CARBEC Barrel (Bb/A Clarinet)

Direct from Italy, these CARBEC barrels are quite unique. Most are carbon fiber with different resonating rings on the top and bottom — and one is solid aircraft-grade aluminum with carbon fiber rings. Let's talk about them.

But first, physics. (Trust me, this will be fun)

In the simplest terms, vibration is just energy looking for a place to go.

At the atomic level, solids are atoms holding hands. In metals like aluminum, those atoms arrange themselves in tight, repeating lattices—orderly rows, strong bonds. Vibration moves through efficiently, but the lattice also stores energy and releases it slowly so the material rings.

Carbon fiber is different. It's not a lattice—it's parallel strands, like a bundle of cables. Vibration travels down those strands quickly and cleanly. The wave passes and the material returns to rest.

Wood is more complex: plant cells, fibers, voids, oils—basically an organic structure that varies by species (and from tree to tree). Some of it's orderly, some not, and it's all layered into structures at different scales. When vibration enters wood, some frequencies get absorbed, others pass through. This is how wood "colors" the sound.

If you look closely, you'll notice the CARBEC barrels don't look like the carbon fiber you're used to seeing. Most carbon fiber is woven—that's why it looks like a patchwork up close. The carbon fiber in CARBEC barrels is unidirectional: it runs vertically through the barrel. (Woven carbon fiber would make a terrible barrel—each crossover point dampens vibrations)

Here, if you're a visual learner, this interactive thingamajig might help. 

How about the rings on the top and bottom? What do they do?

Every barrel has two boundaries: where it meets the mouthpiece, and where it meets the upper joint. The rings live at these transitions. When vibration hits a material change, something has to happen—some energy passes through, some reflects, some gets absorbed. The ring material decides the ratio.

Woven carbon fiber rings are dampers. Each crossover in the weave converts a little vibration to a minuscule amount of heat. At the transitions, this means stray energy gets dissipated rather than bouncing around. The effect is subtle but audible: a more neutral sound.

Metal rings—silver plate, rose gold plate, yellow gold plate—do the opposite. Metal reflects and resonates. At the transitions, you get a little more shimmer or “ping”. The sound gets a brighter frame around it. But the differences between plating colors are really subtle (we're talking microns of metal), but players hear it...and I've stopped arguing. 

There's a comparison tool below where you can hear the differences yourself. Don't trust my words—trust your ears.

So with that, I bring you the different barrels, and their different sounds/feels

The Unidirectional Carbon Fiber Barrel

The neutral canvas; vibration goes in, vibration comes out fast and clean. (I should mention that the response is insanely quick with this carbon fiber. Articulations are noticeably quicker.) The sound itself is kind of like flattening out your equalizer — the color isn’t shaped by the barrel itsels, so this means the rings become the variable.

Four options on the rings:

• Woven carbon fiber rings: Full neutrality. Damped transitions, nothing added.
• Silver plate rings: A little brightness at the edges. Clean but present.
• Yellow gold plate rings: Warmer ping. Slightly rounder than silver, I guess?
• Rose gold plate rings: Same as yellow gold. 

Honestly, the differences between the metals are small. Pick the one that makes you happy when you look at it.

The Aluminum Barrel

Here's a different animal entirely. CARBEC calls this the “jazz” barrel. The aluminum really resonates—since the latticed atoms reflect against each other, the material sort of "participates." I'd definitely describe it as bright, but with a little more resistance in the response. It only comes with the woven carbon fiber rings. This makes sense actually: the barrel is already lively enough!

Give it a try and see what you think! If you hate the barrel, return it and pay only shipping + credit card transaction fee (3%) — not a bad way to spend 10 bucks!