Lela Stratton
Mendini by Cecilia MCT
Jean Paul USA CL-300
Mendini by Cecilia MCT-30
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Music is food for the soul. Good music will always come through for you when you are in a bad mood, a good mood and everything in between. We all have our feel-good music, a type that makes a bad day turn into happy hour.
A clarinet is either a metallic or a wooden instrument that when air is blown into a pleasant sound comes forth. There are different types of clarinets as well as different makes. The variety makes it easy for you to choose what you like the most.
If you are looking into getting yourself a new clarinet or even replacing yours this is the article for you. We will discuss the top five brands and why they are definitely what you need, what to look into when purchasing a clarinet for any level (beginners to experts)
Without much ado let us dive right in and get edified. Enjoy!
Best Clarinet List
1
Mendini by Cecilia MCT
If you are new to the world of clarinets, this is the piece for you. If you are afraid that you might not particularly fancy the instrument hence do not want to spend so much on it, it is the safe option.
This clarinet goes for less than one hundred dollars ($100) This however, does not compromise the general quality and output of the clarinet. The materials used on this clarinet are premium price as well as premium quality.
This gives you assurance of a good experience with your instrument. The ABS plastic body of the piece as well as its nickel-plated keys that have an adjustable thumb rest are to die for. This makes it look very sleek as it is gorgeous.
The clarinet comes with a starter pack that comes with a few things that are mandatory for the use of the clarinet and come in very handy in the process.
Some of the things in the starter pack include, a light handheld case for the clarinet, ten reeds that come in a compact box, grease for the lubrication of your instrument, a cleaning cloth is also made available to the users. To top that up, gloves as well as a stand are also part of the very amazing package.
For the price of this clarinet, this is a steal!
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Cons
2
Jean Paul USA CL-300
This brand has created quite a name for themselves out there to an extent of being referred to as the best student clarinet in the prevailing market. This baby is made of a material that is known as ebonite. This material produces better sound quality as compared to any instrument made of plastic even the most premium of qualities.
Ebonite is also known to be more durable than wood hence the longevity in its lifespan is guaranteed. This highly accorded instrument has a unique feature that makes it stand out from most of the clarinets in the current market.
The presence of a Boehm 17-Key System. It is also in the key of Bb (B Flat), this means that the clarinet is very versatile. This instrument is said to be the best “middle of the road” clarinet. This simply means that the instrument is good for intermediate students, it can be a little too complex for beginners but a bit limiting to the experts.
Pros
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3
Mendini by Cecilia MCT-30
Mendini MCT-30 has to be one of the most intricately made clarinets in the current market as far as the clarinet industry is concerned. This gem is made of solid rosewood for its body while its keys are made of versatile silver-plated materials, an adjustable thumb rest also comes as part of the package.
By the virtue of being wooden, this clarinet produces an alluring sound that will hook you to it for a lifetime. The instrument comes with a complementary hard-shell case to avoid the damage or denting of your clarinet.
A wooden clarinet is a delicate tool hence needs to be treated as one, failure to which you will spend way too much on repairs and eventually replacement.
This brand is common due to its frequent purchases hence easy to find. Common brands give you the assurance of quality which in turns gives you the assurance of durability. The pricing of this clarinet is also very well thought about and is within reach for people from all walks of life.
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4
Cecilia CT-380
Are you in need of a nice wooden clarinet but you are on a tight budget? Are you afraid of spending too much on a clarinet but you want top notch quality? Then the Cecilia MCT-380 is just what you need.
This clarinet retails to a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500) the popular rosewood solid wood is used to craft the body of this beauty. The keys are not left behind as far as appeal is concerned. They are made of durable silver-plated materials which have premium Italian pads
An adjustable thumb rest is also included for your comfort to ensure you get the full Cecilia MCT-380 experience. To add to this, this score will produce high quality sound that is very appealing and boosts the general performance. Be sure to blow your crowd away (no pun intended)
This highly recommended clarinet comes with a one-year warranty that gives you assurance that your instrument will be repaired for any defective manufacturer issues for free. Other repaired will cost you a very small price.
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5
Yamaha YCL-255
When you talk about state-of-the-art clarinets, you are talking Yamaha YCL-255. This clarinet is made of high-end plastic as well as ABS resin for strengthening. This however does not limit the sound quality of this instrument.
