Has anyone bought an instrument from here?

If so are they any good?

I was thinking of getting one of the clarinets from here but as they're so cheap, was wondering what the catch was.

http://www.studentmusicsupplies.com/asp/content.asp?filter=1

(I hope this link works)

To be honest Quincy I don't know. Has anybody on the forums tried an Academy clarinet (or any other Academy instrument)?

Quincy, I've had such terrible experiences of buying online, that I'd say unless someone can give you a definite recommendation for buying an instrument that way, I wouldn't do it. You'd be much better off going to a really good music shop (even if it means you have to travel a bit). A good music shop will spend time with you looking at different kinds of instruments, and give you space to try them out. I know you're just starting out, but perhaps you could get a colleague to go with you (youmentioned that a lot are musical), or perhaps find a teacher first then get your clarinet?

If you want to buy online, perhaps Barry could recommend a good standard brand for you to look for.

OK, I'm not Barry, but hope I'm allowed to pick up on meerkat's query about standard brands.

Most people learn on either a Buffet B12 or a Yamaha student instrument, both of which are available through most music shops (but you'll save enough for several hundred reeds if you shop around online!). I've heard loads of good things about Hanson clarinets but will confess that I've never played one myself. You can order online direct from Hanson.

Like Barry, Academy are new to me. The prices are extremely cheap, which does tend to set the alarm bells ringing. I'd guess they're mass produced somewhere where labour costs are minimal, which often (but not always) means that quality is compromised. Having said that, if the Ian McKay quoted on their testimonials page is the Ian McKay who got me through Grade 8, I'd trust his judgement! If you can afford to spend £90-£120 on a clarinet that might or might not be any good, let us now how you get on.

I just did a quick search on ebay, picking up on Deborah's suggestion of a yamaha.

Bear in mind that the auctions still have a bit of time to go, so the prices will undoubtedly go up, but it's worth maybe thinking about getting a good second hand instrument, rather than a cheap and cheerful brand that people who know what they're doing don't recognise.

Yamaha
http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll...inet&category0=

Buffet B12
http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll...prclo=&saprchi=


One final thought - it might be worth having a look at what's going second hand in local music shops. Again, a decent shop will let you try their second hand instruments out too.

(Sorry if I'm being mumsy, but having wasted a lot of money buying one of these types of instruments, I'm pretty keen to save others the pain!)

Ah yes, e-bay. I look at the number of student instruments for sale there and am amazed at the sheer number - there must be thousands of people out there who gave up after one lesson! This has caused something of a glut, so you can pick up a real bargain.

Purchasing second-hand through e-bay comes up quite regularly in the forums, so if you do a search on the subject you should pick up lots of advice about what to look for and beware of.

I guess it's not worth the risk then.

For me £90-120 is too much money to spend on something that may not be any good.

I'll rent first and when I can afford one, I'll buy a good brand the cheapest I can find.

One of the websites I found (Dawkes) is doign the Buffet B12 for £260. That is ALOT of money but the B12 seems to be the most highly recommended. I'd rather pay more than double the academy price and know that I'm getting a good instrument rather than spend over £100 on an instrument that might not be any good.

Buffet B12 for £265 sounds a good buy. In September our schools music service was offering this model at £220 and that's with no VAT and presumably a discount for buying in bulk (the same service covers another 2 counties as well as mine)

As it happens, my daughter went for the Yamaha (model 250?) priced at £230, as she had had a Buffet on loan for 2 years and stated that the Yamaha had a "brighter" sound. Personally I couldn't tell the difference, but my teacher has a Buffet E something, which is wooden and there is a definite difference between that and a resin clarinet.

Hint regarding Ebay.

It's always a good idea doing a completed item search.

You need to be logged in to do this.

Click on Advanced search...

"Enter keyword or item number"...then tick "Completed listings only"

You can also check the seller out and other bidders this way.

Hope this helps.

The b12 is a standard student model that I used up to grade 6. After that I decided that I would like a wooden one so upgraded to the E13 still a buffet. If going to a music shop try different models as they all feel different. The yamaha didn't suit me at all while the Buffett was much more under the fingers. It depends on the player.