Sign in

The Clarinet Upgrade Path

The Clarinet Upgrade Path
Photo by Adam Cai / Unsplash

Ready to advance your clarinet setup? Here’s a focused guide to the upgrades you can make early on to improve your sound.

1. Start with a Good Mouthpiece

Before you worry about buying a professional instrument, invest in a better mouthpiece. It’s the most important part of the setup that directly affects your sound and response.

🔹 Clark Fobes Debut

The Clark Fobes Debut is an affordable yet top-tier beginner mouthpiece designed by a professional clarinetist and mouthpiece craftsman. It has a medium facing length and tip opening, which means it's easy to control and produces a warm, centered tone even for new players.

Why this matters:

  • Better response = easier to produce sound
  • More consistent tone = fewer squeaks and struggles
  • Longer-term use = this mouthpiece is good enough to carry into intermediate playing

When you're ready to move on to more professional models, consider the Vandoren M30 or a Richard Hawkins.

Learn more about facing curves and mouthpiece quality

2. Use a Decent Ligature

The ligature holds the reed onto your mouthpiece. Avoid the flimsy metal ones that often come with rental instruments – they can be inconsistent and bend easily.

Instead, consider a Rovner fabric ligature. They are known for:

  • Reliable pressure across the reed
  • Improved reed vibration, leading to a fuller, richer sound
  • Durability and easy maintenance

3. Reeds: Start with Strength 2

Clarinet reeds come in different strengths, usually from 1.5 to 5. As a beginner, start with strength 2.

Why?

  • Easier to blow through, especially when building embouchure strength
  • More forgiving as you learn breath control and articulation
  • Still firm enough to produce a focused tone

Just get a fee of these, and upgrade to a pack of ten reeds strength 2.5 or 3 as your embouchure muscles develop.

Brands to consider: Vandoren, Rico Royal, or D’Addario Reserve.

4. Rent First—Then Upgrade

Start by renting a beginner clarinet, typically a plastic model like a Yamaha YCL-255 or Buffet Prodige. These are durable and ideal for the early learning phase.

5. When You're Ready: Upgrade to an Intermediate Clarinet

Once you’ve developed a consistent tone, reliable technique, and confidence in your playing, it’s time to upgrade your instrument.

🔹 Tom Ridenour Hard Rubber Clarinets

Ridenour clarinets (like the Lyrique series) are made from grenadilla-density hard rubber, not wood. That means:

  • Excellent sound quality, often rivaling wooden instruments
  • High durability with no cracking, warping, or weather sensitivity
  • Much lower cost than comparable wooden clarinets

These clarinets are handcrafted to professional acoustical standards, making them one of the best-kept secrets in clarinet performance circles.

Why it’s a smart move:

  • You get a resilient, consistent instrument that performs well in any climate
  • Budget-friendly upgrade without compromising tone or tuning
  • A solid step toward professional-level gear without the professional price

Final Thoughts

Don’t blow your budget on a fancy clarinet right away. A great mouthpiece + ligature + reeds + rental instrument setup will take you much further than a cheap full clarinet kit.

Then when you’re ready, upgrade smart—with something like the Tom Ridenour hard rubber clarinet, which punches far above its price.

Start smart, sound better, and enjoy the journey! 🙏