Yamaha YCL-CX Bb and A Clarinet Pair

Name: Yamaha YCL-CX Bb and A Clarinet Pair
Brand: Yamaha
Price: 5780 USD
Availability: Discontinued

prev next

This product is currently unavailable for delivery to your country

Key Features

Bb and A pair delivers orchestral flexibility
Traditional CX design provides warm, defined clarinet tone
Leather pads offer smooth airflow and quieter key action
Selected grenadilla barrel delivers consistent projection and response
Adjustable thumb rest provides comfortable support during long performances

Yamaha YCL-CX Bb and A Clarinet Pair Overview

The Yamaha YCL-CX Bb and A Clarinet Pair is suited to advancing and professional orchestral clarinettists. Owning both a Bb and A clarinet gives you the flexibility needed for orchestral, chamber, and solo repertoire, helping you move between keys more naturally while maintaining reliable intonation and phrasing.

Built in Japan using carefully selected grenadilla wood, both clarinets feature Yamaha’s traditional CX design for a warm, focused sound with dependable projection. Hand-tapered undercut toneholes support smooth airflow and balanced response across the registers, while leather pads create a secure seal and reduce unwanted mechanical noise during performance. The silver-plated nickel silver keywork includes longer E/B levers and C#/G# keys to improve finger placement and reduce slips in technical passages. Plus, the adjustable thumb rest with integrated strap ring helps provide a more comfortable playing position during longer rehearsals and performances.

Product Ref: 378212

Full Description

View Full Description

Play orchestral repertoire as intended

A Bb and A clarinet pairing is an essential setup for many orchestral clarinettists. Different keys appear throughout classical repertoire, and switching between Bb and A instruments allows you to play more naturally in difficult passages while maintaining accurate tuning and smoother phrasing. Pieces such as Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto particularly benefit from the tonal character and fingering advantages of the A clarinet. Having both instruments also reduces the need for awkward transpositions during rehearsals and performances, helping you focus more fully on musical expression and ensemble playing.

Traditional design with refined tone

The YCL-CX series follows Yamaha’s traditional clarinet design principles, producing a clear, centred tone with dependable articulation and pitch stability. Yamaha named the series after the Chalumeaux, the historic woodwind instrument widely regarded as the clarinet’s origin. This influence shapes the CX’s warm tonal character and controlled response. Hand-tapered undercut toneholes support even airflow throughout the instrument, while the natural oil finish helps retain the wood’s natural resonance. Together, these features create a sound that blends comfortably within chamber groups, concert bands, and orchestras.

Built for smooth, consistent performance

Yamaha carefully selects the natural grenadilla used for the barrels to minimise variation in tone and response between instruments. Because the barrel plays a major role in shaping projection and resonance, this consistency is especially valuable when performing across different venues and ensemble settings. Leather pads were also chosen following extensive sound testing, helping to create smooth breath flow and a reliable seal. As the pads don’t vibrate during performance, unwanted pad noise is reduced, allowing your playing to sound cleaner and more focused across quiet solo passages and larger ensemble sections.

Comfortable mechanics for demanding passages

The YCL-CX clarinets are designed to feel stable and comfortable during extended practice sessions, rehearsals, and performances. An adjustable thumb rest lets you find a more natural hand position, which can help reduce fatigue over time. The integrated strap ring also gives you the option of additional support when needed. Yamaha’s refined key mechanism improves return accuracy while reducing wobble in left-hand operation, giving the instrument a more controlled feel under the fingers. Longer E/B levers and C#/G# keys further improve grip and finger placement, helping reduce slips during fast technical passages.

Yamaha 5 Year Extended Warranty

As a premium brand, Yamaha are proud to offer a free five-year extended warranty when the purchase of your instrument is registered within six months of purchase. Please visit the Yamaha website for the full terms and conditions and to register your warranty.

3 Months Free Tomplay Premium Subscription

When you register your instrument you can get a three-month premium subscription to Tomplay where you can access over 40,000 scores with backing tracks. You are able to filter by musical style, composer, difficulty and accompaniment type and interact with the scores. The pieces are all recorded by professional musicians and you can control the tempo and even record yourself playing. If you wish, you can also print and annotate your score and create loops to focus on those more difficult passages. For more information, please see the Yamaha/Tomplay website.