Yinfente Professional Ebonite Clarinete B flat Clarinet for Beginner Students with 2 Barrels Hard Case Cleaning Kit Mouthpice Cork Grease Gloves

OK, up front I will acknowledge that there is probably a reason we don't want to think about as to why this instrument is as inexpensive as it is.I found myself playing in a pit orchestra in a book with some flute parts. I don't play flute. We shuffled around the books, but I still ended up with a few flute and oboe bits that I needed to cover. I was going to transpose them for B-flat clarinet, but I decided to just see what my options were for getting a C clarinet. It was down to an 80-plus-year-old instrument on consignment for $2500 in a local shop (no thanks), or this $169 Yinfente C clarinet.At that price, I decided to just give it a chance. Worst case scenario, I'd just be back to transposing the parts.I really like the fact that the C clarinet uses a standard B-flat clarinet mouthpiece and reed, because I was able to use a higher quality mouthpiece that I already owned. (Stock mouthpieces are junk even on expensive instruments.) I didn't even try the stock mouthpiece… maybe it's OK. But the reed that came with it is a joke. But again… reeds are a disposable item and you should buy good ones anyway.What about the instrument itself? Build-wise, it's surprisingly good. The keys are a bit soft… which was good since the G#/C# key was bent. It was easy for me to bend it into place. I think an instrument like this might not last that long in the hands of a careless 5th grader, but it's fine if you are kind to it.The most important questions about playability: Do the pads seal properly, and how is the intonation? The first question is an absolute YES. The instrument is put together well and is extremely easy to play. Intonation? That's a weird one. The chalumeau register is a bit flat across the board, but the clarion register is spot-on in tune. Altissimo notes are a bit flat also.The tone of the instrument is just fine. It doesn't have the rich sound of a pro instrument, of course, but it sounds like a clarinet, and the tone is clean and focused. Absolutely, 100% usable for my purposes as a doubling instrument in a pit orchestra. The show just closed yesterday and it served me well throughout. Enough so, in fact, that I've just placed an order for a Yinfente E-flat as well.

I needed an E-Flat clarinet to practice on while mine gets major repairs, as it will take a while for mine to be in service again. This clarinet is a great deal for the price. Some of the keys are aligned weirdly, but it works. the reed it comes with is bad. The mouthpiece itself wasn't TOO bad, just a regular stock mouthpiece. The ligature on the other hand is a different story (it was terrible). The clarinet plays well, and has a clear tone. I would not recommend this to a beginner though.

for the price you pay it’s an awesome little clarinet. once the instrument is broken in it will be very comfortable. it has a similar feel to playing a wooden clarinet and is pretty good intonation wise. i wouldn’t bother with the stock mouthpiece. if you want to use this for playing outside a practice room here’s my advice, replace the barrel. go with a backun or something. a wooden barrel will improve the tone and feel as well as intonation. the instrument i received came with two barrels and they are fine. one is longer not sure of the measurements. the case is light and exactly what you’d expect. if you care about keeping it safe replace the case with something that secures the body of the instrument. the mouthpiece it came with had a “reed” already attacked. yuck. it’s more like a wood chip if you ask me. anyway i enjoy playing it and am using it until i can afford a proper eb. enjoy :)

Okay, folks, this is going to get a bit technical... the reason I'm leaving a 5 star review has way more to do with just the great price on these things. These are NOT CSOs (Clarinet Shaped Objects) -- these are actually instruments to be reckoned with. I have four Yinfentes: Eflat, C, A, and G. The hardest for me to play is the G, but some of that is because it is an Oehler system -- the others are Boehm. The G does take a little effort playing while using the register key, but not much... (easier than playing that register on an alto clarinet). The others are actually pretty easy to go through the entire range of the instrument. I usually first test out a clari with a Selmer HS* mouthpiece and a Bravo 4 synthetic reed. I'll sometimes get a little nostalgic, and use a Vandoren classic or V 4, 4 1/2, or 5. I'll also use a Bravo 4 on a Vandoren B-45 mouthpiece, too. With these mouthpiece and reed combo, Intonation seems pretty decent, too. Then I'll play with the mouthpiece they provide, and the supplied reed, too. The supplied reed is way less stiff than the number on it (says "2 1/2" -- but it's more like a "1"), and the gap on their supplied mouthpiece is wide, but the mouthpiece isn't nearly as bad as some say -- I filed down one of my Legere 5's to match the natural reed supplied by Yinfente with the Eflat clari, and my embouchure really bends the notes quite well -- it can make it sound somewhat like a sax, a crumhorn (!), or a bit like a duduk. It is also surprisingly easy to not "double jump" the registers (sqeak) when using the register key with such soft reeds -- but their mouthpieces seem to work better when further in the mouth than what I'm used to... with those reeds, they like to vibrate much lower down on the mouthpiece's facing than my normal mouthpieces. The supplied ligatures are the weakest parts, but then perhaps that's why it does sound unique when using the soft reed with their supplied mouthpieces. I also use Rovner Classic, Dark and Lights on my soprano claris in reverse position. If they were to stop providing the white gloves, the mini screwdrivers, and the vaseline they call cork grease and supply a Rovner ligature with it instead, then it would be even better.So -- in comparison with other claris I own -- Yinfentes remind be of Ridenours -- and maybe a little like Preuffer Silver throats mixed with a tad Suzuki (especially when performing glissando -- a bit stair stepped until I get around to semi undercutting the holes). They are much easier to play than any Boosey and Hawkes that I've owned (two Edgewares and an 840), less "nasally" (not that "nasal" is bad...) than any of the "classic" clarinets I've owned (Pierre Maure, Jean DuMont, Rene DuMont, La Blanc Evette stencils) -- and yet not overpowering with the lower notes like my fist clarinet I ever played -- a student Bundy from 1982 (and a hell of a lot easier to play than that hunk of junk). If these things would have been around back then, I would have probably spent a lot more time as a kid practicing clarinet. They are wonderful to play.

Some pads did not seal adequately, and some notes were grossly out of tune. Cannot recommend.

I bought the C not expecting much. Yes, intonation. Is inconsistent, but so was it on an E11 and a Ridenour I tried. As an amateur with only rare needs of a C, it was my choice.I also bought the G. I found it easier to play it in tune by adding .030" (.75mm) shim between the barrel and upper joint.