Classic Cantabile CLK-20 Bb Clarinet Plastic German System

Really great for this price. Well suited for use in bad weather.

I'm a little frustrated that the price was reduced so drastically shortly after I bought it, but otherwise I'm very happy with the instrument. As recommended by another customer, I put on my "good" mouthpiece and a wooden bulb and find the sound - as well as the feel and look - amazingly good. It's definitely good enough for our brass ensemble at the Christmas market. Brisker bebop pieces, which I usually try my hand at, are difficult at best, but that could also be down to me.
I can therefore recommend the plastic clarinet as an additional instrument for outdoor use.

The clarinet is as I imagined am very satisfied.

I am very satisfied with the Classic Cantabile CLK-20 Bb clarinet, German system, considering the quality of the instrument in relation to the reasonable price.

The short notes of the clarinet intonate well, are quite full and resonant; the clarinet produces a surprisingly round and overtone-rich sound in all registers. (For a few problem notes, see below.) Of particular note, the clarinet is really well tuned overall for a plastic clarinet in the 440-442 Hz range. The action is solid enough for beginners, but also for advanced players who want to use the clarinet for assignments in the rain and cold. I personally use it for outdoor use and church concerts in the winter with a professional mouthpiece (Wurlitzer FO or Playnick B1) and a cocobolo bulb with best success. Even as a beginner, you should immediately replace the mouthpiece supplied with the clarinet with a good mouthpiece for German system, which will cost approx. 80-190 Euros new, depending on the manufacturer (e.g. ESM, Vandoren, Wurlitzer, Playnick, Maxton, Gleichweit). This investment is worth it in any case.

Without much effort this setup could be improved by replacing the plastic bulb and possibly also the plastic cup of the clarinet with grenadilla or cocobolo counterparts. At the very least, replacing the plastic bulb with a high-quality wooden bulb raises the clarinet's overall sound to a surprisingly high level. Perhaps the Kirstein company could give some thought to whether there is a market for such a variant and whether the Chinese manufacturers could not produce such a supplement at a reasonable price. Backun in Canada already offers such alternatives (in an admittedly somewhat higher-priced, but still affordable variant) for their Backun Alpha Boehm system.

As an ambitious amateur clarinetist, formerly also semi-professional, I have some suggestions for improvement. The following weak points I have been able to find in two different CLK-20 to the same extent; I therefore assume that these are minor design difficulties on the part of the manufacturer:

1. the cork under the left jack for the f#/c#2 is too thin, not well glued and falls off after a short time. This can cause the jack to jump out of the guide. A better - perhaps directly below the lifter - attached, thicker cork could work wonders here and can be attached quickly.

The notes f#2, f2 and e2 resonate worse than necessary, they stuff a little. With a little skill, the player can compensate for this, but perhaps the manufacturer should think about how to solve this particular problem directly.

Two more suggestions:

3. the E-flat jack should be replaced with an F-flat jack. As far as I can see, most clarinetists with a German system like to use the F jack, rarely just the Eb jack.

4) I still don't understand the use of the white gloves that come with all Asian low budget instruments. Could this superfluous extra not be replaced by a high-quality wiper or similar?

Verdict: Despite two minor problems that can be fixed, I would prefer the Classic Cantabile CLK-20 Bb clarinet, German system, when compared to other current plastic products. It is an inexpensive, mechanically solidly built and intonationally balanced clarinet with which one can produce a beautiful, pleasant tone.

Our daughter regularly uses a Schreiber clarinet.
This one made of ebonite serves as a replacement and primarily for playing outdoors.
Fulfills exactly the intended purpose, as expected.