Below the excellent and popular Bb Sonoro SM in Hard Rubber
THE NEW SM-W £1,475 for standard model
The new SM-W has a rich sounding, warm yet focused sound. Supplied in a well fitting case with back straps and shoulder carry strap. As with all the other clarinets Leslie finishes them himself and fine tunes them to a level beyond any other clarinet costing thousands more. There is also an A clarinet to match.
(right - Leslie demonstrating the SM-W)
Here is a comment on the new SM-W from a customer:
“Dear Les, I thought you’d like to know that I absolutely love the beautiful clarinet you provided for me. I play for an hour or two every day, and it is now a close friend. It is enormously flexible and responsive, I do find that whatever feeling or intention goes in at the mouthpiece is mysteriously reflected at the bell. This improves my embouchure and playing every day. It’s a real joy and I’m most grateful to you.
A l l very best wishes,” Jeremy. ( London )
BUILD QUALITY
Keywork on all Craven Sonoro clarinets is robust and hard wearing without being too rigid. All clarinets now available in both Nickel or Silver plating. There are many anchored posts guaranteeing key work stability (and years of trouble free playing) usually only found on the more expensive clarinets
NATURAL HARD RUBBER or WOOD
Natural hard rubber is a natural, sustainable resource, (not plastic or ABS) and is incredibly durable and stable not affected by climate and will normally outlive wooden clarinets. Wood is a “live” material and as such clarinets made of wood can be affected by climate. The wood our SM-W is made from is a high-quality product and we have had no issues with instruments being affected by climate. The hard rubber versions have effortlessly easy emission of the sound. The SM -W is one of the best clarinets I (Les Craven) have tried for the money with a free-blowing feel over the whole range at (we hope) an affordable price for young pro players students or keen amateurs. Whether you decide to play a hard rubber or wooden version our clarinets are some of the finest examples of a “players clarinet” sold by our company that has your best interests and budget at heart.
Whether you want a hard rubber or woden clarinet we have the instrument for you tuned and hand-finished to be perfect straight out of the case.
As a thank you for customers we are continuing our policy of offering a free Silverstein Quattro* ligature with every clarinet sale including ligatures for bass clarinets.
(*Stock of Quattro ligatures is limited now due to recent demand so once they are gone we will have to revert to the normal metal high-quality ligatures until more Quattro stock is landed, however there are still a couple left and we can also offer the CRY04 Bb ligature at a very generous discount.)
NEW : SHEET MUSIC FOR SALE - USED - ALL of LESLIE CRAVEN’S vast LIBRARY, MANY BARGAINS on SINGLE AND MULTIPLE PURCHASES see products page.
NEW : Our latest Sonoro C clarinet now has an improved new more ergonomicdesign (see C clarinets page) and is proving very popular. We sell this at a bargain price for such a top professional model C clarinet.
Bass Clarinets : Eminent, well-known clarinettist David Campbell recently ordered a BC01 for Westminster School Music Dept. and phoned Leslie to tell him how delighted he was with the quality and playability, particularly the lowest 3 semitones with the unique Roller design (by Leslie). See David’s review in the customer reviews page. We now have stock (after selling out!) of the BC01, our incredibly popular Bass clarinet to low C which is currently in the New Year Sale at £1,950 . OFFER ENDS at END of MARCH ‘24
The BC 01 despite it’s low price tag is a Bass clarinet that can be used by Pro players and is robust enough to take the rigours of daily professional use but can equally fit the bill for a keen amateur player or student.
More Stock of our latest Bass clarinet the BC3 is expected in the Spring - this is a slightly more expensive offering with build quality only found on basses three times the price. It has some extra/advanced design features and has excellent intonation (as has the BC01). To order one of these please contact Leslie in good time as they are in short supply and have been on order since last year and will be on a first come first served basis. Here is a glowing report from a delighted Bass BC01 client.
Alex Jones recommends The Clarinet Company April 2023
There is absolutely no better source in the country to get a clarinet from. Not only are Leslie’s instruments top class (the BC01 tunes better than the Buffet Prestige I’m used to!) , his service is impeccable and he readily gives advice on embouchure and projection (a great deal to receive this advice from a retired pro!). Leslie clearly cares a lot about providing quality to musicians and is not in it to make a huge profit like so many instrument businesses appear to be these days! I would highly recommend any of the instruments I tried at Leslie’s shop and was particularly impressed with the rubber Bb I played and the Bass Clarinet I bought for their incredible tuning. I will likely be returning to the clarinet company when I have the £ for an Eb clarinet. To say the obvious, Leslie’s Craven BC01 Bass Clarinet is leagues ahead of everything in its price category (Jupiter, Yamaha) and competitive with top pro instruments. You’d be silly not to try one and get a nice day in South Wales !
Hand finished fine mouthpieces designed by Leslie Craven
SILVERSTEIN LIGATURES CRYO4 and QUATTRO at affordable prices
To find out more about the accessories click on the video
BEST VALUE and SERVICE
We whole heartedly believe our clarinets offer the best value for money with the personal service of a bespoke instrument tailored to your requirements at a fraction of the cost of off-the-shelf impersonal brands that are not giving any back up service or customer support. Whatever your requirements and should anything go wrong (hopefully not and unlikely) we, ( me personally and Ashley Brand ) will be at your service to deal with your every musical need.
Thank you for visiting the site and we hope you find the ideal products for your needs. Don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance on any clarinet related matter - not just purchases. Leslie will offer free advice via email and modestly priced lessons on zoom should you wish to have a one-to-one consultation with him.