Posted by Steve Shoop on August 26, 2003 at 06:46:15:
In Reply to: Clarinet savvy? HELP!! posted by Joe Baker on August 25, 2003 at 13:48:53:
I would stay away from plastic clarinets if at all possible. In my opinion, two of the best wood clarinets for beginning students are 1) Evette (brand) E11 (model) and 2) Normandy (brand) #4 (model). The mouthpiece is also critical. Two good ones for beginners are 1) 5RV (Lyre), and 2) Gigliotti. Regarding used instruments-- the most critical and usual concerns are 1) condition of the pads, and condition/quality of the mouthpiece. A pad job is about $125 and a new mouthpiece (like the ones mentioned above) are about $75-$125. Fee free to email me with further questions.