What is a clarinet? It is a woodwind instrument with a wooden reed in its mouthpiece located on a simple reed with about 17 or 20 holes through which they produce their sound.
With an incredible, sweet and powerful sound covering a very wide tessitura, this instrument appeared at the beginning of the 18th century, created by a German named Johann Denner. It arose out of necessity rather than design.
When acquiring an instrument that beautifies with its timbre the trills execution and chromaticisms like the clarinet, a key characteristic to take into account is its brand This is because the brand says a lot about its effectiveness and quality.
You will find the best-recognized clarinet brands of excellent quality in our ranking, so don’t wait any longer and choose the best one for you.
Review Of The 5 Best Clarinet Brands – Top Clarinet Brands
To help people choose which is the best clarinet adaptable to their specific needs, in our ranking, we project those whose main characteristics make clarinets stand out. such as the instrument’s quality due to its sound, included accessories, material, and endurance.
Other factors that we have considered to select the 5 best Clarinets brands of 2021 are:
• Price
• Style / Design
• Shipping time
• Performance
• Endurance
1. Best Clarinet Brand – Yamaha YCL-255 Clarinet
Yamaha has excellent clarinets, but this model has some attractive features:
• Body made of ABS resin (acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene) gives the instrument outstanding resistance.
• It has a beautiful design. It features a 65mm barrel setting aside that barrel look as it is somewhat broader for a focused tone.
• This clarinet draws attention for its silver colors on the keys and the bands or rings located between the different parts of the instrument.
• It has a warm, focused, and clean tone, not to envy anything to wooden clarinets, as well as its matte finish simulating a wooden one.
• This clarinet is ideal for professionals and beginners.
Things to note about this Yamaha clarinet:
• It is very light despite being made of resistant material silver welded ring and resistant screws, it is also less sensitive to changes in temperature.
• It has the famous 4C mouthpiece of the brand and usually includes a rigid or semi-rigid cover depending on the order. It has a price that is not so accessible for all budgets, but relative to the quality it offers, you will be surprised
• Provides excellent sound and durability due to its material. The 65mm barrel is focused on tones, and its design is very attractive.
Pros
• Material of excellent quality and very resistant.
• Elegant design with a wide barrel.
Cons
• Price is somewhat high.
• They do not specify if it comes with a briefcase or case, only a cover.
2. Best Intermediate Clarinet – Selmer CL211 Intermediate Clarinet
Why have we chosen it?
Selmer is a company that has been orchestral instruments recognized for their high quality since 1885. so some of these original instruments have been played by the best professional classical musicians in the best orchestras of today.
From its inception to date the brand has gone through processes that have led it to decline a bit of its French-style, but they are still outstanding instruments and can be an excellent acquisition.
The name Selmer carries weight. This clarinet model has its student range intact excellent for intermediate players.
It has, among others, the following characteristics:
• It has a grenadilla wood body with silver keys. The keys are arranged in the traditional French Boehm system.
• The hole is slightly smaller than many student clarinets and has steel springs and lowered tone holes. There is an adjustable thumb rest.
If you are searching for the best clarinet brands Selmer will appear in the frame. Maybe not so much now. but it’s still a formidable clarinet that is possibly too much for a beginner.
Pros
• Outstanding build quality with a wooden body and suitable fittings.
• Nice, rich and warm sound.
Cons
• The price would definitely make you think twice.
• Special for nothing less than an intermediate player.
3. Best Cheap Clarinet – Buffet Crampon E11 Bb Clarinet
Why is it on our list?
Buffet Crampon is a renowned and respected manufacturer of orchestral instruments established in 1825 in France, retaining its headquarters in Mantes-La-Ville in Paris’s suburbs.
They have built their reputation by making outstanding woodwind instruments, particularly clarinets, of exceptional quality. This has turned this trend brand into professional musicians from many of the best orchestras in the world.
High demand has led the brand to open other manufacturing facilities in Germany and China, where they continue to build their instruments to the highest quality standards.
The E11 is an ideal B-flat clarinet for demanding students of the highest quality manufactured with plus standards. This is also the best clarinet to buy, and the best wooden clarinet. So if you are looking for good clarinet brands or wooden clarinet brands, Buffet is the brand for you!
This particular model:
• It is made in Germany.
• It has a body of granadilla called: African blackwood. A wood that stands out in many of the best clarinets in the world for its tonal qualities, as it is responsible for this instrument producing a rich and warm sound.
• Keys and levers are silver and have stainless steel springs. It achieves exceptional intonation and is designed to be easy to play.
• It has a fixed, non-adjustable thumb rest and felt bladder pads for its 17 keys and is predominantly handcrafted
Pros
• Outstanding materials and quality.
• Great heat.
• Rich sound
Cons
• It requires a fair amount of cash in the portfolio.
