Yamaha · Step-up · YCL-450 · 2001–present
Yamaha's YCL-34 was the wooden step-up clarinet for more than two decades, and in 2001 the YCL-450 took its place, according to Kessler & Sons, a Las Vegas clarinet shop. It's a grenadilla clarinet with the same 17-key, 6-ring Boehm layout as Yamaha's student models, a 65 mm barrel, straight tone holes with a tapered undercut and an adjustable thumb rest with a strap ring. Paul Effman Music, a New York school-band dealer, credits its blue steel needle springs with a light, quick key action. Most buyers end up choosing a key plating. The YCL-450 has silver-plated keys and the YCL-450N nickel, and Yamaha says silver sounds softer and warmer while nickel sounds clearer and more focused. The dealer adds that silver tarnishes but polishes back, while nickel resists tarnish for years before it oxidizes for good. The current YCL-450II brings leather pads from Yamaha's pro and custom models and a reworked bell and bore taper, and the YCL-450NM uses an ABS upper joint with a grenadilla insert. Paul Effman Music calls the 450 the most popular intermediate clarinet for students without a private teacher, while teachers who play Buffet tend to point students to the E11.
A good second clarinet for a student who has played plastic for two or three years and is ready for wood. It needs more care than a plastic clarinet, so check for cracks first and keep it out of hot or freezing cars.
Build and caseYCL-450
A YCL-450 dates from 2001 or later, when it replaced the YCL-34. A II in the model name, and leather pads, mark the second generation.
Grenadilla can crack after fast temperature or humidity changes, and the joints, where moisture collects, are the usual place. A clarinet left unplayed through a dry winter can shrink enough to bind keys and loosen its rings, which settles once the wood slowly takes on moisture again.
More on this in our clarinet buying guide.
Buying guide
We'd buy a 450 titled serviced or repadded, like the US 450N with all new pads and a Vandoren mouthpiece at $614 delivered, or the Japan dealer's serviced one with a hard case and mouthpiece at $690. There are at least 94 for sale, mostly asking $650–975 delivered, and new ones ask about $1,735, so a used wooden 450 saves a lot. It's a grenadilla step-up clarinet, so ask for close photos of the upper joint and the joint ends for hairline cracks, and budget for a shop check-up on any one not titled serviced. Skip the zero-feedback listings titled "Yamaha YCL-450 Bb Clarinets", which turn up from several accounts at $385–900, and pay only through eBay checkout if you try one.
$449.99delivered
The lowest delivered 450 from a seller with real feedback, titled tested with a hard case, and the free shipping is from Japan. Ask for close photos of the upper joint for cracks and whether the mouthpiece is in the case.
Yamaha YCL-450 Bb Wood Clarinet with Hard Case Used Tested
$690.00est. delivered
Titled serviced, with a hard case and mouthpiece, at $690 delivered, near the bottom of the band. It ships from Japan, so returns are harder than with a US seller.
YAMAHA YCL-450 Clarinet Serviced Used With Hard Case Mouthpiece
$614.00est. delivered
A US repairer with 100% feedback lists this 450N with all new pads and a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece at $614 delivered, so it should play the day it arrives, as the seller claims. The title doesn't mention a case, so ask before you buy.
Yamaha YCL-450N Wood Bb: All New Pads plus Vandoren M13-Lyre Mouthpiece!
$690.00est. delivered
Titled serviced and complete with the hard case and mouthpiece, so it should need the least work before a student plays it. Ask what the service covered.
YAMAHA YCL-450 Clarinet Serviced Used With Hard Case Mouthpiece
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 12, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 12, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$449.99delivered
$449.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$449.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled tested, with hard case. Free shipping from Japan.
Seller: noenemy
99.4% positive
Serviced$690.00est. delivered
$600.00 + $90.00 shipping
Buy It Now$600.00
Good buy
Titled serviced, with hard case and mouthpiece. Ships from Japan.
Seller: aibo.japan
99.4% positive
Serviced$614.00est. delivered
$599.00 + $15.00 shipping
Buy It Now$599.00
Good buy
Titled all new pads, with a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece. In the US.
Seller: dphoffman8
100% positive
Used$549.99delivered
$549.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$549.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled 450N with case. In the US, free shipping.
Seller: walistores
98.7% positive
Used$826.78est. delivered
$799.00 + $27.78 shipping
Buy It Now$799.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled 450N, nickel keys. No service or condition claim.
Seller: con_384593
100% positive
Serviced$901.85est. delivered
$895.00 + $6.85 shipping
Buy It Now$895.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled professionally serviced, with a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece. In the US.
Seller: emmagrace-collection
98.1% positive
Used$900.00delivered
$900.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$900.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Check the seller
Zero feedback, and the same title turns up from several zero-feedback accounts.
Seller: nelyn-1
No feedback yet
Refurbished$1,679.99delivered
$1,679.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$1,679.99
Priced high
Refurbished 450II from a big retailer, close to what new ones ask. Stock photo.
Seller: musiciansfriend
99.8% positive
Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 12, 2026.
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