Services
 My Clarinet Selection Process for you
While others may claim to offer a similar clarinet hand selection service, I have over twenty years of experience perfecting my hand selection service for you. Consistently hand selecting great instruments is like a muscle that is developed over time and with experience. I have helped thousands of clarinetists, many of whom are symphony musicians, international soloists, university teachers, military band members, freelance artists and aspiring high school musicians.
Depending on your set up- your mouthpiece and reed combination- together we will discuss the kind of instrument you are looking for. We will identify the color characteristics you would like, discuss the resistance that is right for you as well as any other concerns or issues you would like to address to ensure you play your best. Once we have determined what your specific needs are, I will choose instruments for you, either from my inventory or will go to Buffet to meet your needs.
Email is a great way for us to communicate in detail or over the phone- which ever you prefer.
No one can do a better job then I. I say this with great confidence because my customers have told me this over and over again. You will find my ability to meet you're playing and performing needs by finding the right clarinet for you, unmatched.
What I look for when selecting clarinets:
Color of Sound
All of the instruments I pick vary slightly in color of sound. Some have more highs in the sounds which produces lots of color and "ping†and in the center of the core. Others I choose for their overall color evenness or creamy quality and as a result have more lows in the sound and could be described as darker.
Focus of Sound
All of the clarinets I choose are selected for depth of sound and clear focus in the center of the sound. Therefore do not confuse a darker sounding instrument to be one with more depth. Color of sound is different then overall deepness of sound. I only choose instruments that have a superior evenness of sound and as well as evenness of pitch.
Pitch
All the instruments I select are chosen for superior tuning both from note to note as well as checking the 12ths. While no clarinet is ever perfect, I am told my clarinets tune the best because of my selection process and set up work I do to ensure that each one sounds its best. I select instrument to tune at 440 unless otherwise asked to choose differently.
Resistance
All of the clarinets I pick vary slightly in the amount of their resistance. I select a variety of resistance levels in the clarinets I chose because my customers have a variety of different playing needs and set ups that sometimes require more to blow against. I select a full range of clarinets from very free blowing and fluid to more resistant yet still agile.
Wood Quality
All the clarinets I select are the freshest wood and very recently made. I go to Buffet often because clarinets need to be played to play their best. Instruments that sit on a store shelf for any length of time simply deteriorate in quality and are more likely to crack. I take great pride in ensuring that my customers get the very best and freshest wood available to buy.
Instrument Set-Up
For over 20 years I have worked closely with my repair technician in the set up of each new clarinet I choose. Every instrument is unique and surprisingly, even coming from the factory, not each one has the same mechanical needs. The work I do to each instrument varies as a result and is specific to each instrument.
My philosophy is to work with my technician until the clarinet has reached my playing and tuning expectations. Only then will I release the instrument for trial.
My ability to find the right clarinet for so many is a result of my own clarinetistry, 20 years of experience mechanically and acoustically adjusting clarinets and because of my experience and ability to select from many, the right clarinets to buy in the first place.
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 For over 20 years I have worked closely with my repair technician in the set up of each new clarinet I choose. Every instrument is unique and surprisingly, even coming from the factory, not each one has the same mechanical needs. The work I do to each instrument varies as a result and is specific to each instrument.
My philosophy is to work with my technician until the clarinet has reached my playing and tuning expectations. Only then will I release the instrument for trial.
My ability to find the right clarinet for so many is a result of my own clarinetistry, 20 years of experience mechanically and acoustically adjusting clarinets and because of my experience and ability to select from many, the right clarinets to buy in the first place.
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 If you are looking for a new barrel to compliment your new instrument, selecting a new Chadash or Moenning might be what you are looking for.
Chadash barrels have a slight V taper in them (not visible to the naked eye) resulting in a slightly bigger shape of sound and more projection over a standard Buffet barrel.
Moening barrels have an hour glass taper (also not visible) which produces a warmer rounder and somewhat smaller shape of sound.
Chadash has become over the years the more popular barrel however both play very well with Buffet clarinets and enhance their natural resonance and fluid response.
I hand select all of the barrels I sell and they can be tried on approval, just like clarinets, for two weeks. The barrels are available for Bb in 65mm, 66mm, 67mm and 68mm and for A in 64mm, 65mm, 66mm and 67mm.
Please e-mail or call for pricing and availability.
What can I expect a new barrel to do?
If you have been playing on your clarinet for more then five years, the very first part of a wooden instrument to deteriorate, is the barrel. The reason this happens is because that piece of wood is the closest to you and absorbs the most moisture. The result is that the barrel expands and contracts more then any part of the clarinet causing it to change the most in time. As a result of those changes, often the barrel no longer is as responsive or as resonant as it was when you chose the clarinet. Actually, quite surprisingly, a five year old barrel can dramatically change how well a relatively new clarinet is capable of playing.
