The World’s Top 10 Expensive Clarinets

The clarinet is regarded as the “new kid on the block” compared to other instruments from the woodwind family. Many experts concur that Johann Christoph Denner, an instrument maker from Nuremberg, invented it at the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Although this is accurate, a device resembling it called the chalumeau was already in use at the time.

In the same way that many other instruments, such as the guitar and banjo, have altered and developed over time, the clarinet also has. While many clarinets are reasonably priced, many truly unique options are still available at higher rates.

Selmer Paris Model 41 Contrabass Clarinet

Price: $35,775
The Selmer Paris Model 41 Contrabass Clarinet has a 442 range to low C, a Bb bore, and a 33.9 mm pitch. The clarinet produces rich tones and has a Rosewood body, bell neck, and adjustable silver-plated keys.

Benny Goodman’s Clarinet

Price: $25,000
Clarinet maestro and renowned jazz musician Benny Goodman died in 1986 at 77. He changed dozens of instruments throughout his life; some of them can be found on different auction websites.

The most expensive clarinet ever sold in the twenty-first century was on display at the same auction as Dizzy Gillespie’s trumpet and Charlie Parker’s saxophone. One more of Benny Goodman’s clarinets sold in New York in 2011 for $16,250, making it one of the most expensive clarinets ever sold.

Buffet Crampon 1553 Prestige Eb Contra Alto Clarinet

Price: $23,204
This clarinet has undercut tone holes and is made of grenadilla wood, which requires more than 80 years to grow and mature. This design gives the instrument a fantastic tone that is unequalled by many other versions.

Yamaha YCL-622II Low C Professional Bass Clarinet

Price: $9,259.99
Professional musicians and advanced students both favour this Yamaha clarinet. It has a two-piece grenadilla wood body with metal inner tenon sleeves to increase the seal, and it is tuned to low Eb. With a simple screwturn, the bell’s movable floor peg can be raised or lowered to a specific height.

Backun MoBa A Clarinet Cocobolo Gold Keys

Price: $9,212.15
The MoBa was designed to enhance almost every aspect of the clarinet while making no compromises. The model initially produced a distinct path when it was launched.

Only those artists interested in fresh and intriguing things paid attention to what it presented.

L. Rossi Cenit Clarinet

Price- $9,000.
The Cenit Clarinet is the “most refined” choice to date, claims the maker. This device provides exceptional answers to a variety of acoustic issues. The “Automatic F” System, one of its most well-liked features, is seen as an improvement on the previous Boehm system.

The problem of the all-too-common out-of-tune F is helped by this feature, which does so quite elegantly and without the need for an additional point of contact.

LeBlanc Model 60 Bass Clarinet

Price: $6,489
The LeBlanc L60 bass clarinet is a fun instrument with great tone and sound. In fact, this instrument produces a more expensive sound than the price listed above. Experts have praised this instrument for its consistent intonation, robust sound, and uniform response across all registers.

The Steelite Ebonite mouthpiece, a corked tenon neck that seals properly, and a single register key mechanism are some of the other primary features provided. This is an excellent choice for any band, orchestra, or ensemble due to the powerful and centred sound produced by the intricate bore and the hand-crafted undercut tone holes.

Fratelli Patricola CL.4 Clarinet

Price: $4,475
Some of the best clarinettists in the world love to play this instrument. It is currently the instrument of choice for any player looking for a more dynamic and concentrated tone.

The Patricola CL4 clarinet features a full Boehm key system and performs similarly to a standard Bb instrument.

P. Mauriat PCL821 Professional Bb Clarinet

Price: $3,699.00
The best acoustic engineers at the company and some of the best musicians globally worked together on this project. The instrument’s design was altered during production, and new ideas were welcomed. The finished item is an 18-key clarinet of professional quality.

Additionally, it responds uniformly across all registers. The tone is warm, round, and large because the bell does not ring. As a result, the clarinet can be utilized in various musical contexts.

Conclusion

The premium, slowly seasoned wood used in constructing every clarinet on our list is one of their shared features. The sound and elegance of the clarinets found here cannot be compared to those mass-produced nowadays due to this commitment to craftsmanship.

These clarinets are made from the highest-quality components, as you could anticipate. Most are exceptional because they are hand-crafted or have distinctive hand-crafted characteristics. These Instruments are so famous that People are willing to pay for premium clarinets because of the incredible sound they generate.

Robert Poirrer

Robert Poirrer is a contributing author who covers Hollywood latest movie releases and web series for the MovieThop website. He has a decade of experience in writing movies based articles for numerous renowned media outlets. He is excellent at creating unique content based on emerging trends in a variety of categories especially entertainment, movies and lifestyle. When not writing articles you could find Robert enjoying mountain biking trips with his friends. He graduated in English Literature from North Carolina State University.