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Anybody know anything about clarinet?

basscooker

basscooker

Inactive
Commercial User
Apr 11, 2010
5,727
10,064
Northern KY
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Cab fan, hobbyist
#1
Just fishing for leads. Google is not really helping, or actually offering waaaay too much help, whichever.

Anyway I just need to know what I have here. Junk, meh, decent but needs work, jazz favorite, symphonic gem? LOL well all I can say for sure is that it's a Xinghai and is complete in a hardshell case. I vouldnt even tell you if its case is aftermarket or brand original or age of either.

I'll post pics if anyone thinks they can help.

If this still falls under the TB rules about "how much is it worth" threads, understood. I really just need a lead to follow up.

TIA
 
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#5
Yeah.

I got nuthin'.
I find listings from $75 all the way to $2K + for the maker's clarinets but no clue where this one falls.

Looks like evilbay will determine what it's worth.

Thanks though. I figured it was worth a shot.
 
#6
We have my SO's uncle's clarinet. It is safely stored away inside the fireplace surround (hint: it was a piece of junk, in the condition it was in, and we had no plans to restore it). For all we know it could be the Amati of clarinets. At least it is still in the house. :laugh:
 
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#9
More than likely it is one of the dozens of cheaply made Chinese band instruments that sell online. I have been a band director for 40 years and have never heard of this brand. Being made in China is not a problem in itself...almost all student level instruments are made there. But some are made by quality brands while others are unknown.
A similar situation would be Squier guitars made in China are likely better than some brand called Stringmaster.
 
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#10
I know two funny clarinet stories, they both involve Frank Wess. The first one, my buddy Dan played tenor with the Seattle Jazz Repertory Orchestra for awhile and, since Quincy Jones went to high school there and has some musical roots, Quincy came back for an all star concert featuring his arrangements of his music for the SJRO. And Frank Wess was brought in as featured soloist and "ringer". So they're running through the charts and, at one point, Quincy says "Man, clarinet would really sound good in here. Hey Frank, did you bring your clarinet?" And Frank Wess yells back from the section "Oh man, don't make me stick that black thing in my mouth again!" Hilarity ensued.

The next one, a friend of mine who does a lot of section work in NYC was in the studio doing some big band recording and Frank once again was on the session. So Jed's sitting in the room that they are recording the reed section in and Frank is coming into the studio and heading towards the room. He's got his tenor around his neck on the strap, carrying his alto in one hand and under his other arm he's got the book of charts for the session and his clarinet. As he steps over the threshold into the room, the clarinet slides out from under his arm and hits the floor, but Frank just keeps walking. Jed, thinking that Frank may not be aware of the mishap, says "Hey Frank, you dropped your clarinet!" To which Frank replies, "Well, it's not like it's an INSTRUMENT or anything..." and keeps walking to his chair. Hilarity, once again, ensues.
 
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#17
basscooker said:
Just fishing for leads. Google is not really helping, or actually offering waaaay too much help, whichever.

Anyway I just need to know what I have here. Junk, meh, decent but needs work, jazz favorite, symphonic gem? LOL well all I can say for sure is that it's a Xinghai and is complete in a hardshell case. I vouldnt even tell you if its case is aftermarket or brand original or age of either.

I'll post pics if anyone thinks they can help.

If this still falls under the TB rules about "how much is it worth" threads, understood. I really just need a lead to follow up.

TIA
Click to expand...


Pretty sure it's a beginner instrument.
 
#18
Londo Molari said:
Benny Goodman played one.
Click to expand...
He also liked reading about The Cleveland Orchestra!

Berni_Rich_45.jpg
 
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#19
Jeff Scott said:
He also liked reading about The Cleveland Orchestra!

View attachment 4129987
Click to expand...
From the look on his face in that picture, he might have read about the Cleveland Orchestra, but I'm not sure he liked it.

My father was a professional musician who played saxophone and clarinet all his working life. That doesn't mean I know much about them, but my Google foo shows they sell Xinghai clarinets on Alibaba for under NZD$200. At my local music store, where they only have two Bb clarinets under $1,000, even this bright plastic thing costs $246, so if the Xinghai is cheaper than that, I'm betting they're not too good.
upload_2021-1-16_22-9-11.png
v
 
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#20
TreySonagras said:
More than likely it is one of the dozens of cheaply made Chinese band instruments that sell online. I have been a band director for 40 years and have never heard of this brand. Being made in China is not a problem in itself...almost all student level instruments are made there. But some are made by quality brands while others are unknown.
A similar situation would be Squier guitars made in China are likely better than some brand called Stringmaster.
Click to expand...

+1 for what he said^.

Not trying to brag, just adding context... I too am a band director (high school level) and have never heard of this brand. If I may add that if this company has a $100 product on amazon, the likelyhood of them also having an expensive model is very low.

HOWEVER, clarinets are one of the hardest instruments to find value on, just because there are so many different brands and so many clarinets floating around. I occasionally look on OfferUp for those rare gems that ppl don't know they have. If it will only take a few minutes, looking up the brand and model number/name is worth doing. I've found that Reverb often has an accurate price tag on "refurbished" student models and the like. But purchasing from Reverb is a risk of its own...
 

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