Buying Instruments

There are a lot of instrument makers out there offering a bewildering array of clarinets, flutes, saxophones at varying prices. For the beginner it can be hard to decide so here is some general advice.

 You get what you pay for.(for the most part)

I often have customers say to me "why would I want to pay $900 for a new student clarinet when I can get this one on EBay for only $99?".
Well, what makes the difference between these instruments?
Cheaper instrument generally are made of inferior soft metal that bends and/or snaps easily. In order to make it cheaper all materials are of lesser quality, often the bore is "simplified'
They generally make an odd toy like sound ( the partials not being in tune with each other). Most of them have extreme tuning problems The feel of the keys is not sure and the pads are substandard and fail and the mouthpiece which is the most important part, is junk. Generally they cost more to repair than they are worth if they are indeed repairable at all. They come in to me for repair sometimes after only 3 months of usage but I have seen some go as long as 2 years.
What bothers me most about these is that the poor player is not being given much of a chance to find out if they like playing the flute or whatever.
What attracts us in part to music is the making of a beautiful sound, on one of these instruments it's just not going to happen.

Play one of these along side a good quality student instrument from Yamaha, Selmer, Buffet ( $700us for a YCL250 clarinet) for instance , the difference is immediately noticeable.

I would take a used clarinet from from a reputable maker over new garbage any day.

Moving up

When we get the 300-400 price range things improve somewhat. We still have all the problems of the first group just less so. Usually the materials have improved a fair bit as will the longevity at this price range there are some winners ( like the 1 new Jupiter clarinet I have for sale at 349) OK sound with my( $350 mouthpiece.) and many losers.

Good student Instrument (clarinet for example)

A Buffet, Selmer or Yamaha (for example) runs $600-700 usd plus shipping. At this price range you get a decent instrument that will will sound good last for years with some basic maintenance and have good resale value. You will notice on this site that I sell a reconditioned Yamaha clarinet for more than a new Jupiter. This is the level of instrument I want my students to have. I have have used these brands in the orchestra when it has been an outside concert. The stock mouthpiece that comes with the instrument is serviceable until a better one can be purchased.