A clarinet for beginners is considered to be particularly good if it has a pleasant sound and rests comfortably in your hands. The Startone SCL-65 meets these criteria and is currently one of the most affordable Bb-tuned Boehm (French fingering system) clarinets on the market. This clarinet makes a convincing case thanks to its balanced intonation in all registers as well as a very good response and a powerful sound. The body is made of temperature-resistant ABS plastic, while the mechanism is made from high-gloss silver-plated nickel silver and, as on professional clarinets is pinned and screwed to the body. The scope of delivery includes a gig bag, a mouthpiece, two barrels, a pull-through cleaning cloth, and cork grease.
Thanks to its solid workmanship and stable intonation in all registers, the SCL-65 is very suitable as a beginner's instrument. A fact worthy of mention is that the notes in the low registers don't drop in intonation and respond superbly. The notes in the third octave also intonate well, so there is no need for an excessive change in playing action. The clarinet is equipped with 17 keys and six rings, with which all 12 notes can be played in the three registers without any problems. What is more, the clarinet is supplied with two different barrels: While you can effortlessly reach a pitch of 440Hz with the longer one, a pitch of 442Hz can easily be generated with the shorter one.
A clarinet should be designed in a manner that enables well-intonated and dynamic playing in all registers. The intonation possibilities shouldn’t be too extensive, but they should not be too limited either. The SCL-65, which was designed for beginners and those coming to the clarinet from another instrument, fulfils all these criteria and is therefore suitable for a good start on the clarinet. What is more, the adjustable thumb rest ensures comfortable playing for every individual hand shape. The SCL-65 is a good choice for anyone who wants to take up or switch to the Bb clarinet thanks to its convincing price-performance ratio. This clarinet can also be used as an affordable backup instrument for other woodwind players.
The Startone brand is exclusive to Thomann and was established in 2005 in order to offer high-quality, playable instruments for ambitious beginners even in the lowest price bracket. This resulted in a steadily growing range of wind instruments for beginners, which has since expanded to include keyboard and stringed instruments, accordions, and even drum sets. The product range combines proven quality with low prices – and Thomann naturally provides a full three-year warranty on all Startone instruments. The brand's mission is to always provide the motivated beginner with a reliable, good-quality first instrument at an unbeatable price.
Until fairly recently, it was still hard to find an entry-level Boehm clarinet, but those days are thankfully over, since Thomann has been offering a good solution with the SCL-65 since 2015. Thanks to their pleasant playing and sound features and their reasonable price, Startone clarinets have become more and more popular in recent years. With the SCL-65, you get a solid entry-level model that can be used in many musical fields. This clarinet is suitable for learning the instrument and can also serve as a second instrument during bad weather situations at open-air gigs.