The Leblanc Bliss by Backun clarinet is a vibrant revelation. The throat tones are clear and resonant, the instrument is in tune from chalumeau to altissimo, the tone is warm and lively and the keys just dance.  The newly invented resin body is remarkable in its vibrancy, and you can also get a step up model with a Backun wooden barrel and add a wooden Bliss bell...or you can go all the way and purchase a full wooden model.  This is NOT just a student intermediate clarinet, or an “outdoor” instrument….it is better right out of the box than most professional clarinets, at an unbelievable price. The factory key-fitting is the best I have ever seen on any instrument. The most affordable great clarinet sound in the history of the instrument.  As Julian says...it’s WICKED.

The Leblanc Symphonie is the Bliss’s more mature sibling. Dark, resonant and complex in tone, while still retaining a delightful playfulness. The silver finishing on the solid and incredibly quick keywork is phenomenal in appearance and texture. The many delrin adjustment screws make it easy for the player to keep the instrument playing at its peak. The choice of grenadilla or cocobolo barrels gives you two instruments for the price of one. Quite simply, this clarinet just blows the competition away. Despite the incredibly sweet tone, I had to hold back a little in a recent recording session due to this clarinet’s power and projection.

The Leblanc Legacy takes the clarinet past standard symphonic models and onto the virtuoso stage. The tone is just chocolate covered caramel. The chalumeau is warm and woody; the throat tones are rich and clear; the clarion register sings; and the altissimo is sweet and pure. Dynamic range is extended, the fortissimo incredibly powerful but still sweet and centered. You can plaster a ppp right onto the back of the hall, and can diminuendo al niente into the hall ambience. You will have the audience hanging on the edge of their seats.

Backun bells and barrels simply free ANY clarinet from tonal restrictions, register, textural and response issues. They allow the player to choose the color and tonal palette he or she wants to deliver. The profusion of designs and woods give the artist a rich world of choice. Be warned, it’s hard to stop with just one!

Morales-Backun mouthpieces are revolutionary. Clear, sweet, and powerful--they extend a ringing centered tone all the way to the bottom of the instrument. Amazing ease of articulation and dynamic control and more reeds work on them!

The Selmer Privilege Bass Clarinet is the new icon of the low clarinet world. Effortlessly robust, woody and rich in tone. The legendary Model 33 tone quality of the chalumeau register now extends all the way up into the altissimo, perfectly in tune, and with vastly improved mechanics. Gorgeous wood, seamless tonal texture from top to bottom, great intonation, and beautiful factory workmanship. I bought the best two of six on display at Clarinetfest 2007 and would have been perfectly happy with any of them! If you are lucky enough to have Morrie Backun set it up for you, and acquire a Backun bass bell, your sound, response and projection will be enhanced beyond your dreams.

Yanagisawa saxophones demonstrate the performance expected from instruments made in a specialized handcrafted setting. Yanagisawa makes only professional saxophones and they do it better than anyone else.

These instruments are crafted by highly skilled artisans who work with the most technologically advanced tools and machinery to produce every single part of every saxophone at the Yanagisawa factory in Tokyo, where Mr. Takanobu Yanagisawa, son of the company's founder, continues to lead his firm in the pursuit of a simple goal: to build the finest saxophones in the world.

The solid sterling silver models that I play are dark, sweet, warm, rich and incredibly vibrant with the most solid core sound I have ever heard. I would not have believed that the brass models I had played for years could be improved upon, and cannot wait to try the bronze models.

When I wrote a thank you note to Mr. Yanagisawa and asked for some spares of the uniquely designed C#-Bb & C#-B double connected table keys, he replied personally and sent them along gratis within two weeks!