Boxwood clarinet

[DaveLeBlanc]

Has anybody played a boxwood clarinet?  I\'ve heard that the warpage of the wood makes most unplayable.

Did they make It in Bb?  Or just in C and D?

Also, how much is a typical one worth?

[philpedler]

I only have played one. Bummer!

They made them in Bb, A, C, D, Eb, and probably others as well.

I talked with Nophachai, who has several. And he has modern reproductions. My preference would be the modern high quality reproductions. It is very hard to get an authentic clarinet that will play well. And often something crucial, like the mouthpiece, is missing. Then one has to have something like that custom made at great cost. Whereas with a modern reproduction, you are getting a replica of a famous pro-model instrument. It\'s sort of like the situation with recorders. I don\'t even want an original. Getting one that is playable would be like getting a Stradivarius violin. The reproductions are excellent, and have not yet warped or cracked.

I forget the modern makers names.

My opinion only.
Phil

[DaveLeBlanc]

Oh thats a good point.  The modern ones would probably be chaper in the long run, and much more useful.  I was just about to get a original boxwood for about 50 dollars (it was in a sorry state of disrepair... But that was a super low price even for a broken one!). Unfortunately, I ended up getting outbid by one dollar.  Sometimes eBay is really irritating