Yinfente Intermediate Eb key Clarinet Review

If you are on a budget and looking for a good quality Eb key clarinet, you may want to consider this one from Yinfente. Although the brand is not well known, this clarinet competes on par with renowned names.

After several years of experience with my Bb clarinet and having played a borrowed Eb clarinet a few times, I felt it was time to get one of my own. The problem was, as a student, I was not able to afford the top-of-the-range pieces, so I went scouring the internet and ended up buying the Yinfente intermediate Eb Clarinet. Let’s just say I got more than I expected in sound quality and the instrument is still in good shape a couple of years later with regular use.

Yinfente Intermediate Eb Key Clarinet Breakdown and Review

The Yinfente Intermediate Eb Key Clarinet comes with two barrels, a ligature, and a mouthpiece. The good people at Yinfente also include a set of reeds that you can use to test the instrument. A tiny screwdriver, cork grease, a neck strap, a glove, and a cleaning cloth, all in a durable hard case that ensures you can move around with your clarinet and all that it comes with conveniently and safely.

The barrels are made of beautiful rosewood, which is strong and durable, although they can crack, as rosewood does if mishandled or exposed to excessive moisture. Rosewood, together with Ebonite, are the two types of wood that clarinets have historically used, with Ebonite being the more preferred of the two, but the clarinet I got looked sleek with no cracks, so no complaints there.

Wooden clarinets, such as this one, have a reputation for being harder to play compared to plastics, but they produce a better sound, and my Yinfente Intermediate Eb key Clarinet did not disappoint. Once it had warmed up, it produced the unmistakable resonance and warm sound that only a woodwind instrument can achieve.

The Yinfente Intermediate Eb Key Clarinet features durable copper-nickel alloy sound holes that are cut to perfection and have plastic linings that fit tightly against the fingers or pads. The instrument has silver-plated keys and 17 keys, from which you can get warm and rich tones comparable to the more expensive Eb clarinet brands.

However, there are some changeable pieces that did not work very well on this clarinet. First, the mouthpiece: it did not fit well with the barrel, and I found the shape to fit rather odd on my lips, so I changed it and went for a Vandoren Eb one, which was easily available. I also found the ligatures to be not up to scratch, so I switched those out as well as the reeds.

Given its fair price, getting these extras was not a problem, especially because once these were fixed, the clarinet played well for an intermediate instrument.

What we liked

• Affordable
• Made from stunning rosewood
• It comes with accessories.
• Easy to play.

What we did not like

• Poor quality mouthpiece 

 

View price here

 

Yinfente Intermediate Eb key Clarinet Specifications

Model	Yinfente Intermediate Eb key Clarinet
Brand	Yinfente
Style	Flat
Size	Eb key
Key plates	Silver plated
Material	Rosewood body. Copper/Nickel sound holes
Proficiency level	Intermediate
Availability	Check price here

Yinfente Intermediate Eb key Clarinet Features

Body and design

The Yinfente Intermediate Eb Clarinet body is made of beautiful rosewood, one of two kinds of wood used for clarinet construction. I prefer wood as it produces a richer and more focused sound compared to plastic, so I was happy to get this piece in wood. However, grenadilla wood, also referred to as African black wood, is superior to the rosewood used for this clarinet and is said to produce the richest sound.

Its integrated sound holes are copper-nickel alloy, are cut to precision, and have a plastic lining that ensures a tight seal when you cover them with your fingers or use pads, a detail that contributes to the overall accuracy of the sound produced by this instrument. This alloy is not easily eroded and is resistant to saltwater corrosion.

I also found having two barrels a nice touch, especially for A440 and A442/443.

The one potential downside of this clarinet is that you need to take more care as wood is vulnerable to moisture damage.

Key Plating

The keys on this Yinfente E-flat clarinet are silver-plated, and you will enjoy the nice feeling while playing your instrument. I found that it allows for quick key action, making for a more fluid sound when playing. Silver plating also looks prettier than nickel plating and has a more attractive visage. However, silver plating is prone to tarnishing and therefore requires more maintenance, which costs money.

 Sound quality

What wins it for the Yinfente Intermediate Eb Clarinet is its sound quality. As you can already tell from the name, it is an intermediate level, and the design, starting with the wood body, is focused on making fuller and richer tones that you can never experience with a plastic instrument, and that makes playing worthwhile.

