N
Ridiculously good for the money!
The keys look beautiful and work flawlessly, and are pretty good ergonomically as well. There are a couple of keys I'd make a *slight* adjustment to for comfort if I was being super picky, but it's perfectly playable as it is, so I don't think I'll bother. I've played far worse!
The intonation is likewise good enough for rock'n' roll, I mean *jazz*!
It's possible I'll make some minor adjustments eventually, once I've adapted to the instrument and find out if there's some note that keeps bothering me. But my first impression is that it's close enough so I can just play freely, and let my lips do the fine tuning subconsciously. As it should be!
I actually also own an expensive wood instrument, but it doesn't get much use, because I feel more comfortable practicing on a cheap throwaway instrument that I can treat carelessly. For the last 25 years, that poor abused instrument has been a white plastic Vito Dazzler.
Or at least it was white when I got it, these days it has yellowed to the color of bad teeth, and the nickel plated keys look and feel like it's been left outside for a year. So I thought it was about time to replace it with another cheap beater instrument.
As a fun aside, I saw a just as old (not-so-)white Dazzler being sold online for more than I originally bought mine for! I could probably just clean it up and recoup my investment, after getting 25 years of playing out of it, and never servicing it. You don't expect that kind of second-hand value from a piece of "cheap plastic trash"!
So, is this clarinet an upgrade from the Dazzler?
Yes, absolutely!
This may of course partly be because the Dazzler needs some service at last (replacing the 25 year old pads for starters...), but that would cost more than this clarinet costs new, so it doesn't make much sense to me. But as it is, I find the Dazzler a bit "stuffy" in comparison. I got used to it, so it never really bothered me, but the Startone is wonderfully free-blowing in comparison. It's an absolute breeze to play it, throughout the entire range. The altissimo speaks as clearly and effortlessly as the rest.
This is of course not a professional quality instrument. While the Startone plays really well, it doesn't *sound* all that amazing (it's a bit "plasticky", for obvious reasons!). A good wooden instrument will definitely give a sweeter tone, but it also lets you work harder for it, and it must be treated with care to last. Not to mention it's going to be a lot more expensive.
Who do I recommend this instrument for?
1. Beginners. As a beginner you want an easy-to-play instrument above all else, and this clarinet 100 % delivers in that regard.
2. Any player who wants a really cheap beater instrument to use and abuse, but that still is fun to play and useful to practice on.
The Startone really is a surprisingly decent instrument for its very modest price. If you wish to step up to the next level you'll have to pay quite a bit more before it even makes a difference. If I wanted a substantially better "beater" I'd skip Thomann's other offerings altogether and hunt down a Ridenour Lyrique Noblissima. It's about three times as expensive, and you do get a noticeably better instrument for it. Consider it my recommendation, in case you have the money.
The reason I settled for this cheapo Startone anyway, is because I don't play virtuoso classical stuff, and subtle improvements in intonation in the highest register just doesn't matter when you're improvising freely and bending all over the place. And the sweeter tone doesn't matter to me either, because I'm not really shooting for the classical tone ideal anyway.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must add that I haven't even tried the included mouthpiece and barrels, since I have my own favorite setup that I know and love. I think any beginner buying this instrument should be prepared to replace the mouthpiece sooner rather than later. It's a relatively cheap upgrade, and you get an instrument that fits your taste and playstyle.
In my case, I play a very soft 1.5 fibracell reed on an open-tipped Pomarico Black Crystal Sun mouthpiece. The soft reed combined with my preferred laid-back embouchure makes a clarinet play quite flat, so I use a specially ordered extra short 60 mm grenadilla barrel to compensate.
That's just me though! The point is, YOU DO YOU! Even if the included mouthpiece happens to works adequately, beginners should be aware a clarinet won't truly become *yours* until you've found the mouthpiece/reed combo that suits you!
The intonation is likewise good enough for rock'n' roll, I mean *jazz*!
It's possible I'll make some minor adjustments eventually, once I've adapted to the instrument and find out if there's some note that keeps bothering me. But my first impression is that it's close enough so I can just play freely, and let my lips do the fine tuning subconsciously. As it should be!
I actually also own an expensive wood instrument, but it doesn't get much use, because I feel more comfortable practicing on a cheap throwaway instrument that I can treat carelessly. For the last 25 years, that poor abused instrument has been a white plastic Vito Dazzler.
Or at least it was white when I got it, these days it has yellowed to the color of bad teeth, and the nickel plated keys look and feel like it's been left outside for a year. So I thought it was about time to replace it with another cheap beater instrument.
As a fun aside, I saw a just as old (not-so-)white Dazzler being sold online for more than I originally bought mine for! I could probably just clean it up and recoup my investment, after getting 25 years of playing out of it, and never servicing it. You don't expect that kind of second-hand value from a piece of "cheap plastic trash"!
So, is this clarinet an upgrade from the Dazzler?
Yes, absolutely!
This may of course partly be because the Dazzler needs some service at last (replacing the 25 year old pads for starters...), but that would cost more than this clarinet costs new, so it doesn't make much sense to me. But as it is, I find the Dazzler a bit "stuffy" in comparison. I got used to it, so it never really bothered me, but the Startone is wonderfully free-blowing in comparison. It's an absolute breeze to play it, throughout the entire range. The altissimo speaks as clearly and effortlessly as the rest.
This is of course not a professional quality instrument. While the Startone plays really well, it doesn't *sound* all that amazing (it's a bit "plasticky", for obvious reasons!). A good wooden instrument will definitely give a sweeter tone, but it also lets you work harder for it, and it must be treated with care to last. Not to mention it's going to be a lot more expensive.
Who do I recommend this instrument for?
1. Beginners. As a beginner you want an easy-to-play instrument above all else, and this clarinet 100 % delivers in that regard.
2. Any player who wants a really cheap beater instrument to use and abuse, but that still is fun to play and useful to practice on.
The Startone really is a surprisingly decent instrument for its very modest price. If you wish to step up to the next level you'll have to pay quite a bit more before it even makes a difference. If I wanted a substantially better "beater" I'd skip Thomann's other offerings altogether and hunt down a Ridenour Lyrique Noblissima. It's about three times as expensive, and you do get a noticeably better instrument for it. Consider it my recommendation, in case you have the money.
The reason I settled for this cheapo Startone anyway, is because I don't play virtuoso classical stuff, and subtle improvements in intonation in the highest register just doesn't matter when you're improvising freely and bending all over the place. And the sweeter tone doesn't matter to me either, because I'm not really shooting for the classical tone ideal anyway.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must add that I haven't even tried the included mouthpiece and barrels, since I have my own favorite setup that I know and love. I think any beginner buying this instrument should be prepared to replace the mouthpiece sooner rather than later. It's a relatively cheap upgrade, and you get an instrument that fits your taste and playstyle.
In my case, I play a very soft 1.5 fibracell reed on an open-tipped Pomarico Black Crystal Sun mouthpiece. The soft reed combined with my preferred laid-back embouchure makes a clarinet play quite flat, so I use a specially ordered extra short 60 mm grenadilla barrel to compensate.
That's just me though! The point is, YOU DO YOU! Even if the included mouthpiece happens to works adequately, beginners should be aware a clarinet won't truly become *yours* until you've found the mouthpiece/reed combo that suits you!
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