Should you play a vintage clarinet?

I am thinking about getting back to playing the clarinet but I’m just wondering if you can play it or if it’s just for looks because some of the vintage clarinets i’ve seen have really good prices.

Vintage just means “older model”… a vintage instrument doesn’t make it a good or bad instrument.

Some vintage models DO have great prices- either because they are old stencils (ie GENERIC brands) or because they need a lot of work to be playable. Sometimes though, you get lucky and find a person selling a beautiful vintage horn because they don’t really know what they have.

On the other hand, I see many NEW instruments for sale too… again, doesn’t make them good or bad. It’s all about the quality of materials and craftsmanship that went into the horn.

You can absolutely play a vintage clarinet, as long as it has been taken care of over the years. It may need new pads and cork though, depending on how long it’s been since it was last played. If it’s wood, it probably needs to be oiled to… take it to an instrument repair shop and ask them if it’s worth putting some money into doing these general repairs.

If you’re looking at buying a clarinet though, if you don’t quite know what to look for, stick to the name brands (I’ll mention as I go).

Student models are plastic… some old Bundys (subsidiary of Selmer) and Evette & Schaeffer (subsidiary of Buffet- no longer in business) horns are considered vintage, but are excellent student models (E&S even made some fine intermediate horns using grenadilla wood). Selmer (Bundy), LeBlanc (Vito), Buffet, and Yamaha all still make nice student models for very affordable prices.

Buffet is the front-runner for quality pro horns, with Selmer (NOT Bundy) and LeBlanc (NOT Vito) running shortly behind. The best known pro horn is the Buffet R13… this was invented in 1950, so some of these older models could be considered vintage, even though the R13 is still in production today. If you could find a Selmer BT from the 1940’s, well, it’s vintage, but will likely play beautifully if it’s been cared for! (The Selmer BT is also what Benny Goodman used, btw.)

But again- you can find new ones that play just as well, and you can find new trash that you shouldn’t waste your money on! The best advice I can give you is try before you buy. You may see some deals online that seem to good to be true- and guess what? THEY ARE! Try to stick to stores where you can play the horns and test them… maybe even side by side. If you find a great deal on a vintage horn that plays well- take it. If not, no biggie!

If you are truely all about buying a vintage horn, go through a specialty dealer- they do restorations BEFORE they sell, but it will be more expensive, for sure! Sometimes you can find awesome vintage clarinets in auction houses that sell for cheap because they don’t know what they have… BUT- make sure to have at least $1000 ready for the CORRECT restoration that it may need. You may get lucky though, and find it only needs pads!

Anyways, hope this helped, and have fun playing again soon!

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