Jean Paul

This is the identical instrument as the Allora I reviewed. And the price is similar. The Amazon ad includes a nice video of a high school student playing the clarinet. I can believe that some of their clarinets might play well enough for a student to make a video like the one on their site. If you buy this instrument, you're gambling. The manufacture of such cheap instruments is inconsistent and the keys are a frequent source of complaints.

See the verified purchase reviews below. I picked only reviews the reviews that were critical. Why are so many reviews positive? Students with bad clarinets may stop playing before they figure out that the problem is their instrument. AND, parents normally write reviews on the initial appearance of the instrument and before they realize that they got a bad deal.

I recommend that anyone about to buy this clarinet read my review of the Allora.

Verified purchase reviews:

I got this instrument last year for my daughter when she decided to join band at school, we'll let's just say after reading all the reviews I decided to buy it because most said it was well worth the amount. Not true at all, I will never go by what the reviews say anymore. From the time I brought this instrument I had to constantly bring it in the shop to get fix so the amount of what it cost I spent more to get it fix on several occasions. You get what you pay for, if it's cheap what you want then buy this instrument, if you want a longer lasting instrument then don't buy this one. It's not worth the money. Besides trying to contact the company is not a easy task. So that stuff about contacting them to get it fixed or replaced was a lie. And that extended warranty wasn't worth nothing cause they never did.

My comment: I would like to contact the company to ask them to let me review this clarinet. There is no link that I can find to contact the Jean Paul company.

====

Purchased on Amzon lightning deal - great price. However the particular instrument we recieved was disappointing. The package and first impressions were good but the keys stuck making it useless. If you happen to get a working model it may be good vlaue for money, far from a great sounding clarinet but inexpensive compared to what you can pay for an instrument. However am returning for refund rather than replacement as defective on arrival gives me concerns re durability.

====

Complete junk - save your money. It fell apart after less than 6 months use. The buttons on the machine fell off and can't be used again. Buy a more reputable instrument. Glad I bought a protection plan!

====

Purchased on Amzon lightning deal - great price. However the particular instrument we recieved was disappointing. The package and first impressions were good but the keys stuck making it useless. If you happen to get a working modlel it may be good vlaue for money, far from a great sounding clarinet but inexpensive compared to what you can pay for an instrument. However am retruning for refund raher than replacement as defective on arrival gives me concerns re durability.

Response from Josh at Jean Paul:

I really want to apologize for what has happened to you. We pride ourselves in customer service and quality assured products. We inspect each instrument twice before shipping them out. Our clarinet technician personally hand checks each clarinet rigorously one piece at a time to make sure each customer receives only the best. We bring multiple professionals each week to analyze our instruments and see how they like them and if there is anyway to improve our instruments. Most of the time they are shocked about how good this instrument. I can assure you, this clarinet is truly amazing for its price. We are located in Florida and realize that the shipping process is intense and can sometimes be too much for our products. This can cause permanent damage to the instrument and in your case this seems to be the problem. We here at Jean Paul USA only wish the best for your musical journey. Good luck and please let us know if there is anyway we can help.

My response: You “bring multiple professionals each week to analyze” your “instruments twice before shipping them out”? Tell me another story! And about shipping damage: If someone buys a flute or brass instrument from them, I could believe that they could be damaged in shipping. But clarinets (even when shipped in their soft light-weight case) normally will withstand dropping and very rough shipping. This clarinet has way too many complaints about the 'buttons'.