While clarinet keys and fingering for an Eb clarinet can be complicated, this Yinfente intermediate Eb piece with silver plated keys makes it just a little bit easier and more enjoyable for you to do the work of producing the sound you desire.

Sound quality also depends on the expertise of the instrument maker. Although Yinfente is not as big a name as Yamaha or Buffet Crampon, the company has over 30 years of expertise in making quality woodwind instruments. They have well-established quality check systems and assure you that the instrument that you receive has no faults. I found the speed of shipping, delivery, and the level of care used in the packaging quite reassuring of the company’s ethos even before I got to test the instrument.

As with most instruments, you will find this one also needs a few adjustments. If my experience – and that of many others-is anything to go by, I plan to switch the stock mouthpiece and get replacement ligatures from more established Eb clarinet brands, as the ones that come with this piece do not do justice to its sound potential-for now, until that changes, not sure when. This, though, does not take away from the clarinet’s overall quality.

Carrying Case and Care Products

You will not need to worry about your clarinet getting bashed about, or pieces getting lost as you travel, because this Yinfente comes with pro-deluxe plush-lined nylon inside, covered by a durable light-weight hard case that has a strap and zipper pocket meant to protect your instrument with all its components.

Care products that come with this clarinet include white gloves, a cleaning cloth, a tiny screwdriver, and cork grease. I found these to be good for a start. The cleaning cloth is meant to clean the keys, which are the most handled parts of the clarinet. These should not come into contact with water or liquid cleaners, so polishing with the cloth provided or similar works best.

The screwdriver helps when you need to tighten the keys, and the gloves are meant to be used when oiling the bore, which is important for a clarinet made from wood so that it doesn’t chip or crack from the inside. The cork grease, as the name suggests, is for the maintenance of the cork.

Warranty

The Yinfente Eb Clarinet comes with a 30-day warranty. I was quite excited about this feature, especially because the product was coming from overseas. It made the buying decision all that easier. I liked that I got to see and try out the instrument, and if I found a flaw, or even if it did not meet my expectations in any way, I could send it back and get my money back. The warranty also covers accidents and defects for that period. Fortunately for me, mine worked as expected, and therefore I did not get to use this guarantee.

Who is it best suited for?

This device is an intermediate clarinet, and therefore best suited for a person who has some experience playing a B-flat clarinet and wants to upgrade to a more complex instrument on a budget. The experience will also help the player easily determine what parts need to be changed out to fit their use.

Are there alternatives to the Yinfente Intermediate Eb Clarinet?

Yes, there are. It is possible to find an Eb-key clarinet that plays in the same key and produces good sound. Instead of the Yinfente Intermediate Eb Key Clarinet, you can get yourself the Yinfente Professional Eb key Clarinet, or the Buffet Crampton E11 Eb Clarinet, or the John Packer JP 123 Eb Clarinet.

Features of alternative Eb key clarinet

Model	Yinfente Professional Eb key Clarinet	Buffet Crampton E11 Eb Clarinet	John Packer JP 123 Eb Clarinet
Brand	Yinfente	Buffet Crampton	John Packer
Style	Flat	Flat	Flat
Size	Eb key	Eb key	Eb key
Key Plates	Nickel plated	Silver plated	Nickel plated
Material	Ebonite	Grenadilla wood	Ebonite
Proficiency level	Professional	Intermediate	Intermediate
Availability	Check price here	Check price here	Check price here

So, should you buy the Yinfente Intermediate Eb Clarinet?

Yes, you should. We found the instrument to make a remarkable good-quality sound that easily rivaled Eb clarinets at much higher price points.

FAQs

What body material is the Yinfente Intermediate Eb key clarinet made of?

The Yinfente Intermediate Eb Key Clarinet is made of Rosewood, one of the two types of wood preferred for making clarinets for their sound quality and excellent note projection.

Is the Yinfente Intermediate Eb key clarinet recommended for beginners?

Yes, the Yinfente Intermediate Eb Clarinet can be used by less experienced players and children. This is because, unlike the professional Eb clarinets, this intermediary clarinet has a simplified fingering system.