fix it up and make sure it is in top playing
quality.

--Ben

--
Benjamin Maas
Fifth Circle Audio
Los Angeles, CA
http/www.fifthcircle.com

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