There comes a point in any musician’s journey when they “outgrow” their beginner instrument and look to purchase a higher level intermediate, or professional outfit. Whether music is a keen hobby, or a serious career consideration, most players look for an instrument that matches their advancing skill level, will last them a good number of years, and most importantly is a joy to play! Below you can read about our 6 most popular intermediate/advanced clarinets, and the qualities that make them excellent clarinets!
- Yamaha YCL450
The
YCL450 is a wooden-bodied intermediate clarinet, and is a good step up for advancing players who are looking for a step up from their beginner model clarinet. The popularity of this instrument comes from its pure and focused sound and its excellent build quality, a standard of Yamaha instruments. The tone holes feature tapered undercuts, which gives a stability to the instruments sound reducing annoying squeaks, and the resonance chamber within the bell of the clarinet aids with projection and low-note consistency. The clarinet’s body is made from Grenadilla wood, the most common wood used by clarinet makers, and the keys are silver-plated, making them hard-wearing. Supplied with the Yamaha 4C mouthpiece, ligature, cleaning accessories and a lightweight and durable case, the YCL450 is a well-priced intermediate clarinet.
- Buffet E13
As one of Buffet’s bestselling clarinets, the E13 is listed as an intermediate model, but definitely bridges the gap between intermediate and professional outfits. This clarinet is suited to advanced students and aspiring professionals, as it benefits from Buffet Crampon’s 190 years of experience in creating fantastic clarinets. Made from stained Grenadilla wood and featuring silver-plated keys, this clarinet also benefits from undercut tone holes and blue-steel springs allowing for an excellent accuracy of tone and a fast key action. As of 2015, the E13 has been provided with leather pads as standard and has “inherited” the bell of the superior RC, allowing for greater projection and brightness of sound. Supplied with a Buffet Crampon mouthpiece, ligature, cleaning accessories, and the choice of a traditional Buffet leather case or the new lightweight Gigbag-style case, the E13 is an excellent choice for advancing players.
- Yamaha YCL650
With similar specifications to Yamaha’s Custom clarinets, the
YCL650 is their entry into the professional-level of instruments, which is ideal for high-level students and advancing players. Again this clarinet is made from selected Grenadilla wood and features silver-plated keys, and also benefits from high-quality Pisoni pads and an adjustable thumb rest, making it an enjoyable and comfortable clarinet to play. The 65mm barrel has been specifically designed for a more focused sound and consistent intonation, and the steel-alloy needle springs provide a fast key action. The YCL650 is supplied with the Yamaha 4C mouthpiece, ligature, cleaning accessories, and a quality moulded hard-case with a fabric outer cover.
- Yamaha YCLCX
Yamaha’s range of Custom clarinets are some of the best quality instruments that the company produces, and the
YCLCX is no exception. Aimed at the professional player, this clarinet features a 65mm barrel and tapered tone holes that are undercut by hand, for an optimum focused tone, quick response and consistent intonation. The handcrafted Grenadilla body and silver plated keys greatly improve the overall feel of the instrument and the steel-alloy needle springs provide a faster key action. The YCLCX has a rich, resonant sound and a good projection, making it a favourite choice amongst advanced players. It is supplied with a Custom Ebonite 4CM mouthpiece, ligature, cleaning accessories, and a quality moulded hard-case with a fabric outer bag featuring a large accessories pocket.
- Buffet R13
As one of Buffet’s historic models, the professional
R13 clarinet was first produced by the legendary Robert Carrée in 1955, and is still one of the world’s favourite professional instruments, due to its flexibility and brightness in sound that lends the instrument to many repertoires. The Grenadilla wood used to create the R13 is selected specifically for its acoustic and aesthetic properties, and this gives the clarinet a warm, rich sound. The keys are pre-plated in copper before being finished in silver plate, making them durable and tactile under the fingers, and the blue-steel needle springs give a fast key action. A hand-burnished poly-cylindrical bore improves the overall intonation and centres the tone, and undercut tone holes gives an ease of response. The pads are finished in double fish skin, which creates a good seal and makes them very airtight. The R13 is supplied with a silver plated ligature, cleaning accessories and the traditional Buffet leather case, but does not include a mouthpiece.
Click here to view our range of clarinet mouthpieces, or alternatively the clarinet can be purchased as part of a
package, including a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece.
- Buffet RC
The Buffet
RC professional clarinet, which bears the initials of Buffet’s most famous designer Robert Carrée, is a professional instrument of excellent craftsmanship. Made from the same carefully selected Grenadilla wood as the R13 model, this clarinet has many of the same acoustical properties, but due to a slightly wider, combination poly-cylindrical/conical bore design, the RC is thought to have a rounder, sweeter tone in comparison to the R13. The keys are pre-plated in copper before being finished in silver plate, making them durable and tactile under the fingers, and the blue-steel needle springs give a fast key action. As of 2014, the RC had a “make-over” by Buffet, where the intonation was reviewed and further enhanced with refined undercut tone holes, and leather pads were introduced alongside the double fish skin pads, providing a good seal against air leaks. The RC is supplied with a silver plated ligature, cleaning accessories and the traditional Buffet leather case, but does not include a mouthpiece.
Click here to view our range of clarinet mouthpieces.
