Walter Grabner 991 Wildwood Lane Highland Park, IL 60035 847.266.8644

Home Page

Customer Comments

Clarinet mouthpieces:

I received the mouthpiece yesterday (CXZ_K13*). I tested it today , and my friend Gyuri tested it too. The mouthpiece is very good, thank you! With best wishes: Jozsef Tonkoly, Principal Clarinet Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Thanks for the mouthpieces you sent me. I like the CXZ_K13* a lot. They have an incredible blend of darkness and clarity and speak so well in the high register, and I also like how even and focused the sound is. I played on the CXZ_K13* in a concert with the Icelandic Symphony on the same day i got it. Armann Helgason, Iceland.

(Just) some words to tell you the pleasure I have to play your CXZ_K14 and the Lawrie Bloom bass clarinet mouthpiece ….. (they are ) very good and i can now cover all situations with my two Grabner's. Many colleagues are interested about your products. Thank you again for your great work. François Dutreuil, Bass Clarinet, Philharmonic Orchestra, Nice

Just a note to tell you that the CXZ_K13* has arrived. I am back from the holidays and trying (it out). I think this must be the best mouthpiece I ever had. Although the lay is shorter in comparison the mp's I played all those years, it gives a wonderful dark big sound. Fons Klesman, Solo Clarinet, Royal Dutch Marine Band.

“The four mouthpieces you sent me are serving me excellently - all four of them! Each has its own character which I like a lot. Depends on the accoustics where I´m playing, which one I use.” Einar Johannesson, Principal Clarinet, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Opera Orchestra.

“…the proud owner of the CXZ_K13e is our brilliant young first clarinetist, Oleg Moroz.……” Principal Clarinet, National Opera of Ukraine.

“….and yes I am using the K14 in KSO and it is working out well. I played the Mozart concerto twice with this mouthpiece and have had a lot of great feedback. The mouthpiece for the C clarinet is also excellent.” Carmen Gassi, Principal Clarinet, Kindred Spirits Orchestra

“Thank you! Great products (CXZ_K11*)!! Dana Hotle, Principal Clarinet, Illinois Symphony

“The clarinet section of Ural Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia) is now equipped with Grabner mouthpieces!!” Alexander Glazirin, Principal Clarinet, Ural Philharmonic Orchestra.

“The K13 is very good, I'm using it for now in the Orchestra. It fits me very well.” Gyorgy Salamon, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Walter, the K13* and the LB bass clarinet piece are excellent. They're both getting a workout at the Stratford Festival this season. I'm using the K13* on 42nd Street and Pirates of Penzance, which is quite a testament to its versatility! I also used it to record incidental music for Henry V and for Christopher Plummer's one man show, A Word or Two, with great results." - Merlin Williams, freelance doubler/Stratford Shakespeare Festival Orchestra

“……..the 11* was the keeper.  That K11* has such a wonderful depth of sound and focus, and articulation works better for me too.  I think I'm going to be very happy with it.” Billy Thomas, Third and Bass Clarinet, Virginia Symphony

“Easily the best mouthpiece (CXZ_K11*) I have ever played.” Garrett Martin, Royal Hawaiian Band.

“The mouthpieces were excellent (CXZ_K11*). Between the two, it seemed one was more resistant and covered, the other was a little freer and had a bit more ring. Both had beautiful sounds- I ended up picking the one with a bit more ring and ease of response- it felt a bit more comfortable to me and has a wonderful shape to the sound.” John Kurosawa, Principal Clarinet, The Dayton Symphony

“I just finished a long recording session, and I wanted to tell you that I selected your CXZ_K13 mouthpiece as my new “number one” mouthpiece. It did everything I needed it to do – fast articulation – soft delicate passages – full tone in loud passages.” Christopher King, Ulster Symphony Orchestra, Ireland.

