Jean Paul USA CL-300 Student Clarinet B Flat

Worth every penny and then some. I never played a reed instrument before buying this, and I was dubious whether I'd get an instrument, or a clarinet shaped object. When I pulled it out of the case, I didn't even know how to put it together. I'd never touched a reed before let alone assembled a ligature. I couldn't even get a note to come out at first. That's how new I was to this. It's been 2 months now with near daily practice. I have no teacher. I can play several songs, circular breath, play across the break in intermediate songs like The Pink Panther theme, and I can hold a note for 55 seconds without circular breathing. I am not some kind of wood wind prodigy. I credit having a GREAT instrument with my progress. Out of the case I was shocked at how heavy this clarinet is. It's heavier than my flute, which is all metal. The key material is also solid and did not require any adjustment in several weeks of playing now. The tenons are tight, but soon get to a comfortable resistance with frequent cork greasings at cleaning time. I ditched the stock mouth piece after a month and a half and got a Vandoren 5JB 88 with a Vandoren 1.5 reed. Just do it. You won't look back. I now have an instrument that is going to last me a long time before I need to upgrade, and to me that is what makes a good starter instrument. One that you don't need to immediately toss because it's holding you back or breaks. I also replaced the ligature with a single screw leather one which makes reed cleaning easier. The pads are still in good shape, no leaky keys, and it plays from bottom of the cleff up to the 3rd octave without any off or slow notes. I have a few minor nit picks though. As it came out of the box, it was 1/2 a semitone flat with either barrel in use. Changing the mouth piece solved that problem. You can compensate with your embouchure but as a new player I found it hard to do that AND concentrate on my scales at the same time. Mine did not come with a replacement reed either so be sure to buy a box of reeds. The stock mouth piece played best for me with a 3.0 reed strength. 2.0 was too easy to over blow and squeak in the lower register. I also recommend you get a stand that stores in the bell. I rarely disassemble my instrument now, and instead keep it next to my favorite chair, ready to grab and practice at any time. I've bought a few inexpensive instruments before on Amazon like a trumpet and a flute, which were around the same price as this clarinet, but far inferior in terms of quality, weight, and build. I feel like I got a really good deal on this clarinet at $180. With the new mouth piece I'm about $270 in, and feel like I have a $800 instrument.

Its Jean paul you get good quality. Its obviously costlier than the chinese brands, but the quality is defintely better. Material is good quality and my son loves playing this. He now likes clarinet more than sax. Its easy to play for a 10 year old too.

Truth be told, I know very little about Clarinets myself. I got this for my 9yo to replace the rental that was costing us 3x the price (for just a year!) of this item. When it arrived it was well packaged and very clearly brand new. I didn't see any warping or obvious defects in the build which according to my research seems to be the biggest concern with low cost Clarinets. But again, I'm no expert, so I had it tested by a friend who is a professional multi-instrumentalist AND her band teacher. Both confirmed it was a good quality product and were surprised at how little I paid. The material is not plastic, it's a hardened rubber like material which is much more durable and (per their review) produces a better sound. No, it's not a high end piece and it will likely need a different mouthpiece as she gets more advanced but it is perfect for a begginer-to-mid level performer. Most importantly, she was ecstatic to be able to say she owned her insturment and that was good enough for me. I have no idea yet how far she will want to pursue playing but I'm glad we were able to find a piece for a fraction of the rental cost. Plus, should she decide to upgrade in the future or switch instruments we can sell this one as both people that actually know about these things explained it should have no issues holding up over time.

I don't play in a band, nor am I in High School. I am an adult who has always wanted to play the Clarinet. This is my second purchase of a budget Clarinet. My first one, I was able to play the normal register, but had a very hard time time with the upper register. Learning on my first one was fine but it was a No_Name at a lower quality than the Jean Paul Clarinet I'm reviewing. I'm not doing too bad learing on the Jean Paul. Still have issues at the moment with the upper register, but it's more me than the instrument. The mouthpiece that came with the Jean Paul was not that great, I play with a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece which is better for beginners. I'm learning with 1.5 Rico Reeds. Not there yet with 2.0. With the lower Reed, I find my normal notes and lower notes are good. At times the upper still can get a little quackyiness. I find that the Jean Paul is fine for me, but if a younger student wants to learn with more of ease and not get frustrated, Prelude, LeBlanc, Selmer, Buffet or even a Yamaha has a better chance of building this than the Jean Paul. The build of the Jean Paul is ok, I find the keys are a little smaller/closer together for my big hands. Most folk who starts to learn on a Clarinet are really school kids anyhow thru the years, not 50 plus adults. Learning an instrument, if a student no matter the age can't get the basic's with tone. Chances of them sticking with it is very low. But spend a Grand or more for little Suzy or Johnny to throw it around is not good either. But with the Jean Paul, it's a entry into this world and it's quality is above good. Some Clarinets that is cheaper may not be able to be repaired, most shops won't even look at the cheaper substandard instruments anyhow. But the Jean Paul is not bad. It's plays well.

Exelente clarinete para novatos, el sonido, el material, todo es de buena calidad. Lo recomiendo si quieres empezar como Calamardo y salir como Benny Goodman.

When Clarinet arrived I was delighted with it, just what i wanted, good tone. I have been playing it everydaysince. A couple of days ago 22 Sept started having problem getting below e flat ( lower register ) after a bit of investigation found out the spring 3L on fingering chart was loose and the key which should normally be closed was remaning open. The spring has since falling out. The clarinet arrived 14 Aug malfunctioned about 22nd Sept just over two months old, so raises a question over the build quality. I do have warranty but don't expect to have issues and have to send it off after only 2 months .

Bought for my son. His teachers have reported back that it's a very nice instruments to learn on. He likes it, the teachers like it. Everyone's happy.

Very satisfied with the quality and the ease of assembly. Absolutely worth the buy for a student clarinet player, as it's sturdy and the price is actually quite cheap for its quality.

Overall, i was blown away by the quality and price of this porduct. This shipped quickly and efficently and arrived only after 4 days, the insides were very carefully packaged to insure quality and overall the quality was great. It came with all the items needed to start playing including an extra part and extra accessories. For a 200 dollar clarinet, this was worth every penny! It was completely wooden and has amazing sound quality. Overall, i would rate this 10/10! Thanks jean paul!