The best beginner clarinets
The right beginner clarinet is made of plastic, and that is not a compromise. Wood cracks; resin does not.
By Stephen V. · Writes Reed & Rosin · last verified
The short answer
Buy an ABS resin student clarinet, not a wooden one. Resin will not crack in a dry classroom or a school locker, which is the failure mode that ends wooden clarinets. The Yamaha YCL-255 is the school standard; the Jean Paul CL-300 is the value alternative.
Some links on this page earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which instrument we recommend, and it does not change the order. We also earn nothing when the honest answer is “rent it” — and we still say so. Full disclosure.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Yamaha YCL-255 Student Clarinet The default school clarinet. An ABS resin body ignores humidity and cracking entirely, and the key work holds adjustment through the abuse a middle-school case takes. | The clarinet school programs expect | 9.4/10 | $785.00View on Amazon #ad · price as of September 7, 2026 · how this is funded |
| 2 |  Jean Paul CL-300 Student Bb Clarinet The value clarinet that most band rooms will still accept: resin body, nickel keys, US warranty. Ask the director first, because clarinet is the instrument where brand policies are strictest. | Band-usable clarinet at a lower price | 8.7/10 | |
| 3 |  Buffet Crampon E11 Intermediate Bb Clarinet The standard step-up clarinet: a grenadilla wood body and silver-plated keys. Wood is what changes the tone, and it is also what introduces the cracking risk a resin clarinet does not have. | The step up from a resin student clarinet | 9.2/10 | $1,499.00View on Amazon #ad · price as of September 7, 2026 · how this is funded |
Scores are our own editorial fit rating from published specifications — the rubric is on our methodology page. They are not test results; we have not played these instruments.
Resin, not wood
Professional clarinets are made from grenadilla, a dense African hardwood, and it gives a warmer, rounder tone than plastic. It also cracks. Wood moves with humidity, and a clarinet that goes from a warm case into a dry winter classroom is under real stress every day.
A cracked clarinet is a workshop repair. On a student instrument the repair can approach the value of the horn, and it is entirely avoided by buying ABS resin, which ignores humidity completely.
This is not the budget option pretending to be a virtue. Every major maker’s student clarinet is resin, deliberately, and wooden instruments are a step-up decision made years later with humidity management in place.
What separates the student clarinets
| Budget import | Value student | School standard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Ebonite or molded plastic | Resin | ABS resin |
| Key metal | Soft, bends easily | Nickel-plated | Nickel-plated, better tempered |
| Adjustment out of the box | Frequently needs work | Usually usable, occasionally not | Consistently correct |
| Holds adjustment | Drifts within a term | Holds most of a year | Holds through a school year of handling |
| Service network | Often refused by school techs | US warranty and service | Universally serviceable |
| Resale | Effectively none | Modest | The best in the category |
The mouthpiece in the box
Almost every student clarinet ships with a mouthpiece, and on budget instruments it is the weakest component present. Facings are molded rather than finished, tolerances vary, and the result is an instrument that is harder to play than it needs to be.
Replacing it is the single highest-return purchase in this section: a small fraction of the instrument’s price for a disproportionate improvement in tone and ease of response. Do it whether the clarinet is bought or rented, because the mouthpiece is yours and moves with the student. Which one.
Ask the band director before buying
Clarinet is the instrument where school brand policies are strictest, usually because the school’s repair technician stocks parts for particular makers. Many programs will not service an off-brand import, which turns every adjustment into your logistical problem.
One email settles it, and the answer costs nothing to obtain and a great deal to get wrong. How to ask.
What we would skip
The cheapest complete kits. They play, and the recurring problems are key adjustment that needs work out of the box, technicians who decline to service the brand, and no resale value.
For a first-year band student the honest alternative is renting. It usually costs less over the year once repairs are counted, and it puts an instrument the program supports in the student’s hands.
What comes with the clarinet
A new clarinet needs three things before its first lesson: reeds in the right strength, cork grease so the joints assemble without tearing the cork, and a swab. All three are inexpensive and all three are commonly forgotten, and a clarinet cannot make a sound without a reed.
Start on strength 2 reeds. See the reeds guide for why, and for the rotation habit that most reduces the ongoing cost.