“The K13 is working beautifully for me. Playing Mahler 5 in the New Haven Symphony this week, and it sounds great.” Andy Grenci, CT. - Coast Guard Band, New Haven Symphony

“The mouthpiece has appeared as though is made for me! Moderately free blowing, possibility to play piano in any register….. magnificent legato between octaves….. thus (my) lips feel absolutely freely and aren't tired. There was no accustoming; at once it is very convenient to play. Once again many thanks.” Igor Balobolka Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theater Orchestra.

“….I am clarinet soloist of Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. I play your mouthpiece (CXZ_K13) for more than 6 years. I like it very much and have until now tried nothing (I liked) better. I will be at Clarinetfest in LA,…… ..……... I would be very glad to get acquainted with You and try some of your mouthpieces. My students need good mouthpieces badly and also I need a second mouthpiece.” Ivan Stoblov, Principal Clarinet Mariinsky Theater Orchestra (Kirov Ballet Orchestra.)

“The mouthpiece (CXZ_AW_PERS) arrived this morning. It's really a masterwork! Many, many thanks, wish you all the best! Giorgio Berrugi, Opera Star and Clarinetist

"The Grabner mouthpieces have been especially well received by our customers at Howarth of London for the past few years, particularly the K11* and 13* models that have recently become our one of our most highly recommended bespoke mouthpieces.
These mouthpieces are beautifully hand crafted and as a result very responsive and provide clarinettists with an excellent tonal centre and flexibility of sound.
Grabner mouthpieces are consistently responsive across the full range of clarinets from E flat to contrabass with the Bloom bass clarinet model achieving great popularity amongst many professionals." Howarth of London http://www.howarth.uk.com/

“Still very happy with the mouthpieces that I see from you for my students. When my students can afford a "Grabner", I prefer them over even the best of the Vandoren mouthpieces.” David Niethamer, Richmond, VA

“I am happy to let you know that I have been playing one of your K13* mouthpieces for the last few months, and it has been a very good musical experience. I also appreciate your great work on the Bloom bass clarinet mouthpiece, which I have been playing with great pleasure for a few months now.” Tommaso Lonquich, Danish recording artist

“I will be keeping the K14 you just sent me.  Perfect for jazz and the K11 I just bought meets all my needs for classical.  It is a pleasure to play on both mps and my tone has improved considersably.  Awesome work sir!  Thanks”
David Watts

“You’ll also be happy to hear that I just compared your mouthpiece to two (competitor’s name deleted) mouthpieces that I have. While these are excellent mouthpieces, yours is better in my opinion. It plays a little darker and holds the tone better. I can decrescendo to ppp and it holds the tone all the way down. Wide dynamics also show that your mouthpiece holds the tuning better without going flat or sharp. Better stability…”

“I've been playing this mouthpiece for about six weeks now, and I'm very happy with it. It responds very evenly throughout the tonal and dynamic ranges, and response in the altissimo register is rock solid and predictable. Every note on the instrument is "there"; no fussing with my embouchure to compensate for quirks in the mouthpiece. “B.M., VA.

Your “Jazz” mouthpiece, turned out to be fantastic!!! It really produced the tone that we Greeks like! My brother who plays laouto in my Greek band happened to come by and I played it for him. He also said it was great. I like it so much that I ordered another one for "just in case" if you know what I mean. J.P. CA

I'm definitely buying one if not both of the mouthpieces that I received.  I started testing your mouthpiece on Saturday and it has been kind of an eye opener to me. I have really been able to hear and feel the differences between the two mouthpieces (Deleted) and yours.  The biggest difference has been that your mouthpiece has the ring that I have been missing with the (Deleted) mouthpiece. Dynamically it is also much better because of the balance between the volume of air and the resistance of the mouthpiece.  I felt that with the other mouthpiece that I couldn't get to that resistance point regardless of how much air I put through. I don't think that I could have selected a better mouthpiece for what I have been using.  It's the best that I have played (and I think better) than the James Kanter that I was using when I lived in Virginia. R.G. VA

Eb Clarinet mouthpieces:

Hi Walter. Just wanted to say hi and tell you how much I'm enjoying the Eb mouthpiece I got from you at the clarinet convention. I've done several gigs with it and am still amazed every time I pick up the instrument. It's a whole new ballgame! Thanks again. Mark Margolies, San Diego.

