Difference in clarinet models

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I've been thinking about this for quite some time now. With different brands There are obviously differences such as tone hole positioning etc but within brands there are student, Intermediate and proffessional models. I don't get what allterations are made to the instrument with these models.

laeta_puella
(343 points)

i'm pretty sure there's differences in the amout of work put into the instrument- ie how much is done by hand vs machine, and such. also, my beginner clarinet doesnt have all the alternate keys (my clarinet teacher was scandalized when i told him my soprano doesnt have a left hand C/low F key.) then of course there's quality of materials...

someone else can probably answer more thoroughly, but that's a general idea.

kato
(64 points)

im by no means an expert on this area, however, it seems that beginer models are generally made from plastic/resin, low end intermediate are made from composite materials (i.e. wood fibres), and high intermediate and professional are cut from solid wood

Micron
(1349 points)

Student clarinets are mostly made from plastic.

Intermediate are mostly wooden

Top end are like intermediate, except that everything is more refined - more attention to detail... The timber may be a better piece, with finer grain that does not leave tone hole edges rough. There will be more attention to undercutting of tone holes - perhaps some individual attention to tuning, by undercutting. The plating may be silver instead of nickel. The silver plating may be a lot thicker for durability. The pivots may be made and adjusted to be more precise. There may be an absence of blemishes that have been filled and disguised in the timber. There may be metal caps on the tenons to make them more dimensionally stable. There may be more accurate reaming of the bore, and better polishing. There may be more attention to the precision of the adjustment of the mechanism. The pads may be of higher quality, and more accurately installed.

Because plastic clarinets usually have very leak-proof tone hole edges, and undercutting of tone holes, they often actually play better than intermediate clarinets, which although made of timber, can sometimes be quite scruffy in how they are made.

Note that some of the very best clarinets are made of composite material which does NOT have the characteristics of timber. It is very likely that the quality of sound actually has little to do with the actual material. The sound comes from the air column, not the timber. In this respect a clarinet is totally different from say a violin or guitar.

Difference in clarinet models

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