Buffet Crampon E-11 Clarinet

It's a wooden clarinet which has a noticably warmer tone. The Buffet E11 is an established standard that many schools recommend for their students. The mechanisms work very well. I'm glad I spent the extra money as compared to those models costing less than $300. Being a wooden instrument though, the user must take proper care of it by removing moisture with the cleaning cloth after playing, and being careful not to expose it to temperature shock which can crack it. As with any clarinet, dropping them will likely result in a costly repair.If you're debating whether to make the jump from a $300 instrument to a $1000 instrument, consider this. Student instrument rental fees will cost several hundred dollars for one year. The $1000 instrument has much better tone and overall better quality. I think your student will be inspired and will be more likely to stick with the better instrument. And if your student decides the clarinet isn't for them, sell it at a fair market value with little to nothing lost over all.One final comment - mouthpieces play a huge role in playability. The mouthpiece that comes with this instrument is good and will likely work just fine. However, upgrading the mouthpiece is an easy thing to do.

This is a very nice horn. It plays every bit as well as expected, with workmanship on par with professional clarinets. Well constructed and therefore deserves the careful handling of any fine musical instrument (this is NOT a good choice as a first clarinet for a child). I would suggest replacement of the mouthpiece with a Vandoren B45 (the standard Buffet mouthpiece is worse than terrible). In fairness to Buffet's mouthpiece, I am a transitioning saxophonist and am accustomed to the forgiveness of a tenor sax mouthpiece. Inexperienced players will also find the stock Buffet mouthpiece to be harsh and unforgiving. The seller (Hyson Music) did an outstanding job of packing the horn for shipment. It came in its padded case, inside of a small box, enclosed in a large, well-padded shipping box. My order arrived in four days (during bad winter weather). This was a replacement horn and it was of better quality than the one it was replacing (Selmer). When I overlooked the need to 'play in' a better-quality new, wooden horn...I decided to buy a second clarinet for practice/weather/questionable venues. I would have purchased a Buffet B12 for its interchangeability with my E11, but it was not at sold at Amazon through Hyson Music. I elected to purchase a student LJ Hutchens as my 'backup horn' and the great service by the seller of my E11 moved me to forgo the better (slightly more expensive) Buffet in exchange for known, superior customer service by the seller. Be sure to read the manufacturer's recommendations for the E11 (NO bore oil!) that differ somewhat from the standard care guidelines for wood clarinets. Follow the 'play in' instructions to the letter to avoid cracking. This is a fine instrument and I got it for several hundred dollars less than my local retailer. This is a superior instrument for the advancing player or for the professional player on a budget. Well done Buffet-Crampon and Hyson Music!

My daughter was very excited to receive her clarinet. She has had it for almost half a year now, and I have noticed some things. First of all, the case we got was not the same as pictured. It is dark brown with thin silver latches instead of wide gold latches.It is poorly made. The fabric was glued and is starting to peel. One of the knobs at the bottom has fallen off! A latch is broken and constantly pops open. It is obvious that we received a faulty case. This makes me wonder whether the product itself was real or a knockoff. My daughter is quite upset as well.

I'm now so perplexed by the situation that I'm facing now because the clarinet that I purchased last Aug, 2013 has problem with one of the keys. I had purchased it for my son and I had to come back to my homeland due to surgery last Oct. Two months later my son had to come back to Korea because of visa issue, which was Dec. 2013. It had already problem. I was so disappointed by the seller , , the quality of the clarinet, and their skill to repair though I purchased the refurbished one. My son can't use it for more than two months from that time. I don't know how to repair it and where I should appeal my case to in Korea.

thought it would be in better condition case and clarinet both seemed as if they had been left in a dusty place for a very long time had to take to music store and replace alot of parts and get cleaned

this is a really good clarinet that really darkens my tone. If your in high school or first year(s) in college, this is a very good horn for the price. It is the most beautiful clarinet that I've seen and own. It is also always exactly in tune without having to adjust the joints. I love the look of the wood and the keys. but, there are a few things that I don't like. *First, the register key is slightly off, it isn't completely straight, so it almost doesn't cover the hole all the way. *Second, The barrel and bell are mis-sized. They are slightly to small at the joint part. it is very hard to put together and take apart even with a ton of cork grease. sometimes it requires force in which I think that I will break it or bend the keys that I'm holding onto. *Third, The mouthpiece creates a wonderful tone and is always in tune, but it has a slight curve to it where the reed lays on the mouthpiece (which is supposed to be there and helps the tone) but if your reed is too new or too old (after 2 days new and before 1-1/2 week old) the reed will either not vibrate and cause only squeaks or it will bend to the point in which it will cover too much of the air's pathway and will struggle to play notes where many of your fingers are down.!!!!***But don't let me drive you away with these comments! its a great clarinet for an amazing price. if your in high school... get it. but if your in college and have more money... You might what to do some serious thinking about whether to get this or not.****!!!!