“the (mouthpiece) I kept has a much better sound than any other Eb mouthpiece I've tried…….I actually just played a Molter concerto on my recital a few days ago, and Dr. Verdehr said that the most impressive thing about the recital was the sound that I was able to get out of the D clarinet.” J.K, MI.

“Walter makes a killer Eb clarinet mouthpiece on a Zinner blank.”

“This has been one of the best mpcs I've played. Response is exceptional, as is the timbre across all the registers. Nice projection; plenty of room for pp to fff.” B.M., VA.

“I love the mouthpiece (eb clarinet) you made.” Andy, CA.

Alto Clarinet Mouthpieces:

I received the alto mouthpiece today. It's clearly the best mouthpiece I've ever had for this instrument. I do jazz improv on the alto and I'm very comfortable on it, but this mothpiece delivers an obvious improvement in timbre. The altissimo is particularly thick and rich, much less shrill than on my previous mouthpieces (Selmer C*, 5RV, and Pomarico crystal). R.S. Ottawa Canada

Just wanted to let you know that I received the alto clarinet mouthpiece. I've been playing it off and on for the last couple of days and it is truly remarkable. It really opens up the horn (Selmer). I noticed a great improvement especially in the throat tones and in the upper registers. The tone is so much more consistent over the full range of the instrument. I've had to make some adjustments to my embouchure for this particular facing but it's such a pleasure to hear the positive results.Well done! I'm keeping it! K.F., CA

Walter; The mouthpiece arrived today and is a definite "keeper".  While waiting for it to arrive I had picked up a couple others to experiment with - 1 hand made and a couple "name" brands.  Yours "leaves the others in the dust" and was definitely worth the wait.  Will definitely be ordering a couple more from you in the near future (soprano and bass clarinet).  Many thanks.  Cheers. – Paul Mimlitsch, CO.

Eb and Bb Contra Bass Clarinet Mouthpieces:

"Walter, thank you for the incredible contra alto mouthpiece. It will make my job of frightening children and small animals much easier. I play your mouthpieces on all the low horns, and they're all incredible." Dickson Grimes

“Walter, I put the Bb contra piece through 2 hours of rehearsal last night and it did not disappoint. As you know, playing the beast requires confidence in the equipment and this mouthpiece inspires tons of it. It allows me to do whatever I need to do and more. Chalumeau is rich to the core, but the best part is playing in the clarion range, the sound doesn't thin out, it still thick, substantial, and sounds like a contra! Overall the best contra piece I have ever played on, and I have played many! My Leblanc 340 never sounded so alive. Good stuff!” W.W., Vancouver

“I got the mouthpiece today. I love it! I'm very impressed with your work. Your mouthpiece brings my Contra Alto to life.” James Love, Texas.

Bass Clarinet Mouthpieces:

Hi Walter! Yes, I am playing it and it is great! I have tried mouthpieces which have either good intonation or good articulation or good response or good sound but with your mpc I can have them all! Last month I recorded a new solo piece with it. I still use sometimes selmer F for hard core contemporary pieces because some new techniques are easier with a very open mpc. But your mpc is my choice for everything else. I have put a link to your site in my website. All the best! Mikko Raasakka, Finnish clarinet virtuoso.

I played with the Houston Symphony for 41 years as bass clarinetist, clarinetist, and saxophonist. In 1967 Frank Kaspar, the maestro himself made me five bass clarinet mouthpieces. Four of which have never left the original wrappers. I have played on and loved the same Kaspar mouthpiece for 45 years. Today I retired that gem of a mouthpiece. I have a new love affair. A Walter Grabner LB bass clarinet mouthpiece. At age 70 I am moving onward and upward.

