Nuvo Clarineo NCBK C Clarinet, Black/Silver

An interesting and inexpensive instrument with surprising quality for the cost. I have not played it much but, hopefully, it will perform as well as the Nuvo flute I use.

I got this for my 3.5 year old son, who had been playing the top three joints of a full sized clarinet. It is a good size and easy to play, although it sounds more like a kazoo than a clarinet. The kicker, however, is that the bell falls off all the time! I am planning on writing to the manufacturer to see if they will replace it. I do not want to return the whole instrument as my son loves it so much, flaws and all.

Love it. Absolutely love it. With prices at the US retailers now down to $70, its awesome. I bought it as a carry-friendly alternative to my B flat, and it plays just great. Even has a decent sound (although I’m a clarinet player). My F4 key was not quite sealing, but honestly I just fixed it myself by heating the key up with a hairdryer and tweaking it. (Don’t recommend that unless you know what you’re doing.)

I purchased this clarineo for my nephew's 5th bday.I loved the fact that they made a different type of mechanic, closer to the saxophone and pretty much shockproof. That is exactly the type of instrument you don't mind your kid handling.It is super durable and it is very light, and the HUGE plus is that it is in the key of C, so you don't need to confuse their first approach to a single reed instrument, explaining that the note they're playing isn't the real note..!Unfortunately, it sounds like a dead duck. The tone is COMPLETELY uneven, the low register sounds awful, the bell keeps on detaching.. basically it's hell camouflaged.It runs for about $180 .. for $80 i can buy a decent plastic Bb clarinet, that will be in tune and won't make the kid think he's playing a complete toy.

I've been playing clarinet for more years than I care to remember and have been intrigued by the story of the clarineo ever since it debuted in Britain. I tried it with the plastic reeds, and the sound wasn't very good, but when I used the cane reed, it sounded just like a clarinet. Now, a beginning player can't get that sound out of any horn, no matter how good or expensive. The advantage to the clarineo is that it's smaller and lighter than a regular clarinet - good for kids.I had trouble with the little-finger keys that close the holes at the very bottom of the instrument. Perhaps they are not made for adult fingers, but I found it difficult to press one down without touching its neighbor. However, these keys are troublesome for any beginning clarinetist, and most method books avoid them until the more advanced lessons. at least smaller fingers can reach them, which is not true for a Bb clarinet.The instrument does what the inventor intended. It has simple keys and pads that don't need to be taken to the instrument repair shop. If a key breaks, you just replace it. The pads are simple rubber affairs that don't leak, as far as I can tell. After a child has a regular clarinet for a short time, the keys usually become bent and the pads don't seal any more.The clarineo bell locks on, so I don't know why other reviews say it falls off. Perhaps they didn't bother to look at how it should go on and broke off the locking pins on the clarineo body. That would be easy to do.

I am a clarinet teacher and I have been teacher 4 6 year olds clarineo. The instrument is a nice step up from recorder for children who are too small for a Bb clarinet. I would not recommend this instrument over a Bb if the child is big enough to hold one.Pros- The instrument is easy to play, small enough for little fingers, is pitched in C, and makes a nice introduction to the clarinetCons- Poor construction. The bell that is supposed to lock on doesn't have proper nubs to lock onto and falls off some of my students instruments. The mouthpiece has these rubber rings that makes a seal, but they have broken off all of my students mouthpieces and the instrument is less than a year old.Overall, I really like have an instrument pitched in C that I can teach to young children. I am disappointed at the quality of the clarineo and I hope they come out with a better version in the future.