• It requires good maintenance.
4. Best Clarinet For Beginner – Yamaha YCL-650 Clarinet
Why this other Yamaha?
Because the range of quality Yamaha instruments is extensive, it is not intended for beginners but musicians of intermediate to professional level.
This model is gorgeous with a resonance that will blow your mind. The bell design projects and produces a sound that most clarinet players dream of. The size of the hole makes it easy to create the sound, and the intonation is perfect. Incredibly responsive! If you are looking at clarinets for beginners or a good student clarinet or even a school clarinet, this is the clarinet for you!
This clarinet has:
• A body of grenadilla wood chosen for its high resistance and tonal properties.
• Also has silver keys and levers. Outstanding key responsiveness. Due to its keys’ good finish, they will hardly bend or lose shape and stop responding.
The quality of the construction materials used will guarantee that you will live many musical experiences with it
.You have to be aware of its maintenance since a wooden clarinet is not as resistant as an ABS material. But the sound you will achieve with it is worth the effort, it will make you a better player. It is made in Japan by Yamaha. This is also the best b flat clarinet.
Pros
• A great instrument in every way.
• Payback care and guarantee decades of musical growth.
Cons
• It requires financial strength.
• It does not forgive you for neglecting your attention in maintenance.
5. Best Student Clarinet – Buffet Crampon 1193 Prestige Clarinet Low C
Why this other buffet?
We have saved a high-end bass clarinet for the end of our list. This not in B Flat but C. It is merely an
Like all outstanding clarinets this model has a body made of powdered granadilla wood The design resistance to environmental and physical effects, with which it achieves those powerful sounds and rich dark tones.
Unsurprisingly Buffet manufactures keys posts and levers to the highest quality. They are nickel, pre-plated with copper and finished with a rich silver plate. They work well and are impressive to the sight. They are only the best in dark tones and sounds. This is also the best plastic clarinet.
Look at these particularities:
• The instrument’s tone enhance with high-end design features.
• Undercut tone holes improve tone but also responsiveness.
• It is equipped with an E flat / A flat lever and a resonance key for the note G.
• Also includes double and triple D spatulas.
These design enhancements have evolved over the years at Buffet Crampon, working at the highest level.
Pros
• Pure quality in every way.
• Sounds are rich and warm and are what you would expect from a professional instrument.
Cons
• The price can reach the five figures, which will scare away all but those who seek this level of quality.
• It requires care
• Limited availability, but you can get it through specific sellers.
Buyer’s Guide
What is the best brand of clarinet for a student?
The best clarinet brand for a student is one that meets all their basic needs within their budget. Many times you have to adapt to where the budget is enough to avoid frustrations and bury dreams. The important thing to start in any clarinet student is to obtain one that allows him/her to begin his skills.
Economic options
The plastic ones are the most recommended for beginners since they do not require too much difficulty to handle. They are generally entry-level instruments primarily focused on children or adults who are just starting their studies and do not want to invest a large amount in the instrument itself.
These clarinets are usually colored and made of a plastic called ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), an amorphous plastic or thermoplastic that is highly resistant to shocks with excellent physical-mechanical properties known as “engineering plastic” due to its difficult manufacture.
However, this plastic gives the instrument good resistance, hardness, and toughness. All this without neglecting the excellent sound. Today many brands based on ABS material think their instruments for categories of students and professionals.
Keep in mind that everything is a process and learning to play clarinet is no exception. To learn to run. we first learned to sit; then we crawl, we learned to stand until we took the first steps. After a while, we acquired some stability and security and we gave our first races
Medium or professional level options
Considering the above, manufacturers have also developed higher-level instruments. The range is vast, and the difference concerning those designed for beginners is clearly remarkable, but so is the price. Hence…
Determinate which brand is the best is quite complicated!
Considering that most brands think their instruments for both categories of students/beginners and professionals, we have chosen two brands: one for the student and one for the professional.
For the student, we decided that the best brand is Yamaha. For beginners with limited financial resources, the specific option is the Yamaha YCL-255 We suggest making an effort and especially purchasing the Yamaha YCL-650 Bb Clarinet
The second option of these clarinets achieves a better tuning than the first since it is exact In general, they have the same technical characteristics as the professional line’s clarinets, so that musicians can learn by playing the clarinet with professional sound at a reasonable price and allowing the student to improve to the intermediate level without having to change instruments. Think about it!
For the professional category, we have chosen a company that has been at the center of the development of orchestral instruments for three centuries. A French company. One. whose instrument-making philosophy leads it to create something unique in each of them.
You already know what brand we are talking about Well yes. the choice falls on the best professional brand Buffet Crampon, and especially the Buffet Crampon 1193 Prestige Clarinet Low C. If you want another intermediate option, you have the Selmer CL211 Intermediate option.
