I am renting a bass clarinet now (A Jupiter) and soon to be getting a better one. And suggestions on good brands? Thanks!

selmers are nice, as are buffets. I strongly dislike vitos. However, I don't know what sorts are avaliable- I've always used school instruments.

Beware of most everything. Selmer and Buffet are fabulous new. I just tested out a spanking new Selmer Privèlege Low-C horn that was insanely awesome. It was purchased for a school, so the $7800 price tag wasn't an issue. Late model Buffets generally rock, but be careful if it was owned by a school. Stay far away from Vito or any Leblanc product. You can find lots of old Leblancs selling cheap, but the register mechanism is from the stone age and just absolutely sucks.

Look out for old Selmer Paris models. Some of the horns from the 60's are the best bass clarinets ever made, but not if they were played by 40 years worth of high school or Junior High players! Don't buy a Buffet bass from the 1980's or early 90's. The new ones are awesome though.

You'll see Selmer USA plastic models everywhere for sale. They are a fine beginner horn, I sound great on them. I have private students who play these and it's a constant struggle to make the pads seat correctly. The metal bends too easily and the pads don't come with enough glue behind them. They also won't play the very useful "fake" fingerings in the upper register. I sound good on these horns, but I'll admit they are much more difficult to play than my wooden Buffet. Some of my students really struggle with these horns but sound great when I let them play on mine.

Good Luck!

Hmmm... Someone decided to delete my post since I guess they know more about which clarinet you should buy than I do. I'm guessing by your post that you consider your sound to be "world class". You probably never even tried a Vito. You've got to think out of the box. In this case you need to get a buffet.

Don't worry about trying a bunch of them cause they're all exactly the same - precision manufactured to exacting specifications. When it arrives you will see that you can just play it OUT-OF-THE-BOX, lady!

i've also only played on school horns, but the school recently bought some new yamahas. i think they're good, but i don't know i'm not an expert.

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by the way...are yamahas good? any experts willing to give an opinion on that one...

I swear by Selmers,oh, and note, never ever buy a "Vito" brand instrument, i mean, it's alright, but...you can get better...


AKR~ Thoughts Unknown

You should maybe check your facts before posting about the quality of clarinets and their respective brands. Vito is a large company that had humble beginnings but now is huge and would probably crush you in court if they saw you ruining their business vis a vie this forum.

From your post I see you consider yourself an expert. I myself know far more than most people could ever know, especially about the clarinet. I have two vintage Vito Bb clarinets from back in the day when they were hand made (not in China) and you can only know the quality by taking a piece of the plastic and heating it quickly. It will release a unique smell that is reminiscent of tree bark and male dog urine. mmmmmm...

I suggest that you post a sound clip of yourself burning up the staves (that's sheet music - to the layperson) and then we can see who really is the expert.

When making your tape make sure to play the sunrise. That's a little sample of my expert teaching teachniques. I have played in many community bands and for the last 28 years have played in the best community band on the east side of Boise, Idaho. Maybe you should think about how good the people on this forum play (especially me) before you start spraying your advice at us.

THANK YOU.
Phil McCrevis

Do you have a Vito bass clarinet, Phil?

Hey Phil,

You think that you are world class? Which community band do you play in? Do you actually PLAY in a community band or just pretend?

I myself actually am a REAL member of a community band and I will be challenging this next fall to get into the 2nd's section.

I admire you Phil, but I don't understand why you like Vitos so much. I have never tried one but I believe that Selmers and Buffets are much better bass clarinets. Does vito even make a bass clarinet?

You should keep your attitude under control and stop trying to be top dog by spending more than your net worth on each clarinet you buy. People here are trying to find good clarinets at budget prices and you AREN'T HELPING! So, in other words, STOP BEING AN EGOTISTICAL JERK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(A-Hole)

You post a soundclip smackface!

I played a vito bass clarinet for two years- actually I played four vito bass clarinets regularly, and a couple others once or twice each. my school issued us a school and a home instrument because they were one-peice and too long to carry back and forth on the bus, so i used two each year i was there. I personally really don't like vitos. the necks don't adjust for tuning, they are one peice, therefore hard to transport, they lack alternate pinky keys which are VERY convenient and useful, and they just don't sound as nice. I much preferred the wooden selmers and buffet I've used since, especially the buffet.

