There are several brands that are eligible to be the best clarinet brands, some of them are more budget conscious and other more perfectionist. The most important when choosing a clarinet brand is to consider which one has a clarinet that is able to perform the level that we present at the moment, and at the same time allow us to use the clarinet fingering Chart in a proper way.
We have prepared a sample of the brands that we think would be useful to know for anybody that is planning to buy a clarinet.
Buffet Crampon
This is a French producer that has been around for a long time, and it is full of tradition and prestige. They display in their catalog an ample variety of instruments, from beginners, intermediate and professional clarinets. Their products are everywhere in the world and are used in the most recognized orchestras around the globe. T know more about them we have prepared a complete review.
- Buffet Crampon E12 France Intermediate Bb Clarinet
- Buffet Crampon R13 Professional Eb Clarinet with Silver Keys
- Buffet B12 Student Clarinet
Yamaha Instruments
The famous Japanese company started its wind instrument production with the release of theYTR-1 Trumpet, the products that was a pioneer of long list of wind instrument, like clarinets, trumpets, flutes, saxophones and a n amazingly long list of wind instruments. The producers have been prolific not only in the variety of instrument, also in the amount of models that they display in its list of items.
Leblanc Wind Instruments
Founded by George Leblanc in the late 1900 in France, in La Couture-Boussey, the commune of the department of Eure, Leblanc bought Noblet which was the oldest instruments producer in the country.
Later on Léon Leblanc and Vito Pascucci to started importing wind instruments to distribute them in the USA so that begin the operations of the G.Leblanc, that was born in Wisconsin.
Beyond work with the Leblanc, the corporation included another instruments produced for another French firms, which overtime became also part of the Leblanc brand.
The division of Steinway Musical Instruments, Conn-Selmer acquired the Leblanc Corporation in 2004.
Conn-Selmer
This Corporation has put together overtime a large list of highly prestigious brands of several kinds of musical instruments like the aforementioned Leblanc, Ludwig, Selmer, Holton and more.
The products that the conglomerate provides are intended to satisfy any level of skills that the player presents. Beginners, intermediate and professionals, all of them can browse an ample variety of instruments that gives them the peace of mind that they are dealing with highly recognized brands.
Being a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments inc, and the solely distributor of the Yaganisawa saxophones in the USA, Conn-Selmer is recognized also for its support to musical education, and provides a number of tools that are especially designed for it.
Gemeinhardt
Markneukirchen in Germany, a region of long musical instruments production tradition, was the place of birth of Kurt Gemeinhardt, who after his apprenticeship, left to Switzerland to make flutes for the most recognized players of the time. The job gave him the privilege to be considered the best on his job.
Then left to Indiana where after a couple of decades making instruments for middlemen, he decided to open his own company, which main visual feature was that the Gemeinhardt’ name was inscribed in every single instrument.
The huge success of the company made that Kurt has to upgrade his company regularly, not only in size, but also in the diversity of instruments that the factory produced.The instruments are still engraved with the name of this traditional and admired brand.
F.Arthur Uebel
Son of the clarinet manufacturer Friedrich Gustav Uebel, In 1936 F. Arthur Uebel, setup his own workshop in Markneukirchen in the Vogtlandkreis district of Germany. When his mentor Oskar Oehler passed away he founded the brand of F. Arthur Uebel, continuing the practice of crafting high quality clarinets. Then he led the introduction of the revolutionary Boehm system, which originated in France made the manufacturing of these instruments gain a new level in response, ergonomics and sound.
After a quick review of the best clarinet brands, we can conclude that the highest quality brands,are traditional companies that started in Europe many years ago,and then their products became available in America, either by the production of the instruments, or by entrepreneurs that decided to import them from Europe.
Several of the producers,were acquired for bigger conglomerates that managed to handle a number of prestigious brands.
This article has been planned as a small introduction for the comprehensive individual brand reviews that will appear in the future.
