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FAQ: Frequently asked questions

Configuration and choosing the right instrument

In our configurators you can find all possible combinations of tune, fingering, building materials, and mechanic. To find out more about our different varieties, also have a look at FRENCH, and GERMAN clarinets, and WOOD OPTIONS.

French fingering: The best option in this case would be the standard version of our model 1000 Grenadill, as displayed in our configurator.

German fingering: Please go to our configurator, choose model 2000 Grenadill and adjust the number of keys as needed.

A cheaper option for you might be an instrument from our Seggelke line. Our marketplace is always worth a visit as well.

Should you be unable to find what you are looking for in our configurator, please contact us e-mail and let us know what it is you are hoping for. We will do our best to help you.


Order and Payment

Using our configurator-tools you can assemble your instrument according to your wishes. Should you need any advice while doing so, don’t hesitate to contact us. Based on your request we will send you an offer, including the price. As soon as you have confirmed the offer by making a down payment, we initiate the production process.

Your instrument’s payment will occur in three instalments:

  • To confirm your order, you make a down payment of 30 percent of the total cost.
  • Halfway down the production process, you will receive an interim bill over further 30 percent.
  • When collecting the goods or on delivery the final instalment of 40 percent is due.

The delivery time enables you to spread out the payment over a longer period of time, while making it possible for us to have an ongoing production.

For further information on this matter, please check our terms and conditions.

We only start our manual individual production process after confirmation of order. Certain pieces are already stored in our wood storage, however, certain interim storage periods are necessary for the wood to settle. Further information on this matter can be found under manufacturing process.

Besides the production of new instruments, we also make intensive efforts to repair instruments that were manufactured in our workshop.

As you are receiving a handcrafted item, it is possible that an unforeseen capacity crunch occurs, due to the fact that our instruments are made primarily by people not machines.

Please contact us via email, simply call, or pay our workshop a visit in person – if you chose the latter, please let us know in advance so we can plan accordingly. We advise our customers abroad to consult our international business partners. We also attend fairs and even host our own fair in spring, annually. If you are interested in attending, please check our news feed.

We have business partners in several countries, who sell our instruments at their workshops. Also, you are more than welcome to visit us at our own workshop in Bamberg. If you should decide to do so, please make an appointment beforehand so we can allow for thorough consultation time.

We offer a wide range of instruments which can be customized according to age, level of competence, liquidity and of course preference. A cheaper option for you might be an instrument from our Seggelke line. Our marketplace is always worth a visit as well.

If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.


Instrument equipment and features

An instrument’s quality isn’t defined by its number of keys. Its price, however, is. Therefore, we have come up with a tool which you can use to create an instrument with your needs and your liquidity in mind that will later on be handcrafted by our talented team according to your wishes.

Instruments with a narrow bore have more air resistance and are more easily played with an open reed-mouthpiece combination, opposed to instruments with a wider bore which have less air resistance and can be played with reed-mouthpiece combinations with higher air resistance.

“Vienna model” and “Vienna bore” are not protected fixed terms. Each instrument manufacturer uses a different bore size and different keywork configurations.

In our configurator you can select our version of the Vienna bore hole. It is based on our wide bore, the corpus dimensions differ, however. It contains several mechanical options which are based on the design of the instruments built and used in Vienna since the 1950s. Therefore, the selectable mechanic features are limited. Standardly, it comes with an additional key on the upper joint to balance the intonation of E/b''.

If you are interested in playing a Viennese mouthpiece, you can also choose our instruments with German wide bore. Here you can also use all the options of the configuration tool and take full advantage of the resulting improvements in intonation.

Our model 1000+ is the consequent modernisation of a worldwide standard bore concept and finds solutions for those sound and harmonic issues which are a must to be solved for a 21st century clarinet. By adding a b’ flat correction system with an additional resonance hole for throat b‘ flat, it was possible for us to make the speaker tube smaller, position the throat g’ hole differently and in consequence also make the throat a flat and a tone hole larger. Therefore, the lower joint is slightly shorter than the one of model 1000. The sound is more homogenic from low to high with a powerful throat register and a centred chalumeau.

At the model 1000 on the other hand, the desire for a noticeable difference in sound colour between the low and high registers is reflected in this build – it is characterised by rich, fundamental lows and clear, increasingly brilliant highs. This model is perfect for all players, who want a lightweight, flexible instrument in perfect tune, where the mechanic has no need for adaption.

Please see our page which explains the different wood options used for our instruments.

We don’t use tropical wood at all. All our wood is certified wood from East Africa, South Africa, France and Turkey.

