Custom Clarinet Barrels...
     Your search for the best barrel can end here.

           "...people should know about what you are doing...

                   ...it's unique and really fantastic!"

Like most professional or aspiring young clarinetists, you have probably been on a 'barrel search' at some point in your career. We've all done it, and the story briefly goes something like this...

You buy an instrument that you really love, bring the instrument home, and take great pains with the breaking-in process; you certainly do not want this one to crack! After months, perhaps a full year, you have begun to learn all of the subtle tendencies and idiosyncrasies of your still new clarinet. Slowly, you begin to imagine minute ways in which this instrument could play even better than it presently does. "If only I could find that perfect barrel..." And, it has happened. You have just embarked on a barrel search. Good luck! If you follow the common path, you'll need it! But first, here is some interesting background information...

The new Standard

In the early 1950s Buffet came out with a new clarinet called the Model R-13. It was a sensation, a revolution in the industry due to its improved bore design. Prior to that time very many players had preferred Selmer instruments, and even Daniel Bonade, the most famous American teacher of that generation, performed on LeBlanc clarinets. (Yes, many do still prefer Selmer and LeBlanc instruments today.) However, the new Buffet displayed improved playing characteristics, and American clarinetists began to flock to the new horn. In the ensuing years an already prominent Philadelphia woodwind repairman, Hans Moennig, became legendary both through his quality craftsmanship and through his unique improvements to the Buffet barrel bore. Moennig had discovered a way to improve the new Buffet still further by creating a very specific taper in the bore of the barrel.

Fast-forward half a century and Moennig's barrels are still available today from Buffet. But, will they help us in our own latest search? Most agree that the "Moennig" barrels now manufactured by Buffet seem to be slightly different from the barrels Hans, himself, made. We lost a great craftsman when Moennig passed away, and while his own tools sometimes seemed crude and his methods rough, they indeed worked. So, we must ask, are these barrels best suited for our present instruments?

Things change

Realize that your R-13 is somewhat different from those made in the 1950s. Even today's Vintage Buffet, an attempt at reproducing the original, incorporates some small changes. In addition, many of us now play on distinctly different model instruments that have been redesigned and improved in the intervening years. The wide range and selection of new clarinet models today may be a blessing (or a curse... I'm not sure). Regardless, small variations do exist from one instrument to the next, even within the same model line. And, we enjoy a wider selection of mouthpieces than ever before. Clearly, different mouthpieces have different bore dimensions, and we do not all play the same mouthpiece setup.

Today, if we hope to improve the playing qualities of our instruments, we have available an entire alphabet-soup of expensive after-market barrels to choose from. While these many examples from different makers display varying concepts of design, and while some clarinetists may indeed find a barrel that is helpful, these barrels (including the Buffet-Moennig mentioned above) all share the same basic shortcoming. They are all 'production work' and none are truly custom made to match your specific instrument when paired with your specific mouthpiece.

When love fades

I'm sure you begin to see the near infinite variations. Hoping to find that ideal barrel to improve the playing characteristics of your 'setup' is like trying to find the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack. Good luck! And suppose you do succeed in finding that perfect barrel? Within less than a year, I can assure you its bore will have begun to warp, its playing properties will have begun to change, and when you come to realize these facts for yourself you'll be on the search once again. Confess... haven't you experienced a waning enthusiasm for the sound and feel of a once beloved barrel? Right. It warped.

So... stop searching! I can provide a barrel that will be truly custom made to 'match' and compliment your specific instrument with your specific mouthpiece... and it will never warp.

More history

Robert Marcellus provided my introduction to apprentice with Moennig, and I was very fortunate to work with him in his later years. I even thought for some time that my own career path might lie primarily in woodwind repairs. Although Hans was quite old when I met him, he was still working and still willing to share his vast knowledge. I was eager to learn and I found I could hardly keep up with him. Now, after many years of studying this one issue - sampling, playing and measuring hundreds of barrels - I am confident I can go one step better. You see, to enhance your clarinet, the barrel dimensions must not meet some arbitrary standard, but instead must exactly compliment the properties and dimensions of your mouthpiece and your clarinet. I can make a barrel to match your specific needs.

But, I'll need your help to do it...

I'll show you how (I'll send you everything that you need) to take careful measurements at specific points on your mouthpiece and instrument. I'll then use those exact measurements to create a barrel that will optimize the playing characteristics of your setup, a truly customized barrel. I'll even encourage you to trade-in one of your old, unsatisfactory barrels for a substantial discount!

Nicholas barrels

My barrels are all old stock, vintage, ebony-wood barrels that I have lined with vulcanized hard rubber - mouthpiece rubber - and then re-bored to precise dimensions. The finish work is done entirely by hand. Exact. The playing characteristics are guaranteed to be superb on your horn and with your setup. People are amazed that they cannot detect the hard rubber bore in playing, and they enjoy security in the knowledge the barrel will not warp over time. You will notice how great your horn plays, "feels" and sounds.

Not convinced? Read on and understand the advantages of a truly custom clarinet barrel.

• Lining a wooden joint with hard rubber -mouthpiece rubber- has been done for many years. The old, restored, pre-war (and newer) bassoons all have the wing joint lined in this way. It makes a durable, unchanging bore, impervious to moisture and resistant to warping. It does not affect tone.

• The barrel's playing characteristics will not change over time, unlike an all-wood barrel which will gradually warp and lose its playing properties due to the assaults of constant temperature and humidity changes.

• The greater density and mass of a rubber-lined, ebony-wood barrel provides far superior playing characteristics when contrasted with the lighter, all-rubber or polymer-plastic, after-market barrels often sold today.

• I'll keep working with you, 'tweaking' the bore, until we get it just right, perfect for your setup. A barrel may go back and forth in the mail a few times, and that's OK. I pay the shipping the first time, then you pay any additional.

• I have never had a rubber lining come loose. All work, as well as your satisfaction, is 100% guaranteed.

Contact me today and I will work with you to create a barrel that is superior to anything you have played. As one of my clients has said, it will make your clarinet "...get up and dance!"

Still not convinced? Here's what other people are saying...

"Just got the clarinet--it feels great! I'm really impressed with how much more even the registers sound, and I think the tuning is definitely improved. My only regret is that I didn't get you to do this sooner. . . I really do believe that people should know about what you are doing, because it's unique and really fantastic. Thanks again--I'm really thrilled about all this!"

- Kathleen Costello, principal clarinetist, Alabama Symphony

"The barrels that Les has worked on are far superior to any other barrels I've tried. They greatly improve tone, helping to facilitate a much more focused sound. What I found to be the greatest change was that my articulation sounded more crisp with these barrels. On the day I found my barrel, I literally did not want to stop practicing!"

- Hara Laskaris-Hackett, Assistant Professor of Clarinet, Tennessee State University; Freelance musician, Nashville

"These barrels [Bb and A] are wonderful! They promote a well-focused and centered sound. I enjoy an even resistance between the mouthpiece and horn. It just feels right. His expertise and excellent craftsmanship makes the search for the right barrel much less illusive."

- Michael S. Lippard, Assistant Professor of Music, Sul Ross State University

Contact me today to end that frustrating barrel search!
Finally, you can enjoy 'the dance.'

Please use the form on my Contact page to contact me via email.