In short, I've been looking up Clarinets on ebay for the past couple of days, and I'm thinking about buying one, but is it really worth it? Most seem to go for about $50 - $130 (or higher). I don't really know what would be a good one to buy, anyway. I've only been playing for a year (06-07 my last year of high school I decided to join band) and I've been wanting a Clarinet ever since then.
What is the clarinet like?
Is it an "eBay" brand like Victory?
When I bought my clarinet off eBay, I checked for these things:
-A brand of instraments that people trust (Yamaha, Jupiter...)
-The seller; look over that feedback carefully.
-Valid Serial Number; I think this is a must.
-Description; how well is this item decribed?
-Ask for pictures; LOTS AND LOTS OF PICTURES. This is important. Hopefully, the seller is honest and will give you acturate pictures of what you are buying.
-Ask questions; LOTS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS (if they really are a good seller, they should answer them)
-Return Policy; You should have the option of returning it if it is not what you expected.
-Insurance; For shipping, you should get insurance on the item to make sure it comes to your house safely.
Just remeber to be careful. There are alot of really good clarinets on eBay, but there are also alot of bad ones.
Hope that helps.
If you have anyother questions, just feel free to ask me!
Well I was looking yesterday, and I found a lot of colored ones, and I wanted one... but, I ended up doing my research on those to find out that most of them are Chinese imports which apparently aren't good. :/ And then I started looking up actually known brands like Yamaha / Bundy / Leblanc, and find used ones that were used, but were the same as the imports.
I've also heard that wooden Clarinets have a better sound than plastic ones, and I rented / played on a Wooden one (It was a Yamaha...) in my first year of band and also last year of high school. But, anyway... I did find one on ebay that I liked, but I don't know very much about Clarinets. I will post a link to it. :D
For only $35, that clarinet you posted looks like a very nice purchase. Since it is a Selmer, it is probably a good clarinet. The one thing I noticed is that one of the trill keys (the four keys on the right side of the upper joint of the clarinet) seems to bent slightly. It might be the model or might work just fine or I am just looking at it wrong. But if it is bent to the point that it does not work, it could be a problem, since that is a useful key. However, I am sure it is easily repairable but would still cost you money. As MusicRawks has already said, it would probably be a good idea to ask questions. But man, for onyl $35, that looks like a nice clarinet.
For colored clarinets (if that's what you're looking for), I believe it was Vito that came out with the 'Dazzler' series of multi-colored Bb clarinets. I agree with the others on the $35 Selmer, looks very nice, and it's been somewhat recently gone over by a reputable shop which means that, at most, the clarinet would only need a slight tweaking to be 100% playable. Figure that the $35 Selmer seems fairly similar (overall) to a wooden Selmer Signet that sell for $100+/-. Selmer's well-known for producing excellent clarinets back in the day as well (and some flutes, WAYYY back!) and many professional players still use them for jazz and all-around playing, etc. I so go for it before I snatch it up!! (Just kidding-- no more clarinets for me for a while!) Also, I've heard that old Conn's (444N + 424N) are supposed to be quite decent as well but are probably a little more costly. Good luck! Ciao!
I buy quite a few old ones that need repairs and fix them myself.
Things to look for
stick to the main brands like selmer or selmer bundy, yamaha , vito , buffet.
Stick to recent models within 5 - 10 years at the most.
The vito resotone's can be had for a decent price.
Avoid cheap noblet as the wood may be rotten.
For a first clarinet stick to plastic / abs.
Questions to ask:
How recently was it serviced ?
What condition are the pads in.
What is the model and serial number ?
Does it come with a case and mouthpiece ?
Did the player smoke ? (if yes, the clarinet may stink of tobacco).
How often was it played ?
Was it used outdoors ?
If there is only one photo ask for a few more, of specific areas.
Be careful if it says it plays well or sounds good but there are little other details.
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