The Essence came from Morrie Backun's "listening tour" — he flew around talking to players who found the Q Series too resistant, the Lumière too expensive, and both too... Backun wouldn't say this, but let's call it "too Canadian." Whatever that means. Anthony McGill from the New York Philharmonic had input on the playing profile: less resistance, tighter French core to the sound. Something that could go toe-to-toe with a Tosca in an audition without feeling like a weird flex.

The result sits in an interesting middle ground. Medium resistance — one of the more balanced clarinets in the lineup. You get the Backun bore philosophy and the tone hole undercutting that Morrie obsesses over, plus features borrowed from the bass clarinet line: micro-tunable key heights (hidden adjustment screws that let you raise or lower individual notes without touching regulation), and the most comfortable thumb rest you'll find on any stock clarinet. I worked with Morrie on the ergonomics, and I'm especially proud of that thumb rest. Carbon fiber and metal tenon rings give it that pingy resonance.

Comes with both a lined and unlined top joint. The lining is a synthetic bore coating similar to Selmer's EVOLUTION system — reduces moisture absorption, theoretically prevents cracking. The lined version feels more resistant and less "alive." Great if you live somewhere dry and cold. Less great if you like the feel of wood vibrating under your fingers. I don't regularly stock the lined version, but that can change if y'all demand it. I listen. Like Morrie, only better.

This is the Grenadilla version. Denser, brighter, more projection — the audience hears it as darker and richer, but behind the clarinet you'll perceive it as more focused and centered. Industry standard wood for a reason. If you want something warmer, sweeter, and 13% lighter, the Cocobolo version runs the same bore with a different personality.

Personally, this is my favorite Backun soprano clarinet. I kept one for my personal stock. Don't tell Katherine.

Cross-shopping? The Essence has the tightest scale of anything in its price range. If you need even faster articulation, look at the Festival or Signature — but you'll trade some intonation evenness for it.

Resistance: 5/10, Medium

Playing the Essence, I feel an instrument that feels very middle-of-the-road resistance-wise. It's one of the more balanced feeling clarinets we carry.

In general, more resistance in a clarinet design usually keeps the louder dynamic ranges from spreading; the clarinet "holds its core" and focus, but will provide a smaller dynamic range (on both ends, loud and soft) and smaller color palette. A less resistant clarinet typically provides a much wider tonal palette to choose from, but will require more control from the player to control pitch and sound consistency.

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.