<p>I though I'd venture over to the music major thread to see if anyone could help me. I'm heading off to college next year and have been playing clarinet for nine years and would love to continue into college. I do not plan to be a music major, however I am considering a clarinet performance minor. Currently, I have a Selmer USA student model that my parents purchased when I was in fourth grade, and I'm looking to upgrade. Does anyone know of any good intermediate, wooden clarinets preferably less than $2000? Also, is it possible I could just upgrade my mouthpiece/ligature/barrel instead of investing in a new clarinet? Any advice at all is greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Hmmm. I am not sure that I have come across any university with a “minor in Clarinet”. I know there are programs with minors in music, but not sure how the specifics of clarinet would work with that. </p>
<p>I guess the answer to your equipment question depends on how much you think you will need the clarinet, and exactly how involved you will be with it. If you’re a good player, and you plan on participating in one of the top ensembles at your university or maybe doing any chamber groups , then an investment in some new equipment might not be a bad idea. If you merely wish to take a few lessons and participate in whatever ensemble is available for non-majors, then you might not need to spend too much money on new equipment. Also, it might be nice to have a nice instrument if you plan on being a life-long player in community orchestras or groups of that nature.</p>
<p>You might want to wander over to the Clarinet BBoard website [The</a> Clarinet BBoard](<a href=“The Clarinet BBoard”>The Clarinet BBoard) and post there. You will get all kinds of differing opinions, which can be confusing, but if you are looking for specific equipment advice that would probably be a better place, if your teacher cannot be of much assistance. If you do end up deciding to buy a new clarinet, and you are not comfortable with picking out your own instrument, it would be worth a little money to pay a local teacher to help you with this. Wood clarinets as you probably know can vary greatly in their sound, and an intermediate one can sound better than a professional instrument just depending on Mother Nature, I guess!</p>
<p>Best of luck! Always great to have another clarinetist around!</p>
<p>Talk to the teacher you’ll be with when you get to college - depending on your program etc you might well need a pair (A and Bflat), and it’s a pain to try and get them separately if you’ve just upgraded your Bflat. Second hand instruments are also a good option if you have someone you trust to try them out.</p>
<p>Student Clarinets in general are pretty crappy, from my days playing them (I am talking Selmer, Vito, etc, etc, the resin/plastic ones). Buffet has a range of student clarinets that are pretty decent and you probably can get one of their models in your price range. I have seen the E11 (which they classify as an intermediate instrument) for 1500 bucks or so (several years ago I picked one of those up on through Ebay, new, from a place in holland for less then a thousand bucks I seem to recall). Yamaha makes some nice ones as well that should be in your price range. The sound quality is infinitely different. One thing with the better clarinets, they are a bit more difficult to play, they have a narrower bore and such, but they play wonderfully. One note, if you go with a buffet, don’t buy their green line of instruments, everything I have heard about them is not good. They sound great, because higher level clarinets are made from grenadilla,which is a tropical hardwood and there is concern about over harvesting of that (as there is with many such woods, including Permabuco for string bows). The green line uses tropical wood sawdust gathered from making other instruments and is put into a slurry that they make the clarinets from. It seems like a great idea, but my informal network of people with clarinets and repair shops says they have a big tendency to crack. </p>
<p>I recommend trying out various clarinets in your price range and see what you play the best, I loved the Buffet and its sound. I also recommend getting a mouthpiece you feel comfortable with, the one that comes with the clarinet may not work for you well:)</p>
<p>When my S played the clarinet, we had to buy a new mouthpiece every time he changed teachers. ((rolleyes)) I’ve heard similar stories from others, so be prepared for your private teacher in college to have his/her own preference.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my son did notice a substantial improvement in his tone when he upgraded his mouthpiece, although we subsequently upgraded the clarinet, too. I think the E11 was the upgrade, in fact, although he’s not a performance major.</p>
<p>Noblet has some good intermediate wooden clarinets. You should be able to get one on ebay for well under $1000. My son plays a Noblet and my husband has a very old Buffet - not an R13. I think they both like the Buffet better, but also think the Noblet is a good horn. Very important to play an instrument before you buy one, especially if it is used - unless there is a good return policy. My son did not like the Buffet E11, but that is simply his preference.</p>
<p>Agree with musicprnt about student models being junk.
Student models are work horses and can take a lot of abuse.
So if you want to continue to play in college and beyond then sell it, get a couple of hundies for it and put $ towards a professional model.
Or donate it to a middle school concert band.</p>
<p>You might want to keep that student horn if you think you might want to be in the marching band in college.</p>
<p>Does selmer Paris or Yamaha offer comparable models to the buffet e11?</p>
<p>Definitely try a range of instruments in person before committing to one. There are huge variations with intonation (especially with throat tones), tone, and the feel of the keys. I think I tried 6 or 7 before settling on my instruments. I have Buffets and am very happy, but you might find something that suits you better. It is hard to find used professional instruments in decent condition because most of the people selling them have been using them their entire careers and, by that point, they are worn out. You would probably be fine with an E11 if you are going to minor in music, but R13’s are better quality instruments in my experience.</p>
<p>Depending on your student instrument, it might not sell for much. Mine was not a very good instrument to begin with and was more or less worthless. </p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>