Dear Phil,

I would strongly suggest that you halt your pretentious and egotistical attitude regarding other people's opinions of musical instruments, particularly when this is a forum to be used for discussing clarinets, not your personal "bravura" and talent in clarinet performance. I do believe that the subject of this thread was to discuss what is today's best brand of bass clarinet, not what sort of clarinets Vito's were back in the day when they were handmade. Unless you can show me a BRAND NEW Vito that is handmade and it actually sounds half way decent, I would advise everyone in this entire forum to disregard the "world-class" advice handed out by Phil McCrevis.

By the way, Buffet and Selmer is the best, everybody. Don't trust Phil, he probably works for LeBlanc in their Vito division or something.

Oh, and one more thing,Phil, the word your looking for is "via", not the phrase "vis-a-vis". If your going to use fancy language, use it correctly.

Sincerely, and Most Humbly,
Noteworthy Player

P.S.-Since it has not previously been made aware to you, Vito instrument suck.

hi, there seem to be many contradictory thought here, so i'll try to get a simple view across. ill use bullet points if i may.
- buffet are a really good brand. i dont know about other brands,so cant dismiss them, but have been recommended buffet's by professionals. i also love the sound and quality of them
- all good clarinets are different. this is because they are made out of a natural material - wood. even temperature and humidity change the instrument. so, you should ALWAYS try and instrument before you buy it. it may not suit you. my teacher even tried instrument before i got one, and he tried some for my friend too. they ARE different.
- finally, i would not recommend heating your instrument to the point that it smells - i would not recommend heating it at all - it may be damaging. some instruments shouldnt even stay in the sun for too long

i know this may be too late to be of any use now, but i hope it helps.

You people make me sick.

The only way to know that my advice is truly "holy" (and it IS) is to know my predigious experience and performance practice knowledge. I gave an example of my "teachniques" so that you could see that I am a great teacher as well.

I haven't heard one COMPETENT person say anything bad about Vito Bass Clarinets. They are as world class as I due to their legendary methods of clarinet construction and manufacture. The plastic is a space age proprietary blend unequalled by even NASA. Reportedly NASA tried to buy it from them but Vito refused due to their own artistic pride. Has NASA tried to buy Buffet's greenline material? That's because it is garbage in comparison.

TangoStar3 wanted to know what Bass Clarinet was the best to rent/buy. I don't think the question was "what do a bunch of people out there who have no knowledge or experience whatsoever think about bass clarinet brands?" So people, if you don't have an elite status in the world of clarinet concertizing, please don't offer your $.02 unless you can withstand fierce criticizm when I bring your recommendations "to the light" of an obvously superior clarinetist's understanding.

I don't work for any clarinet manufacturer but I would only entertain the idea of being sponsored by Vito clarinets. The other brands aren't worth even trying.

If Buffet called tomorrow and asked me to be a Buffet Artist I would tell them to take a hike, and to take all of their junky clarinets with them.

I've played every bass clarinet that I know exists. Vito is not the best, and Phil you're a douchebag. This topic should be closed.

Phil, did you even notice what people think of you by checking out the "Phil McCrevis" thread? Just be quiet about Vito - you really are a deutschebag.

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TangoStar3, I really do apologize about how this thread has become a place for arguments about the credentials of those who post here. My sincere opinion, and I'm sure nearly everyone who have posted here so far would agree, is that Buffet and Selmer make not only the finest bass clarinets, but the finest clarinets in general. I personally stand by Buffet. Vito, which is a division of Leblanc, are decent plastic (and definitely, should I say, "economical") clarinets meant for students. In fact, Robert Marcellus used them when he was a student (I wonder how I found that out). In general, long standing companies like Buffet and Selmer are the best when selecting musical instruments. I have played Buffet, Selmer, and Vito, and I can tell you that, not just in sound quality, but construction and elegance, the former two are indeed the finest oit there. Good luck in your search, and make sure you test all models of both brands if at all possible.