Hi All. I’m in my mid 40’s and looking at learning to play the clarinet. I come from a musical background and am a proficient guitar player (30 years) and did play alto sax in Junior High (4 years) many moons ago.

When people have asked me what guitar they should buy to learn on, I often let them know that buying a well crafted guitar actually makes learning it easier and the chances of sticking with it greatly improves. Most often, they opt for something more low budget and then give up pretty quickly. I assume that’s the case with clarinet too so I’m wondering what the recommendation would be for a committed adult that wants to learn to play and get beyond that entry level. Perhaps some of the brands/models aimed at youth/students for school band are acceptable like Yamaha etc, but figured I’d post and see what you all recommended for an adult who’s considering it and comes from a music background already and is a bit of a tone snob when it comes to guitars etc.

I’m looking for something likely in the intermediate category where build quality is there, tone is good and playability isn’t lacking. Maybe there are some Student models that fit this bill and if that’s the case, if I can get something decent in the budget range, that will make my wife happy but if I have to step up a bit to get what I’m after, that’s the way it’ll need to be as I’d just like to buy once and not regret the purchase as I learn more and grow with it.

Thoughts?