Seggelke Series 1000+ Bb Clarinet - Boxwood
Seggelke Series 1000+ Bb Clarinet - Boxwood
Seggelke. IYKYK. But if you don’t, here’s what’s what.
This is Jochen Seggelke on my right, and we're standing standing in Martin Suter's (Blashaus dude) workshop in Lucerne, Swizerland. If you're wondering, yes — I’m holding one of his basset clarinets with the “Mozart Bell” up to my ear like a tool.
Jochen is a freaking genius. Like, off-the-charts brilliant. He’s an inventor (check out his servo-activated CLEX contrabass clarinet and prepare to be amazed), an instrument historian, a craftsman (every key is soldered by hand, no jigs), and probably also a chess master and Olympic javelin gold medalist.
He started making clarinets in 1995, but only German-system clarinets. My teacher, Charlie Neidich, went to Bamberg to talk him into making French-system clarinets. Voilà: the rest of the world discovered Seggelke. Credit where it’s due: Charlie lit the fuse.
Each instrument is handmade, and Jochen says each one takes about 100 hours to produce (he’s “trying to get it down to 70,” lol). Naturally, that means they’re rare, expensive, and hard to get — which is why I carry them here on Earspasm: so you don’t have to book a flight to Bavaria.
A Modern Classic, Built the Old Way
Jochen’s an inventor, but also a historian. He’s the only maker in the world producing true “period instruments,” so he understands everything about wood, bore, and keywork from the 18th century onward — and still keeps up with 21st-century tuning, ergonomics, and production. His clarinets are this fascinating collision of old and new.
This particular one? A boxwood Bb clarinet I picked up in Europe this fall.
Here’s how Jochen describes boxwood:
Boxwood has been used in instrument making since the clarinet was invented over 300 years ago. It fell out of favor in the early 20th century with the rise of industrial production and imported exotic woods. Our work rebuilding historical clarinets — and the audibly different character of boxwood — inspired us to make modern clarinets from this fantastic material again.
He’s right. These things sound incredible across all dynamics. Soft, they’re a smooth, thin layer of butter. Loud, they’re a locomotive… covered in a thin layer of butter.
I played this clarinet for 30 seconds and knew I had to have it in the shop. (In fact, please don’t buy it — I’d like to hang onto it a while.)
Caring for Boxwood
Boxwood needs more frequent oiling, using a skinny bottle-brush-style tool (I’ll include one). Instead of following a schedule, check the bore regularly — you’ll know when it looks dry.
Use pure raw linseed oil: put a few drops on the brush, then wipe the brush twice with paper towels so there’s almost no oil left. Gently oil the bore, being extremely careful not to touch the pads. Do the barrels at the same time.
Resistance: 5/10, Medium
Resistance-wise the Seggelke Boxwood is pleasantly resistant, but not overly so. It doesn't take a ton of air to make it vibrate, but once you have that column going, it really rounds out nicely. Unlike some clarinets that can get shrill when played loud in the upper register, this one holds its core like an instrument that is much more resistant...but it's not. It's a crazy thing.
When listening for how a clarinet responds to added air pressure and embouchure control, listen to the Weber example (wide dynamic range and color range), then the Berlioz excerpt (wide dynamic range, but narrow color range), and finally the Gershwin excerpt (narrow dynamic range and narrow color range). You will hear how these clarinets respond — for better or worse! — to my input as a clarinet player.
Then compare the Boxwood Seggelke to, I dunno, an Uebel Zenit or Uebel Vision in Mopane, or a Backun Lumière in Cocobolo. All are top-tier, all completely different beasts.
Design Notes
- The thumb F key is rotated slightly from where you’d expect. Odd at first, but actually ergonomic once you play it.
- Rollers between the right-hand pinky F/Ab (C/Eb) keys — a nod to German-system design.
- Tone hole inserts and tenon caps made of polymer for added stability.
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Three barrels
64mm, 65mm, 66mm
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Maintenance items
Swab, oiling kit
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Handmade nylon-covered case
FAQ
Best option: come to the shop in Brooklyn. Frankly, a flight to NYC would be cheaper than me sending it to you with our trial fees. Schedule an appointment here! Why would a flight be less expensive? Read on:
To be really frank, this is a really special instrument and it's not something we want to send out a lot. So, we charge more for this trial than we do for other clarinets. If you plan to purchase it, awesomesauce. If you think you're going to return it and are interested in just giving it a blow, it's gonna cost you. (Sorry).
Like all Earspasm instruments, this basset clarinet comes with a 7-day trial, which means you have 7 days from the date of receipt to try the clarinet. If you don't like it, that's fine (my feelings aren't hurt!) — just let me know and I will send you a return label. Box it all up and send it back.
Unlike our soprano clarinets that have a 5% return fee, for this basset clarinet, we keep 6% to cover credit card transaction fees and a round trip back to my technicians to do a reset on the horn. This thing is more complex, hence the extra point on the return fee. So, you'd be looking at about $1,300 to try it, including shipping. I know: that's a lot. Hence my suggestion of trip to NY!
A standard A clarinet goes down to low E. A basset clarinet extends four semitones lower, to written C. Mozart wrote his Clarinet Concerto and Quintet for this extended range—but Stadler's instrument didn't survive, and when the Concerto was finally published in 1801, the editor just moved the impossible notes up an octave. Most performances you've heard are playing the compromise version.
The Backun Lumière (~$13,700) and the Uebel Zenit extension (~$4,800) are both excellent modern basset clarinets with forward projection and contemporary bore designs. They play and sound like 21st-century instruments that happen to go lower. The Seggelke costs more and gives you period acoustic architecture—the Liebesfuß bell, the bent barrels, the tonal conception Mozart was writing for. Neither Backun nor Uebel offers a historical bell option.
I wrote a whole article on this that you should read. But the TL;DR version is: Grenadilla, cocobolo, and mopane do sound different. Grenadilla tends to project more, cocobolo feels warmer behind the horn, and mopane refuses to pick a lane and somehow does both. This Seggelke is mopane—there's a golden quality to the sound, less clinical than grenadilla, more singing.
Yes, it comes with Seggelke's standard warranty — which is to say, he will fix it for the lifetime of the instrument. If you ever have any problems, let me know and I will contact Jochen Seggelke. But be aware: because his instruments are kinda different, we might need to ship it to Germany for any repairs.
Inspect the package before you sign off at delivery! If there are any issues resulting from shipping, we have taken out an insurance policy to cover damage (and loss). But we need you to document this damage or we can't do anything to help. Please read my trial policy for how to handle this issue, should it arise.
In the case of this basset clarinet, yes, you will be responsible for both the shipping-to-you costs, and the return shipping costs. We will provide a label that includes insurance, so you don't have to worry about that!
Yes, but there are no returns for this clarinet if shipped internationally. You can add your shipping address when checking out to see what the shipping costs will be before taking the plunge. Note that VAT and Customs Duties are not included in this cost.
Frankly, this is the way. Click to set up an appointment our appointment calendar!
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