I have utmost respect for anyone that uses...

[Ron in Drums PA]

Just student models are Dan.

Most professional clarinets are made of a hard, black wood, that's why they are called woodwinds.

 

[dfurlano]

True... I never progressed that far.

 

[esheffield]

I thought they were called "woodwinds" due to the wooden reed, not the instrument material. Saxophones are brass, but considered woodwinds. I used to play sax in school.

Then again, flutes are considered woodwinds, but there's no wood on them at all now. I assume they perhaps used to be wood, or just from the fife ancestry. But that goes against my reed theory.

Oh well, consistency is overrated anyway! []

BTW, my mom and dad have clarinets from when they were in school back in the 50s/60s. They're both made of wood - not sure what kind though.