I come to the clarinet late in my career. Professionally, I have played the EWI (electronic wind instrument) since the early 1990s. Before the EWI, I played sax, flute (modern and Baroque), Baroque oboe, etc. Clarinet has been my practice and warmup instrument now for three years. I promised myself that if I could conquer the reed/mouthpiece/ligature mystery and stick with it, I'd buy a good clarinet.
The Alpha is my reward. I have only played it a short time, but these are my observations: the key-work feels sturdy and is nice to the touch; the intonation is good; the overall sound is deep, rich, and dark; even with the kit mouthpiece (which may be better than my Pomarico crystal mouthpiece for this instrument), I can easily play altissimo notes (with no special approach) that sound like musical notes not controlled/tolerated squeaks; and the adjustable thumb rest is remarkable. The case is solid, and the interior cradles the parts well. Just to be thorough, the only negative is that the ligature is junk--although I did not expect it to be good.
Bravo!
