Jean Paul CL-350 Step-Up Bb Clarinet

Disclaimer - I'm an old guy and my experience with Clarinets is ZERO.This clarinet appears well made, does not seem overly fragile. I do pay attention to where I grab it to twist things together. Everything fit well without needing excessive force to put together.I understand mechanical things well. I get no sense that this Clarinet is going to come apart soon. All the key actions are smooth and pads seem to land square on the holes. I get no sense that they are not sealing properly. The reason I say this is I did listen to several videos of Clarinets when things are wrong. The issues I relate to had to do with technique and not physical faults in a Clarinet.As far as sound, here I have no experience, so not much to comment. I have watched several youtube videos and can say mine sounds nothing like what I have listened to. So either my Clarinet is defective or it's me. I'm betting it's me. After playing with some different reeds and now a couple hours on it I only annoy a few neighborhood cats as I continue to sort things out. Initial progress going from no sound to horribly squeaky sound to now ( just work on it ) went fairly quickly. I look forward to to getting better.The only miss to me is the case. Everything fits in it well but...... There are two zippered pockets, one on top that is tight fitting meaning you could slip some sheets of paper in there and one on the bottom which has some depth to it so you could put supplies in it like reeds, cork grease, cleaning cloth.... The problem is these are all things you would like easy access to while assembling or taking apart the Clarinet. It would have made much more sense to put the bigger pouch on top. This would have given you access to the bits you want while the case is open to get to the Clarinet parts.So far I think this a really good price for what you get.

This clarinet is just perfect for our son who just joined the school band, having never played an instrument previously. The price of this new instrument was comparable to renting one for the school year in our town. We chose the Student Plus model with the idea that maybe the upgraded plastic would be more sturdy (IMHO, a good idea for a young boy, ha-ha). The clarinet arrived with a very sturdy lightweight case that actually fits into my son's backpack with room for his lunchbox. Incredibly, my child was able to play a simple song after just one day, and the instrument sounded wonderful. We had one small issue that so far has not affected playing the instrument. Due to the natural variability of the cork, one of the cork seals has a small divot. So far, it has not caused any trouble, but I was concerned that it would hang up and/or rip/erode over time. I called the Jean Paul USA, and they immediately sent out an upgraded replacement part that retails for $70. Super customer service. Highly recommend.

I wasn't expecting much at this price point for a new clarinet. I was very pleasantly surprised. The fit and finish are exceptional. I reached out to Jean Paul by email with a question about the mouthpiece - they responded promptly and courteously - and sent me a new mouthpiece and 10 extra reeds at no charge! I would not hesitate to buy Jean Paul products in the future.

This clarinet looks good and plays nicely. I ordered it as a travel instrument. But the joints did not fit together when I got it, even with plenty of grease, so I had to sand down the cork myself to assemble it. The shorter barrel still doesn't fit well. Keys also make some noise, but it's not too bad. Quality control is needed.

I was very pleased with this instrument. I was nervous because usually when you buy something at a lower price, it's not of good quality. But this instrument is a very good quality. It sounds great and I recommend it

Arrived quickly. Beautiful clarinet for my son who's just beginning to learn how to play. Only negative thing is I wish it had a spot inside the case to keep reeds.

I purchased this instrument (Clarinet) for my son that plays in his school band and he loves ❤️ It. It was very easy for him to install and now play yeah!!!

Ordered a brand new clarinet. Not cheap! It arrived with obvious and critical defects. Key on lower joint collapsed, obviously missing spring. The ligature was bent out of shape, so much that it was impossible to align and tighten over reed; it was bent sideways as if someone had sat on it. Marks on corks indicate that the instrument had been used before. Seal on cork grease was broken.I just find it incredible that this was shipped to me as a brand new instrument! Cherry on that pie that my kid won't have the instrument on time for the first music class. Thanks so much Jean Paul USA!