TJ Clarinet Series 8 | Review
Dave Gallant
Thursday, March 14, 2024
There’s no doubt that the Series 8 is at the top of its class...
Trevor James (TJ) is a well-established company that has made its name supplying the schools and student market, while at the same time steadily raising the bar for product quality and innovation. The Series 8 is the latest in their line of ‘student’ clarinets, and as might be expected, raises the bar yet again.
Like many TJ student instruments, this new Series 8 clarinet is designed and finished in the UK but made in the Far East – a practice followed by many of the major instrument manufacturers.
Supplied with 64mm and 65mm barrels, it has an ABS resin body with undercut tone holes and is relatively light and feels good under the fingers. The mechanism and rings are silver plated, and there is an adjustable thumb rest with a cork pad and positional locking key. The overall key design has been improved with one-piece levers and a more ergonomically friendly adjustable F/C key mechanism layout. Beneath the keys are white premium quality leather pads with chamfered cork speaker pads, black felt bumpers and blue needle springs. A silver-plated ligature and a Trevor James mouthpiece are also included.
Putting the instrument together, we were left looking for the cork grease, as the corking was bone dry – there isn’t any! Hopefully this will be rectified by TJ in future. The tenon joints fitted well for all the joints with a stylish slightly domed metal band, and it was good to see the left-hand F/C key adjustable mechanism, (a rarity on this level of instrument), as this is often difficult to adjust. The curved entry and exit to the cross joint connection is also a very welcome feature, as so many students with the traditional approach forget to press the upper keys and end up bending or jamming the key joint. A simple rotation of both sections works every time.
Coming in a compact, compartmented cordura backpack/satchel style case with shoulder strap, grab handle and front face pocket, there’s no doubt that the Series 8 is at the top of its class. But is it really worth the hefty price tag (which is around £519 online), as it is, after all, an ABS bodied instrument with a tone to match…? That said, the upgraded design features make it a pleasure to play, and it would serve a student well into their higher Grades. And it might even satisfy a semi-pro!
This review originally appeared in the March 2024 issue of Jazzwise. Never miss an issue – subscribe today