Clarinet roundup
The Best Clarinets for the Money
The best clarinet at each level balances key action, bore quality and tone — Yamaha and Buffet lead at student level, while the R13 and Selmer Privilege set the professional standard.
Best Student Clarinet: Yamaha YCL-255 and Buffet E11
The Yamaha YCL-255 is the most widely recommended entry student clarinet in the UK, consistently praised for its even key action, reliable pads and consistent intonation out of the box. The plastic body is durable and requires minimal maintenance — appropriate for school environments and young players who may not always observe careful care practices. The tone is clear and centred across registers, which helps the beginner develop a reliable embouchure without fighting the instrument. The YCL-255 is available from most woodwind retailers at around £250–£300.
The Buffet Crampon E11 is the leading alternative at a similar price, favoured in many UK school music programmes. It uses a slightly warmer-voiced plastic body with a bore design closer to the professional R13 than the Yamaha equivalent. Key action is reliable, and the instrument responds well as technique develops. Both the YCL-255 and the E11 are safe choices from a reputable music retailer.
Best Intermediate Clarinet: Yamaha YCL-650 and Buffet E13
The Yamaha YCL-650 uses grenadilla wood construction with silver-plated keys and marks the point in the Yamaha range where tone quality improves substantially over the student plastic models. Key action is consistent and the spring tension is well-calibrated for faster technical passages. It suits players at grade 5–8 level who need an instrument that can sustain the demands of recital and ensemble performance without limiting their technical development. Priced around £600–£700.
Buffet's E13 occupies a similar position in their range, with a grenadilla body and nickel-plated keys. It is a widely used step-up clarinet in the UK and represents a good investment for a committed player moving past student level. The bore design allows a natural progression toward the R13 when the player is ready for a professional instrument.
Best Professional Clarinet: Buffet R13 and Selmer Privilege
The Buffet R13 is the benchmark professional Bb clarinet and has been for decades. It is used by principal clarinet players in major orchestras worldwide and represents a specific tonal character — warm in the chalumeau, clear and singing in the clarion register, with precise intonation when properly set up. The R13 requires a settling period when new as the bore is hand-finished and the wood needs playing in. Prices start at around £1,800 new.
The Selmer Privilege offers a different tonal profile to the R13 — slightly brighter and more immediately projecting — which suits certain orchestral contexts and chamber ensembles. Professional clarinet choice at this level is highly personal and reflects the player's tonal concept and the repertoire they play. Both are exceptional instruments from world-leading makers.
Best Mouthpiece: Vandoren B45 and 5RV Lyre
No list of clarinet equipment is complete without addressing the mouthpiece. The Vandoren B45 is the most widely used clarinet mouthpiece among advancing students and many professionals — its medium-long facing and medium tip opening suit a broad range of playing styles and produce a clear, centred tone. The 5RV Lyre has a slightly shorter facing and smaller tip opening, making it slightly easier to control for players developing embouchure strength. Both are available at around £50–£80 and represent a significant upgrade over the plastic mouthpieces supplied with budget instruments.
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