I'm a masters clarinet student at Monash University, who has just started my second week of working at Melbourne Brass and Woodwind.

Today I play tested a Buffet B12, Yamaha YCL-250 and the new Jupiter JCL-637N.

My pick of the lot is easily the Jupiter 637N for a number of reasons.

Most noticeable is the beautiful keywork which I felt was most comparable to my profession Buffet R13 clarinets, more so than the Buffet B12's keywork. The third finger tone hole on the left hand is raised and smoothed to a flat surface which makes sealing very easy for an immediate response. The keywork is also incredibly strong and doesn't bend or flex when assembling and dismantling the instrument.

The sound over the entire range of the instrument was full and rich, with no fuzzy or dull notes as was the case with both the Buffet and Yamaha student models.

The clarinet comes in a very sturdy hard-case that is designed to be stacked, which is perfect for schools with instrument hire programs. Much preffered over the soft-zip style cases of the Yamaha YCL-250.


I believe the Jupiter JCL-637N is the best student model clarinet on the market and should be seriously considered when purchasing a new instrument.

Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]