Yamaha SEVR Bb Clarinet
Yamaha SEVR Bb Clarinet
Yamaha is a latecomer to Earspasm for a bunch of reasons (for the whole story, click here to read why on the CSVR page). Suffice it to say, I recognized the error of my ways, and now we're carrying Yamaha soprano clarinets. But you'll still never e a Yamaha bass clarinet on this site until they redesign it. Another story for another time.
CSVR or SEVR?
The SEVR is a little darker, a little rounder than the CSVR. The tone holes are wider and more deeply undercut than the CSVR's, which makes it even more free-blowing than the CSVR. Holy crap is this free-blowing! You can get a huge sound with a nice clear "ping", or you can get a dark, moody, breathy sound if you prefer. This is the 128-crayon box with every subtle color you never knew you needed. But with that palette comes the responsibility to manage pitch more actively.
Speaking of which: you'll notice in the dashboard that this instrument appears to run flat, and I want to explain why. I u the same mouthpiece across all of my dashboard clarinets (Vandoren BD6 HD) so that I don't skew the data by switching tups between instruments. But the BD6 is clearly too open for the SEVR, which caus the scale to push down, and the louder dynamics to run really low. A more resistant tup (clor tip opening, shorter facing) will bring the pitch up considerably and make the instrument much easier to control. If managing pitch is a typical concern for you, factor your mouthpiece choice in accordingly
Resistance: 2/10, Very Light
The lightest resistance instrument I carry, so if you're coming from anything more resistant than a lmer Signature, give yourlf some adjustment time — and think carefully about your mouthpiece tup.
In 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 choo from, but will require more control from the player to control pitch and sound consistency.
When 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 the clarinets respond — for better or worse! — to my input as a clarinet player.
Important note about this clarinet's warranty.
The 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).
The tradeoff is that they don't come with the Yamaha USA warranty, becau Earspasm is not an official Yamaha dealer. But never fear: Earspasm provides one directly: a five-year term covering manufacturing and material defects, with the same exclusions as the factory warranty. If your instrument cracks or breaks from a covered claim, I'll pay to fix it or replace it — that's a promi. Of cour, this assumes you didn't play hockey with it. Full warranty info is in the FAQ below.
View & compare detailed tuning, articulation and timbre data for every clarinet we carry.
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65mm barrel
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Pochette style case with fabric case cover
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Adjustable thumb rest
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Swab
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Yamaha 4C mouthpiece & ligature included
FAQ
Short answer: All earspasm instruments come with a 7-day trial. Please read my trial policy before pulling out that credit card.
Medium answer: You have 7 days from the date of receipt to try the clarinet. If you don't like it, that's fine (my feelings aren't hurt!) — just let me know and I will send you a return label. Box it all up and send it back. We keep 5% to cover credit card transaction fees and a (hopefully!) brief round trip back to Miles or John — my technicians — to do a reset on the horn.
Long answer: Read my trial policy :)
Yep, here's our shop warranty for Yamaha:
EARSPASM MUSIC — LIMITED WARRANTY YCL-CSVR Bb Clarinet
Earspasm Music warrants this instrument against defects in materials and workmanship for five years from the date of original purchase. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and is not transferable. This matches Yamaha USA warranty terms
What we cover: If something goes wrong due to a manufacturing defect or workmanship failure under normal use, we'll fix it. All warranty service is handled directly through Earspasm Music — you deal with Michael, not a call center.
Wood cracks: Grenadilla is a natural material and most clarinet cracks are caused by environmental stress — dryness, temperature shock, inadequate warm-up — rather than manufacturing defects. We can't always tell the difference by looking, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we will do is make an honest, experienced assessment when you bring the instrument in, tell you what we think caused it, and tell you what we can do about it. If there's genuine doubt, we'll err toward you.
Cracks we determine to be manufacturing defects will be repaired under warranty. If the same joint cracks a second time following a prior warranty repair, we will replace that joint, including key transfer.
What we don't cover
- Damage from accidents, drops, misuse, or neglect
- Normal wear: pads, corks, key plating, springs
- Damage caused by repair or adjustment performed by anyone other than Earspasm's technician
- Instruments with altered, removed, or defaced serial numbers
- Any instrument purchased secondhand
How to use this warranty
Contact Michael directly at earspasm.com. You ship to us (your cost); if the repair qualifies under this warranty, we cover return shipping within the US.
Earspasm Music's liability is limited to repair or replacement of the affected component at our discretion. We are not responsible for incidental or consequential damages including lost performance opportunities.
Inspect the package before you sign off at delivery! If there are any issues resulting from shipping, we have taken out an insurance policy to cover damage (and loss). But we need you to document this damage or we can't do anything to help. Please read my trial policy for how to handle this issue, should it arise.
Not if you live in the Continental US! Because I want you to find the right instrument for you, and doing so online is harder than doing so in-person, I will cover the return shipping. Please read my trial policy for trial and return rules.
Yes. You can add your shipping address when checking out to see what the shipping costs will be before taking the plunge. Note that VAT and Customs Duties are not included in this cost.
Contact me to set up an appointment, and let's do it!
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