Hi, I was just wondering if there are any advantages to having a wooden clarinet instead of a plastic one. I heard they`re harder to maintain and all but other than that I don`t really know much.

hey yea there are advantages in having a wooden clarinet i want to get one but at the moment i dont have enough money
having a wooden clarinet can be harder to maintain because if you get them scratched it is easier to see but a wooden clarinet gives a much better tone in there sound and sounds a lot better

o I see. thanks.

yea man! i have a wooden clarinet...they`re so expensive like 2000 bucks, but its definately worth it. it sounds so much better and well yea thats it....BUT the stupid people didnt ell me i had to oil it or it would crack. you have to buy this stuff called boar oil and oil the inside or it will crack. also u have to work it in. like 5 mins one day...then 5 mins in the morning and 7 in the afternoon..it takes like a month in all. the poeple didnt tell me this so mine cracked twice. st. johns was awesome and replaced it...but u should know that just so u dont make the same mistake!!

heh kool thanx

Well Savanna- they arent all that expensive
Plastic ckarinets are really meant for marching band and other outdoor ensembles because playing a wooden clarinet outside will help it to crack due to humidity or temperature changes.
Check out www.music123.com- they have quite a wide selection of wooden clarinets- and you can pick up one for around $600.
Bore oil is a must, to keep it lubricated.
And someone said something about them being easier to scratch- and it shows more- that not the case at all.......
Plastic clarinet are easier to crack- but they have the advantage of being durable enough to go anywhere.
Wooden clarinets have a much darker tone, and if you plan on pursuing the clarinet on a more advanced basis- you should get one asap- because they will help to improve your ability, and you will be able to get up to higher notes with lots of practice- of course.
If you have any more questions- feel free to ask me, me email address is Eurodesign75@yahoo.com, or you can post on this forum.

If you plan on taking the clarinet past high school, I would definitely get a wooden clarinet. Get a Buffet E-11. It`s second from the top. (The Buffet R-13 is the best of the best, but it is very pricey.) I have an E-11 and it`s great. Wooden clarinets are a little harder to maintain but it`s worth it. They sound SO much better than plastic ones!

Good luck with your future clarinet!

on the cost issue, i`ll say that i play a very nice Noblet that i got for under 1000. Just like anything eles, find a good dealer and you`ll find a good horn at a great price

Umm Amanda?
The E11 isnt exactly second from the top.........
There`s the E11, the E12, the E13, and then the R13......
And if you`re trying to say the R13 is the top- have you forgotten about the R13 Prestige, the RC , the RC Prestige, the Festival, and the Elite????
Also- please dont just fall into the mindless Buffet trend- try all the Brands (french clarinets are the best) so try Selmer Paris, Leblanc and Buffet before you decide.......
I personally play on Leblancs, but thats just me.......

NOOOO get an older R-13 they are MUCH cheaper and they sound much better!!! I have a 1966 model and am very much pleased with it--never have to oil it cuz it`s never cracked--the wood has "proven itself." If it hasn`t cracked yet it won`t--besides when u buy a new R-13 the value goes down...buying and old model makes the value soar! They are very VARY hard to find though...Good luck and Best wishes!

Hey guys, I just bought a Whitehall wooden clarinet for $30 on eBay. Does anyone knows if it was a good deal?

Andrea

Andrea, sure it`s a great deal.

That is of course if you decide to hang it on your wall for decoration or something.

Hi, I`m a freshman and in my school`s concert band, orchestra, and my county, district, and state honors bands. All I have to say is wooden clarinets are the GREATEST! I have an old, old, old Selmer Signet, and it sounds FABULOUS! It`s very versatile, as it can have both a very dark and clear tone. I started on a wooden clarinet and it is what distinguished me from everyone else in middle school, because I had such a better tone than everyone. Whether you`re a beginner or advanced, wooden is the way to go! It has, however, had a few cracks, I have to get it repaired just about every season and every time I take it to somewhere of a higher altitude. You do have to use boar oil, although I avoid putting an excess amount on the cracked area, I`ve found that it only makes the crack worse. So clearly, there are more advantages than disadvantages of wooden clarinets. If you have a plastic clarinet, get rid of it and get a wooden. They often have a nasty tone, horrible pitch, and it`s usually hard to go from a note of a low register to a note in a high register.

I think you can use both. I have both and I find good things and bad things about both.

That means I finish up having a use for both.

It is good to have two horns.

The plastic one is light, bright and cheap. So I take it where fear possible loss or damage, I play it when I just want to be crasser, brighter, a tad more in-your-face obtrusive perhaps, I dunno.

The wooden one has a better tone, sure, but considering what a bum player I am it`s not all that much better. But, sure, sometimes only it has the sound that satisfies. And it`s keying is better, not so much movement, quicker. Better constructed, too - I`ve never had a problem with springs weakening whereas on the plastic one I`ve had to pack up the A key spring to make it work.

And it is cracked. I bought it from a bandmaster said it was `weathered` and would never crack now - he`d played it in all conditions in Darwin, NT, Australia.

I bought it and took it 500miles south to my home and it cracked the barrel in the drier atmosphere.

I think you need them both. And a collection of barrels and mouthpieces, ligatures and reeds, too. (none of which I really have but I do want and will get them).

i am planing on going to college to be a muic teacher. my high school band directer says i should get a wooden clarinet, and i know he is right. i just wondering what is the best wooden clarinet and where can i find one for a good price?