Quite contrary to the belief that plastic clarinets produce a rather shrill sound, the Yamaha YCL-255 produces warm tones you might think it has been made of wood or even ebonite. The matte finish it has been given improves its aesthetic value by over one hundred percent.
It makes it look even better than most wood clarinets. To add to this, the keys are made of silver-plated nickel. This gives it both quality and edge, Valentino pads are used and are easier to maintain due to heat as compared to wooden clarinets.
This clarinet is good both for the beginners as well as intermediate players of the clarinet. It has a great value as far as the cost and the service it gives you is concerned.
Pros
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Things to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Clarinet
There is an array of things that you need to look into when you are buying any product either on an online or in a physical shop. Clarinets are no exception to this rule. You have to put into consideration a few factors in order to get a good clarinet and one that will not disappoint you at that.
Below are some of those key things but that is not limited to the things that you are to look out for.
Use of the Clarinet
I know this sounds weird. You probably think that all clarinets are just to be blown into and produce lulling melodies. In as much as that is true, just like cars, clarinets have different uses.
Cars can be for racing, towing, transportation to mention just a few, clarinets can be used in different setups like in bands, one-man performances, choir to highlight just some of them. When looking for a clarinet make sure you know what exactly you will use it for.
Do not be worried if you want to use one clarinet for more than one use or purpose. These clarinets are made by manufacturers who have studied the niches in their market. They take such things into consideration and hence make instruments that can be termed as multipurpose.
Multipurpose clarinets may lean to the more expensive side of the pendulum but they are definitely cheaper than buying two clarinets. Do not compromise the comfort of a well featured clarinet since there are plenty of fish in the market.
If you are in doubt about the exact type of clarinet that you need for your intended purpose feel free to ask the dealers mentioned above. You will get free and correct information.
The Brand of the Clarinet
It is important to look at the label more than the label every once in a while. Clarinets and all other musical instruments fall under this category of things. When choosing a brand, you have to pick a brand that has been in the market long enough to prove its worth or a new company whose reviews are off the hook.
Be warned about reviews however since shady companies write fake reviews to generate traffic to themselves and get conversions in return. When a company has too many positive or no negative comments there is need for alarm there. In addition to that, do not ignore fake reviews since you might be the next to write one.
The top five globally recognized clarinet brands that have passed the test of time include; Jean Paul, Selmer, Jupiter, Cecilia and to crown it all Yamaha. Make these brands your go to clarinet brands and you will never be disappointed. The assurance of quality is very mind settling and nothing beats peace of mind.
Different brands produce different types if clarinets for different uses as discussed earlier. Do not be afraid that because we have narrowed down the brands you will not get access to a wide variety.
The most commonly manufactured types by the brands mentioned include; the Bb clarinet, the A clarinet, the Eb clarinet, the bass clarinet, the contrabass clarinet, the contra-alto clarinet and lastly the alto clarinet.
That is quite a variety the brands offer. The competition between the brands is also very healthy ensuring that the quality of their products stay abreast at all times to avoid losing their clientele to their rival brands.
The Cost of Your Clarinet
A clarinet should not cost you an arm, a tooth and a leg to purchase unless you have that as your intention. For those that collect clarinets as antiques, a high-end clarinet is a joy and a beauty to behold whereas for players who need a good clarinet for its efficiency would use a medium or low budget clarinet.
The price of a clarinet depends on quite a number of things. To start with, the type of material used to make the clarinet highly suggests its price. Plastic clarinets are the cheapest, they are followed by wooden clarinets and the most premium clarinets are made of ebonite.
It is important to note that the type of material used highly suggests the quality of the sound that will be produce. Sound quality increases with an increase of the quality of the material use to make the instrument.
A reasonably priced clarinet that will range from one hundred dollars to seven hundred dollars ($100- $700) This should not limit you if you want to spend more on your clarinet. I mean if you got it flaunt it.
Midrange clarinets are the best as they provide both the appropriate budget price but also good quality as far as construction is concerned. Lastly get a clarinet that will not need a lot of resources to maintain in terms of both money and time.
The Quality of the Clarinet
The topic about quality is divided into two bits. The quality of the sound the clarinet you will purchase produces as well as the quality of the features and clarinet itself.
We can start with the sound quality. The type of material used to make the clarinet determines the sound quality produced. Plastic ones produce quite a shrill sound if you have a keen ear.