The picks, in full
Every card below is written from the published specification and the manufacturer’s own documentation. We have not played these instruments — see how we work for exactly what that means and what we do instead.
Our top pick · The clarinet school programs expect
Yamaha YCL-255 Student Clarinet
The default school clarinet. An ABS resin body ignores humidity and cracking entirely, and the key work holds adjustment through the abuse a middle-school case takes.
What works
- ABS resin body will not crack the way grenadilla wood does in a dry classroom
- Adjustment holds through a school year of handling
- Best resale value of any student clarinet
What to know
- Resin does not develop the warmth of a wooden body
- The supplied mouthpiece is the first thing worth upgrading
- Key
- Bb
- Body
- ABS resin
- Keys
- Nickel-plated
- Bore
- Cylindrical, 14.95 mm
#ad · price as of September 7, 2026 · how this is funded
Specs read from the manufacturer or retailer listing on 2026-09-07. Our fit score: 9.4/10.
Pick 2 · Band-usable clarinet at a lower price
Jean Paul CL-300 Student Bb Clarinet
The value clarinet that most band rooms will still accept: resin body, nickel keys, US warranty. Ask the director first, because clarinet is the instrument where brand policies are strictest.
What works
- US-based warranty and service network
- Resin body handles a school environment without cracking
- Substantially cheaper than the Yamaha
What to know
- Key adjustment drifts sooner than a Yamaha under the same use
- Supplied mouthpiece and reeds should be replaced immediately
- Key
- Bb
- Body
- Resin
- Keys
- Nickel-plated
Specs read from the manufacturer or retailer listing on 2026-09-07. Our fit score: 8.7/10.
Pick 3 · The step up from a resin student clarinet
Buffet Crampon E11 Intermediate Bb Clarinet
The standard step-up clarinet: a grenadilla wood body and silver-plated keys. Wood is what changes the tone, and it is also what introduces the cracking risk a resin clarinet does not have.
What works
- Grenadilla wood body gives the darker, rounder tone a resin body cannot
- Silver-plated keys and better undercutting than any student model
- The instrument most high-school players move to
What to know
- Wood requires a break-in period and careful humidity control or it can crack
- Several times the price of a resin student clarinet
- Key
- Bb
- Body
- Grenadilla wood
- Keys
- Silver-plated
#ad · price as of September 7, 2026 · how this is funded
Specs read from the manufacturer or retailer listing on 2026-09-07. Our fit score: 9.2/10.
We would skip this one
Mendini MCT-E Ebonite Bb Clarinet Kit
The cheapest complete clarinet kit sold. For a school band student, run the rent-vs-buy math first: rental at this level usually includes repairs, and repairs are what off-brand clarinets need.
What works
- Kit includes case, mouthpiece, reeds, stand and cleaning cloth
- Ebonite body rather than injection-molded plastic
What to know
- Key adjustment commonly needs work out of the box
- Many school repair techs will not service the brand
- Effectively no resale value
- Key
- Bb
- Body
- Ebonite
- Kit
- Case, mouthpiece, reeds, stand
#ad · price as of September 7, 2026 · how this is funded
Specs read from the manufacturer or retailer listing on 2026-09-07. Our fit score: 6.7/10.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best beginner clarinet?
The Yamaha YCL-255 for a student in a school program: an ABS resin body that will not crack, key work that holds adjustment through a school year, and universal serviceability. The Jean Paul CL-300 is the value alternative where the program does not mandate a brand.
Should a beginner clarinet be wood or plastic?
Plastic, meaning ABS resin, without exception. Wood cracks in dry classrooms and school lockers, and a cracked student clarinet can cost as much to repair as it is worth. Every major maker's student clarinet is resin, deliberately.
Do I need to replace the mouthpiece on a student clarinet?
Almost always, and it is the highest-return purchase available. Bundled mouthpieces have molded rather than finished facings and inconsistent tolerances, making the instrument harder to play than it needs to be. A replacement costs a small fraction of the clarinet.
What does a new clarinet need before the first lesson?
Reeds in strength 2, cork grease so the joints assemble without tearing the cork, and a swab. A clarinet cannot make a sound without a reed, and this is the most common day-one omission.
Sources
We have not played these instruments, so citation is our evidence. Everything above traces back to one of these, on the date shown.