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The Best Clarinets for Personal Use

little girl playing clarinet on a gray background
xavier gallego morell/Shutterstock.com

The clarinet is a single-reed instrument that offers the widest musical range of any woodwind instrument. Popular in many musical groups, ranging from marching bands to jazz performances, clarinets offer a unique and distinctive sound. We recommend checking out these options when looking for your clarinet.

Choosing a Clarinet

There are many clarinets you can buy. Consider these factors when making your selection:

  • Material: Clarinets are made from a variety of materials, including plastic, metal, and rosewood. Depending on your price point or other needs, you may prefer one material over another.
  • Type: There are more than six types of clarinets available. B-flat and A clarinets are the most popular options since they can make a wide variety of sounds.
  • Bore Size: The size of a clarinet’s bore can indicate the skill level of the player. Beginners should use smaller bores, while advanced players can use larger bores.
  • Design: While most clarinets come in black, you can find clarinets that have a natural wood look or that come in your preferred color.

Best Overall: Mendini Clarinet

Mendini’s B-flat clarinet features a high-quality body, durable nickel-plated inline trill keys, and an adjustable thumb rest. It comes with a hard-shell case, a mouthpiece, a box of ten clarinet reeds measuring 2.5 inches, cork grease, a cleaning cloth, gloves, a pocketbook for sheet music, and a foldable stand. It’s perfect for beginners and is available in an impressive ten color options.

Best Overall

Best Set: Glory Clarinet

This B-flat clarinet consists of a high-grade black ebonite/ABS body. With durable inline trill keys available in a nickel-plated or lacquer finish and adjustable thumb rest, it makes for an elegant and practical clarinet choice. It comes with a hard-shell case, a second barrel, a mouthpiece, a cap, and ten reeds. In addition, this set includes mouthpiece pad cushions, a screwdriver, cork grease, a holder, a soft cleaning cloth, and a pair of gloves. The clarinet is also pre-tuned to set any player up for success.

Best Set

Best Commander Style: Eastar Clarinet

Made with a high-grade bakelite body and a high-grade silver-plated Boehm key system, this B-flat clarinet provides an excellent sound and professional look. Featuring a patented integrated clarinet body design, it offers superior control for light or heavy blowing so that air vibration can be fully transmitted to the whole clarinet. Its cylindrical bore provides strong and broad tones, and it has a 62MM and 65MM mouthpiece connector. This clarinet also has advanced double sheep casings, a memory needle spring made of NAS high carbon steel, and cortical ligature for stable and easy playing. It comes in a set that includes a hard case, mouthpiece protective cap, thumb sheathing, cleaning cloth, white gloves, joint grease, and more. 

Best Premium: Yinfente Clarinet

The Yinfente B-flat clarinet offers a rich and powerful sound, ideal for professional players. It is made of hand-selected rosewood and 17 silver-plated keys. Plus, it comes with a light yet durable hard case, a cleaning cloth, and gloves.

Best Premium

Yinfente Intermediate B-Flat Clarinet Rosewood wood Body Silver Plate Bb Key 17 key Case + Reeds + Pads

This clarinet is made of hand-selected wood and is great for professional players.

Ellie Miller Ellie Miller
Ellie Miller is a full-time copy editor and occasional writer for LifeSavvy’s reviews articles. With years of experience in substantive and copy editing, proofreading, and publishing, she has edited thousands of online articles, as well as memoirs, scientific essays, book chapters, and workplace training documents. She hopes you’ll find some new favorite products here on LifeSavvy like she has. Read Full Bio »
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