In many cases, it’s possible. Please contact us for further information.

Our leather pads are made of excellent, white goat’s leather without further surface coating. Their silicon core doesn’t absorb moisture which guarantees long-term form stability.

What distinguishes our Quartz resonance pads from similar products, however, is their extreme durability and mechanical stability while having optimal sound and resonance properties. We use a combination of Quartz resonance pads and leather pads on large open tone holes and on a number of upper joint keys to avoid excess moisture in the bore.


Repairs and service

We certainly remain your point of contact for questions regarding your instrument, such as accessories, maintenance, and repairs. We recommend annual checks – please contact us beforehand. In emergency situations we will do our best to fix your instrument as quickly as possible, and if need be, provide you with a substitute in the meantime.

We offer the usual warranty of two years on the workmanship and the materials used. Should you experience any issues, please contact us as soon as possible.

All instruments sold directly by our company are covered by the above-mentioned warranty. Purchases made from other sellers must be discussed with the seller individually.

There is no straight answer to that, as this depends on the instrument in question and its current state of maintenance. Therefore, we are only able to give you an estimate after an initial inspection of your instrument.

The bare minimum of work that goes into it includes: Disassembling the instrument, cleaning the wood and the tone holes, oiling the wood, cleaning and polishing the keys, adjusting the mechanic components. If necessary, we replace the cone corks, the damping corks and the pads. Finally, we reassemble the instrument and play it to assure everything is in perfect working order.

We recommend an annual check-up. Please also make sure to read our tips on how to properly care for your instrument at home. If you apply those tips your instrument will last a lot longer and require less repair services in the future.

Oiling your clarinet makes sense if it was oiled during the production process and didn't receive any other type of impregnation (as is the case with Schwenk & Seggelke clarinets).

The amount of oil needed varies according to the type of wood: grenadilla wood requires quite a small amount of oil, mopane wood slightly more, and boxwood needs quite a lot of oil. We use linseed oil because it polimerizes, i.e. it dries out and builds long chain structures – it is not resin-free! The reason behind this is that the condensation caused by the player's breath is on the acidic side and therefore any grease or oil – like for example the essential oils contained in the natural wood – are "digested" over time. This is why an instrument has to be oiled again and again. It prevents the clarinet from drying out and forming cracks – very much like human skin, which won't become dry and rough if you regularly apply cream to it.

You can find a tutorial on how to oil your instrument here, in our Clarinet Hacks.

To oil the inner bore of your clarinet, you can use any supermarket-brand cold-pressed linseed oil. We use pure, cold-pressed oil, as is standard in the preparation of natural varnishes for violin making.

However, it only makes sense to treat your instrument with linseed oil if it has been used from the beginning of the production process. We have had positive results with this. But the rights and wrongs of that method have been discussed for the past 300 years.

Remember: Do not use any varnish, as these types of products will block the pores of the wood! For more information on oiling your clarinet, visit our care tips and Jochen Seggelke’s Clarinet-Hacks.

We are only able to lend out a certain number of instruments. Please contact us for further information.

The instrument is disassembled, the tone holes, as well as the mechanic components are being reworked and the bore checked. After reassembling the instrument, it is played to assure it is in perfect working order. During this process the intonation can be readjusted once more, if necessary.

Furthermore, we offer advanced accessories: A professional mouthpiece is included in the price. You are also able to choose between different barrels, bells and mechanical modifications. For more information please click here.


Accessories

During this process the bore is reworked, the edges checked and also reworked if necessary. It is also possible to customise a cone to fit other systems. For more information please click here.

Yes, but: The tenons are dimensioned differently here than on a German mouthpiece. Therefore, you either need an adapted barrel, which you can order from us. It is also possible to adapt the tenon of your mouthpiece. Alternatively, you can also get mouthpieces from us that can be played with French cut reeds but have a tenon adapted to German barrels (such as BD5D, M30D or B40D from Vandoren).

Of course. Please check the corresponding sections of our website for more details.

Upon previous consultation a one-week trial is possible. Please also contact our business partners, as they also stock a certain range of our products.

You will receive 1x case of your choice, 2x barrels per instrument, 1x mouthpiece by Vandoren, 1x ligature by GF, 1x wiper, 1x oil wiper,1x bottle of linseed oil, 1x cork grease, 1x cleaning cloth and 1x hexagon key for the adjusting screws.


Workshop

Please contact us in advance. We will gladly arrange something for you. Also, the adult education centre in Bamberg provides regular public tours.

Please click here for our contact information.


Do you have further questions or suggestions?
Please contact us.