Often by replacing the barrel with a fresh piece of wood, some of the elements you found most attractive in the instrument when it was new, might return. It is definitely worth trying some new barrels out from time to time to see if your playing can easily be improved.
Call or e-mail with your questions.
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Want to Sell your Clarinet and have someone else do the work?
If you have a professional level clarinet that you are interested in selling and do not want to deal with either the process of selling it or collecting the money, let me do the work for you. I regularly have teachers, students and their parents, looking to save some money and asking me about used instruments as an option.
 What I need to sell your clarinet
Email me a detailed description of the professional clarinet you would like to sell along with the serial number and year it was made. If you know what you want the instrument to sell for please include that as well; otherwise we can discuss it together. Once I have received your email, we will agree in principal, if the clarinet you have and want to sell is one I think I can sell for you and at what price.
What kinds of used instruments do I want to sell?
I am interested in selling used Bb's, A's, Eb's, and Bass Clarinets. Used Buffet clarinets, that have never cracked, usually sell very quickly. Any clarinet that is cracked will sell for significantly less and take longer to sell, then if it has not cracked.
I only sell used professional clarinets and I require that they be in perfect mechanical condition. The level of their mechanical condition must meet my standards as my customers have come to expect a very high quality level from me. Instruments that are in excellent mechanical condition however, usually sell for more and sell more quickly.
If the clarinet requires repair, I will notify you before the work is done and the repair cost will be deducted when the clarinet is sold.
2 Different Ways to Trade with Lisa's Clarinet Shop
I offer 2 different ways for you to trade a clarinet through Lisa's Clarinet Shop.
The first is on consignment. Send me a professional model Bb, A, Eb, or Bass Clarinet you wish to sell and I will work to sell it at the highest possible price we agree on. My commission is 20% plus the cost of repair if needed. You are paid by check when the clarinet sells.
The second method is to trade your instrument in towards a new instrument. I will take any professional model Buffet clarinet directly on trade for a new instrument you purchase through me. The only clarinet however I will take on trade is a Buffet. I will accept instruments that have been cracked and been pinned as well as older instruments or those with plating problems due to acidic reactions from your skin. My price for your instrument will be based on the highest possible selling price the market will bear, less 20% plus the cost of repair if needed.
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 A lot of times when I speak to a high school musician and their parents, I hear that they are ready to buy an R13 clarinet and are shopping around for a good deal. Often what both parent and musician do not realize, is that not all clarinets are created equal. It does actually make a difference if you play on a great instrument or just an average one.
Finding the model you wish to buy is really only the beginning of your search. Unlike a refrigerator or a car that comes off an assembly line, clarinets are made out of wood from a tree that grows outside. As a result, each instrument varies tremendously from the next. While going to a local music store to try the three or four clarinets they have in stock might be easy, trying three clarinets that I choose is like trying 100 clarinets and choosing those 3 that are best suited for the clarinetist in your household.
It does actually matter if your high school musician has a great instrument or just an average one. Not only will you see quick and dramatic improvements in their playing but you will find that they love to play that much more. The irony about R13's is that professionals in many major orchestras' play on them for a living and thousands of high school student's play on them in their school band and orchestra as well. While you may not be sure if your high school musician will or will not become the next greatest orchestral musician or soloist, simply by buying an excellent instrument to use as a tool for their individual needs to develop with, you will give them every chance to.
Repairing a Professional Clarinet
Sometimes parents are concerned about repair issues and question if they are not better off buying locally. Clarinets and musical instruments in general require good repair technicians to properly maintain them. Finding the right instrument and the right repair technician should be looked at separately. It is far more important to buy the right clarinet then it is to buy a clarinet from a place that offers repair.
Professionally made instruments require a technician who regularly works on professional instruments and has done so for a long time to ensure a quality repair is completed. Professional clarinets require a clarinet repair specialist or someone who works exclusively on preferably just clarinets or at least only professional wind instruments. An R13 in the wrong technicians hands, or in the hands of a repair technician that primarily works on student instruments or rental instruments, can be fraught with chronic and repetitive problems that can be time consuming and costly. Not to mention discouraging for your budding clarinetist.
I am sure if you invest a little bit of your time to find the right clarinet you can also find the right person or shop to repair your instrument when the time comes. I certainly am willing to offer to you any advice or suggestions concerning how to find and assess repair technicians skills in your local area. I have been privileged to work with only the best there are and can certainly help you find the right place to do routine maintenance and repair on the new clarinet you buy.
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