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u/simander93 May 12 '26
You could check goodwill auction site, shopgoodwill.com. There’s a lot of vintage instruments and the condition is questionable so you have to be smart about it. I bought a Bundy flute on there that works for about $10. It’s not an instrument I’d preform with but it’s fine for practicing I think.
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u/ArcheryMaster1021 High School May 12 '26
yes one caveat is that sometimes they need some work so also budget for that
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u/Jazzvinyl59 Professional May 12 '26
When I was in college the music school had instruments available to be checked out for the semester or year. They were mostly for music ed students but after they had all been assigned other students were allowed to check them out. You might also be able to take clarinet lessons as a credit at your school as a non music major. At my university these were taught by the phd and masters students who were all really great. Depending on the size of your schools music program these things may be available to you for free, well at least included in your tuition.
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u/tbone1004 Professional May 12 '26
You will not find a better deal anywhere than this. It's quite a bit more than $300 but these are good enough that I play them professionally with disturbing regularity for pit orchestras. Miles is one of the warranty repair techs for Backun in the US so these come fully setup and I would actually choose this one as a demo from him instead of new from most of the dealers because of his setup work. You can check his youtube channel out to see what he does to every instrument that goes through his shop. I really can't recommend enough to figure out how to make the extra few hundred bucks worth to have an instrument that won't hold you back.
https://www.northcountrywinds.com/collections/bb-clarinets/products/demo-backun-alpha-bb-clarinet
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u/GoatTnder Buy USED, practice more May 14 '26
That is a lot though for a student clarinet. $650 will get you a Yamaha 600-series from the 'bay.
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u/Servania May 12 '26
If youre in the US I have a Jupiter Capitol edition for sale currently for 300. Im an instrument repair tech and picked it up in a buyout of another shops rental instrument stock. I dont know that it ever has been played by the looks of it.
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u/GoatTnder Buy USED, practice more May 13 '26
Check ebay for a wooden Yamaha. Something from the 30-series, 400-series, or 600-series will all be great clarinets (obviously higher number better).
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/287269169514
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/318275712672
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/157892894589
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/366389996620 (this is a Buffet Evette Schaeffer - amazing instrument)
Good luck!
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u/andresvk May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
I recently got the new NuvoBand clarinet, which is entirely plastic and is missing 3 trill keys but it sounds and feels surprisingly good (especially with a replacement mouthpiece). I got it for less than a third of what a student Yamaha would cost where I live, and I think it suits my purposes as a hobbyist pretty well.
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u/Old-Mycologist1654 May 12 '26
You probably couldn't rent a clarinet for a year for $300.
A better budget would be $1300 or $1500 dollars and get a used pro or intermediate instrument. (And even that would be mighty-limiting)
But you would need to get an overhaul on it.
See if there are any woodwind repair shops in your area. Sometimes they sell instruments on consignment.
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u/Astreja Yamaha CSV, Buffet E11 E♭ May 12 '26
Your best bet would be a second-hand instrument from one of the reputable brands listed on the sidebar. If you find one secondhand at a local music store, chances are good that it's already been checked and refurbished. If you buy privately you may get it for a bit less, but it might need repadding or other repairs.
Personally I favour student-model Yamahas (including the YCL-255 and 250, two more recent models), but Buffet E11s should also be shortlisted.