Buffet and Yamaha are two exceptional manufacturers. Both brands have a wide range of great models that could take the other’s recommendation and reverse roles. It’s up to you!
What is the most popular clarinet?
The clarinet was Mozart’s favorite instrument and one that he equated with the human voice. It is one of the most agile and standard instruments in both orchestras and jazz
To find out which is the most popular clarinet, you need to know the types of clarinets that exist Do you want to know which is the most popular? Then keep reading!
Requinto (or high soprano)
This type of clarinet is sharper and smaller than the rest, common in music bands. Its tunings can be:
• Re (it is one of the oldest clarinets).
• Eb (bright and agile sounding, it is the most popular requinto today).
• Fa (practically no longer used) or
• Lab (the smallest, with a size that does not exceed 25 cm. and the sharpest of all).
Soprano
The most common clarinet archetype. Its tunings can be:
• C (the oldest type of soprano clarinet, whose sound is considered the most “vulgar*) and
• Si (with a sound similar to that tuned in C. it fell into oblivion in Mozart’s time)
• Bb (the most popular of all today due to its technical possibilities emission frequency, and registers’ homogeneity. It measures 66 cm. and its sound stands out for its brilliance cleanliness, and clarity) and
• A (its usual timbral tones make it irreplaceable. It measures almost 70 cm. and its sound is warmer and softer).
Contralto
The tuning of this type of clarinets can be:
• Fa (also known as “Cornodi Bassetto* invented at the end of the 18th century, with a size of 108 cm and was Mozart’s favorite, he used it in compositions such as the Requiem or The Magic Flute) or in
• Eb (which is somewhat more severe and has had less impact).
Low
This type of clarinet resembles its shape to a tenor saxophone. Its tunings can be:
• C (it has a double column of air and a vertical pavilion. It could be considered a clarinet format somewhat inconsequential in the instrument’s history).
• Bb (reaches 140 cm and has a wide and generous sound, as well as dynamic and versatile).
• A (it is similar to the Bb bass clarinet but also the tonality the distance between the holes is different).
Those that are about to cease to exist:
High
Its tuning can be in Fa and Eb. and today its use is limited to bands and chamber groups. Its design was based on the model designed by Adolphe Sax inventor of the saxophone and is easily identified by having the curved metallic bell.
Double bass
Like other clarinets we have seen before, it is hardly used today. Its tuning can be in Fa Eb. Do. and Bb (of which the length of its tube stands out of more than 276 cm)
Those that ceased to exist:
Multiphonic
It is a clarinet format that had little success and about which there is little information. Created in the middle of the 19th century, it had a mechanism that allowed different tunings: in C. Bb. or A.
Of love
It is a clarinet that was discontinued decades ago. It measured almost 90 cm. and its sound stood out for being veiled Generally, its tuning was in G.
Summing up this section by answering the question: What is the most popular clarinet? The most common clarinet is the Soprano. The most popular is among the best-known clarinet brands you can find today: Buffet, Yamaha or Selmer, it depends on your preference!
How much is a good clarinet?
An attractive clarinet model depends on its tuning and brand recognition for its strict quality standards. They are usually models made by hand with high-quality wood at little affordable prices. However, their sound and quality place them in the ranking, which could compensate for this inconvenience in a way that satisfies several professional musicians.
These instruments are usually the choice of those in search of a clarinet appropriate for both orchestral performances and solo projects.
• If you are interested in having good quality when playing, it is better to invest in the Professional category’s clarinets from brands such as Yamaha and Buffet Crampon that range between $ 3,699 and $ 23,204.
What is the most expensive clarinet?
It comes at a staggering price: $ 35.775.
We refer to the Selmer Paris Model 41 contrabass clarinet, with a Bb diameter, a tuning of 33.9 mm. and a range of 442 to low C. It displays a silver adjustable bell neck and keys, embracing a rosewood body. He is considered a favorite on college music shows The Selmer Paris Model 41 Contrabass Clarinet produces a full and rich sound. This clarinet projects the perfect tone for a wind ensemble or military band.
The Selmer Paris Model 41 Contrabass is the most expensive clarinet in the world!
Clarinet Brands To Avoid
What brands should you avoid, well we recommend staying away from Vito Clarinets, because they tend to snap in the middle. This seems to be a common design flaw in Vito Clarinets. Other than that, most clarinets brand are quite good and you will not have to avoid any brands.
Conclusion
The clarinet is an instrument that offers a classic sound and today it is essential in any band ensemble, or orchestra. You now have a list of the top 5 clarinets, making them unique for you to consider investing in one.
People are disposed to pay for high-quality clarinets and for the incredible sound they produce Although many clarinetists will never have the opportunity to try one of these high-level instruments, you will be able to hear them played by some of the best artists from around the world. However, you will also be happy to know that there are good options like the best clarinet brands on the list with more realistic prices.