clarinets

What do Kronthaler clarinets cost?

• The current price lists are available on request by email.
  
  
• Due to the number of orders and the resulting waiting time, we cannot say exactly how much the clarinets will cost at the time that they are finished. We would like to advise customers that the price of finished clarinets is based on the price lists at the time of completion. When we contact you after the waiting period, we will also send you our current price list. You then have the right to withdraw from the order in writing within 14 days.
  

How long do I have to wait for my clarinet?

• Wating times for A and Bb clarinets are roughly 6 to 8 years and for C, D and Eb clarinets 3 to 4 years. Please be aware that these figures are approximate and cannot be guaranteed. We can no longer accept orders for bass clarinets due to the great demand.

How do the clarinets with German or Viennese bores differ?

• Our German-bore clarinets (14.6/14.8 mm) are generally finished with Oehler mechanics. Our Viennese-bore clarinets (15.0 mm) are finished with a six ring system.

If I move from the German bore to the Viennese bore, can I still play my mouthpiece?

• We recommend that you also change your mouthpiece. The inner measuremensts of the mouthpieces are not compatible with the measuremensts of the Viennese clarinets and vice versa, making it impossible to control the pitch.

I am currently playing on a Boehm mouthpiece. Would this work on a German or Viennese Kronthaler clarinet?

• We recommend that you also change your mouthpiece. We make great efforts to eunsure the optimal intonation of our instruments. The internal bore of the Boehm mouthpiece is not designed for German or Viennese clarinets, so you would have to accept that the intonation is not optimal. We can help to improve the set up to a certain extent, be a perfect result is unlikely.

I am used to the Oehler key system but would like to change to a Viennese bore. Do you also make Viennese clarinets with the Oehler system?

• We can customize Viennese clarinets with the Oehler system, but only if the customer waives their rights to return the instument within the 14 day period mentioned above and guarantees that the instrument will be purchased.

I am interested in your clarinets. What is the procedure?

• Please inform us of your interest by email and include all of your contact details. Due to the waiting times of approx. three to six months  for an appointment to try our instruments, it is standard procedure that customers order clarinets in writing without the obligation to buy them afterwards.  After you have attended an appointment to test the clarinets, you have the option to be put on our waiting list. In our test studio in Durlach, we offer the chance to try all of our models and see if and which models suit you. We are more than willing to assist you during your test if you wish.

• Once you have decided on our instruments, we will record your contact details and personal wishes. Due to the great demand you will be put on our non-binding waiting list if you have not yet registered. An order confirmation to be signed by both parties will then follow after approx. three years, as soon as the period for a possible test date of your instruments is foreseeable for us. By signing the order confirmation, we accept your expressed interest as a firm order.
  
  
• After four to five years you were put on the waiting list you will hear from us again. Only then we will be able to present to you your almost completely tuned clarinets as a raw concept. We will arrange a test appointment, at which you will decide whether the clarinets selected for you should now be reserved and finished according to your wishes. In this context, individual details regarding sound/response/intonation/mechanics/barrel size etc. are discussed and determined together.

• If the instruments presented do not suit you, we will give you the opportunity to try instruments from a later series at a second test appointment. However, this may involve longer waiting times. In order to make a second test appointment possible, a lump sum of 450 € net has to be transferred in advance. Please understand that we have to charge this as working time compensation. It will of course be credited to you as a deposit when the purchase is completed. If the second test appointment again does not result in a reservation, the order will be cancelled and no further order from your part will be accepted.
  
  
• Within the first month of sale, we are prepared to exchange your barrels, if you are not satisfied with the length of the barrels that we selected for your instruments. Please note that we only exchange barrels which are as good as new and in perfect condition.

When do I have to pay for the clarinets? Is a retainer required?

• If you decide to buy the clarinets at the test appointment, we require a payment of 60% of the gross price. Only with receipt of payment within 10 days your reservation will be confirmed.
  
  
• If the deposit has not been paid on time according to your reservation request, the 10-day advance reservation is cancelled; now we have the possibility to cancel this order and offer the instruments to another interested party.

• Usually the clarinets are finished within approx. two months of the initial payment. The final 40% is required before the collection of the finished clarinets.

Can I order a case from you?

• Yes, if you wish to purchase a case from us then please let us know at the test appointment.

When will the instruments need their first overhaul?

• The annual oil bath over the first three years is extremely important. It is enough to take off the keywork, bathe the wood in oil, clean the mechanics, replace damaged cork and make all the necessary regulations.

Can a brand new clarinet be played directly after it is finished?

• For the first 3-6 months brand new clarinets should be played for a maximum of 30-40 minutes each.

Is it possible to change the order, for example from a German bore to a Viennese bore?

• Yes, at the very latest you must decide this at the test appointment, as after this point the clarinets are finished to suit individual customers.

• If you wish to change from a German bore to a Viennese bore (or vice versa), there is a strong chance that your waiting time will be extended.

Is it possible to change the thumb rest of my Kronthaler clarinet after purchase?

• Yes, for the „Ton Kooiman“ model for example we charge 120 € net for the installation per thumb rest for each clarinet.