{"product_id":"yamaha-csvr","title":"Yamaha CSVR Bb Clarinet","description":"\u003ch2\u003eHonesty time.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI'll be upfront: I wasn't carrying Yamaha for a long time, partly out of stubbornness and partly because the instruments I already carry are hard to beat, but once I tried the CSVR at ClarinetFest I knew that had to change. They also happen to be the most free-blowing clarinets I carry — which I did not see coming. More on that in a sec.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst a little more background: Yamaha didn't want to open me up as a dealer because I won't carry their Bass Clarinets — I \u003cem\u003ereally\u003c\/em\u003e don't like them — and after I kept saying \"Bass clarinet? No thanks,\" they just said \"No thanks.\" And then they stopped returning my emails.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoooooo, third upfront thing: I now source them directly from an authorized Yamaha distributor overseas, which means two things — 1) I get them straight from the source, and 2) I provide the warranty directly, which makes things quicker. This also has a third benefit to you in that I can offer them at a very competitive price, though that's just a side benefit. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOkay enough backstory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eI know Yamaha makes student clarinets that people (read: band directors) seem to like, but Yamaha Professional Clarinets?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI shouldn't have been surprised, but I was — Yamaha's Custom line...man, it's almost unfair how consistent they are. Play five R13s and you'll find five different instruments; play five CSVRs and you'll find...five CSVRs, because Yamaha's manufacturing precision is legendary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSEVR or CSVR?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe CSVR has a more cylindrical bore than the SEVR, with smaller tone holes and a tighter undercut, which in in theory (and in practice) gives you a focused, bright, clear sound — think \"R13 character,\" but more even and predictable than an actual R13 tends to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne thing I wasn't expecting: this instrument is \u003cem\u003esuper\u003c\/em\u003e free-blowing, and given the smaller tone holes, I assumed I'd feel more resistance — nope. It's among the lightest-blowing instruments I carry, which means a wide tonal palette is available to you, but controlling that palette means you are going to have to manage pitch more actively. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eResistance: 3\/10, Light\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth Yamahas sit at the light end of what I carry, so if you're coming from a more resistant clarinet, budget some adjustment time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn general, added resistance in a clarinet design usually keeps the louder dynamic ranges from spreading; the clarinet \"holds its core\" and focus, but will provide a smaller dynamic range (on both ends, loud and soft) and smaller color palette. A less resistant clarinet typically provides a much wider tonal palette to choose from, but will require more control from the player to control pitch and sound consistency.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen listening for how a clarinet responds to added air pressure and embouchure control, listen to the Weber example (wide dynamic range and color range), then the Berlioz excerpt (wide dynamic range, but narrow color range), and finally the Gershwin excerpt (narrow dynamic range and narrow color range). You will hear how these clarinets respond — for better or worse! — to my input as a clarinet player.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eImportant note about this clarinet's warranty.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs I mentioned above, these are new clarinets that come directly from the source, which is why our price is so competitive (and the instruments are, shall we say...fresher).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe tradeoff: they don't come with the Yamaha USA warranty, because Earspasm isn't an official Yamaha dealer. So I provide one myself — five years, covering manufacturing and material defects, same exclusions as the factory warranty. If your instrument cracks or breaks on a covered claim, I'm your quarterback: \u003cem\u003eI pay to fix it or replace it, and I handle the whole process.\u003c\/em\u003e Just let me know you need help and I'll take it from there. (This assumes you didn't play hockey with it, of course.) Full warranty info is in the FAQ below.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yamaha","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51607749820706,"sku":"YCL-CSVR","price":3850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0833\/5799\/1202\/files\/YamahaCSVRThumbfront.jpg?v=1778095188","url":"https:\/\/www.earspasm.com\/products\/yamaha-csvr","provider":"earspasm","version":"1.0","type":"link"}