The shrill sound is absorbed by the wood hence making wooden clarinets a better option as compared to plastic ones. Due to the improvement of science and technology as well as the growth of inventions and innovations, a new material called ebonite is being used to make clarinets. Ebonite clarinets produce the best quality clarinets as all the noise that could come from vibrations on the inside of the clarinet are muffled.
Secondly, the type of material affects the quality of the clarinet. In as much as plastic clarinets are said to have poor sound quality, the manufactures keep improving and strengthening it to make quality instruments. Plastic clarinets are more durable since they offer more resistance to being dropped and rough handling which is most common among the players who have just started learning about the beauty of the clarinets.
Wooden clarinets are more delicate since they dent easy as do ebonite clarinets.
The Features of the Clarinet
Different brands offer different feature. This is what makes them have a competitive edge over the others in that market. Some brands offer complementary products for the clarinet as features while others add the features on the clarinet itself.
Complementary that are availed to the customers of the prevailing market by the current clarinet making industry include, a box which is hardy to carry your rather delicate clarinet, some firms offer grease to ease the lubricating experience during general maintenance.
To cream that up some offer gloves, a stand and even a cleaning cloth. Some brands have outdone themselves by giving their clients free reeds. The Jean Paul CL-300 is the epitome of products with features on the actual clarinet.
The clarinet comes with a Boehm 17-key system. This is a fingering system whose aim is to produce a different sound character alongside another mouthpiece. This improves the general use of the clarinet and gives your performances an edge over other users of juts plain normal and laid-back clarinets.
The keys of the clarinet as made of different materials. Some more classy than others obviously and some more hardy than others. The type of plating of the keys plays a big role as far as the nature of the keys as a feature is concerned.
Silver plated keys as well as gold plated keys give a clarinet a standing edge from the rest making them more appealing to the eye. We all love things that are good if not extremely good looking, so be keen to get the best of both worlds.
The Effectiveness of the Clarinet
A clarinet should make pleasant alluring sounds that will entertain the crowd to whom the players are performing to. The effectiveness of an instrument is highly dependent on its use. If you are in a band or choir, make sure that the clarinet you will get will be loud enough with a resonated sound to avoid going off key.
When doing solo performances, you need a clarinet that will be loud enough, light enough and requires the least amount of energy to use as you do not want to wear yourself out before your act is over. That is bad for business. Very bad!
The Ease of Use of Your Clarinet
Never let machines or tools be the boss of you. You are spending money to get it so it should work for you not vice versa. A few things govern the ease of use of this product. They include, the weight of the clarinet, the keys, the thumb rest, the material used to make the clarinet.
A clarinet that is hard to use will make you use a lot of energy trying to blow into it which will eventually disappoint you and make you quit or look into a new instrument. In addition to that, instruments that are hard to use get spoilt easy as you have to handle them rather roughly.
In conclusion, there are different brands of clarinets out there that will offer you quite a variety of options to choose from when making a purchase. I hope that with the help of this article you are able to decern the brands and stick to the five best brands; Jean Paul, Selmer, Cecilia, Yamaha and last but not least Jupiter.
Further consider the use, cost, quality, the features, effectiveness and how easy it is to use the clarinet for you. The features of the top five brands have also been discussed seconded by their advantages without leaving out the disadvantages.
It is important to note that general maintenance of a clarinet is key to avoid blocking. More to this, lubrication is needed. Like any other tool it is an assembly of parts in which friction takes place hence the need to lubricate.
A clean clarinet will produce sweet melodies as compared to clogged ones with squeaky unlubricated parts.
Conclusion
The clarinet with the best reviews from both manufactures and users has to be the Mendini by Cecilia MCT. This glorious clarinet, has to be the best budget clarinet in the entire market, it retails at below one hundred dollars. This makes it popular by default.
The clarinet is made of new and improved ABS plastic that is among the highest grades of plastic known to man. The keys of the clarinet are nickel plated. This does not only give the clarinet a very glossy look but also offers a very durable material for long term use.
To top this up, it also has a one-year warranty against any sort of manufacturer’s defects. It also comes with a starter set that goes a long way. The starter pack is a hardy bag, ten reeds, a cleaning cloth, gloves, grease and a stand for the clarinet.
You need to buy a Mendini by Cecilia MCT. It is the brand you need. It will not disappoint and that is a promise.
