Is a clarinet made out of ebonite good?
Ebonite isn’t a bad material… it is very durable, gives fairly decent resonance, and is easy to care for. It can still crack if exposed to EXTREME temperature differences or if it’s dropped, but it’s cheaper to replace than other clarinets. However, most clarinet makers don’t use ebonite anymore… it’s either ABS (a plastic resin) or if it’s made by Selmer, Resonite is used. I assume you are going to be marching in high school, so I would actually recommend getting a student model made with some type of plastic… your instrument will be open to the elements and with marching, there’s always a risk of damage. Replacing it is cheaper if it’s plastic. Also, the intonation and tone quality on most plastic clarinets is lacking (compared to wood), but for marching you are MORE concerned with projection, which the plastic can provide. Most advanced players use clarinets made of hard woods like grenadilla or rosewood. The intonation is better (for concert season), as well as the tone quali