Thanks for a great mouthpiece Walter. It does everything I need it to do. I am looking forward to putting it through it's paces over the next 70 years.

Thanks, Richard Nunemaker, Bass Clarinet, Houston Symphony (Retired)

“Dear Walter – Many thanks for your work on the mouthpieces – They’re terrific!” Oliver Green, The Detroit Symphony (retired)

“Walter – The bass clarinet mouthpiece you sent via Lawrie works great! You should sell a lot of these” Larry Combs, Chicago Symphony (retired)

“Walter, I am still proudly playing your mouthpiece in the Symphony. Nothing better has come along.” Lyle Wong, Bass Clarinet, Arkansas Symphony

“I played a concert at the Tetons on your bass mouthpiece (CXZ_LB) and it went well.” Michael Wayne, Boston Symphony

"... I'm enjoying the mouthpiece (CXZ_LB) a lot.  I've tried some Grand Concert 4s, but still find the Vandorens work best for me.  It is starting to feel very comfortable.  I haven't done any solo work on it yet - only band stuff, but some of it very sensitive.  The results are great." Andy Grenci - Coast Guard Band, New Haven Symphony.

“ Hi Walter - I have been playing on the bass clarinet mouthpiece (CX_BB_PERS) for few days, and I have to say that first impression is very positive. I both played in the Icelandic opera (Tosca) and also in a concert with the Icelandic symphony orchestra. My collegues did notice a positive difference and I played with lot of pleasure. It has enough power, but the best thing is how soft I can play on it without losing focus or quality in sound. “ Runar Oskarsson, The Icelandic Opera and The Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.

“Since 2006, I have been using your CXZ_LB “Lawrie Bloom” mouthpiece in the orchestra with excellent results. Mats Wallin - Swedish Radio Orchestra.

“I just won the 2nd/bass clarinet for the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan. Your bass mouthpiece (CXZ_LB) did great job in the audition. Thanks so much!” Kei Funagama, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra

"I'm back to bass now and actually had a chance to play your mouthpiece (CXZ_LB) in rehearsal and really like it.  There is a real presence in the sound and clarity with the articulation." Carol Robe – Eugene Symphony.

Mr. Grabner, I have been playing the CXZ_LB mouthpiece that you sold me for several days now. It has performed fantastically in rehearsals and practice, and is every bit as advertised. In fact, colleagues noticed the difference right away. Playing the bass clarinet has never been as effortless ... I can now concentrate solely upon playing the music and not upon *how* to play the music. Thank you for a great product and great service. Dale McDonald - Bass clarinetist, New England Wind Symphony, Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra

"Spent 2 nights extensively with the CXZ_LB bass piece on my both vintage Kohlert and Buffet Prestige, wow, what a great playing mouthpiece!  Attack on the altissimo C#, D, and Eb is clean and crisp, and legato is beautiful.  Upward and downward scales is a pleasure to do and hear.  Also powerful smooth sound down to low C.  Very even tone, and play ppp....to fff without much effort.  I had no problem with the shallow beak, my embouchure took to it very well. W.W. Vancouver

"Oh my God!  What a fantastic mouthpiece (CXZ_LB)!  I can't believe that it solved so many of my tone problems.  I didn't think that you could make a mouthpiece better than your personal mouthpiece that I already have but you have. Thanks for such wonderful sounds from both my bass and Bb clarinets." L.W.

The CXZ_LB mouthpiece arrived yesterday and today has been spent going through the Bass Clarinet repertoire. The results have been wonderful. Thirty plus years and many mouthpieces later, my Leblanc 417 responds like I’ve always wanted. The tuning of the twelfths is dead on with excellent dynamic range response from low C throughout the altissimo register. The mouthpiece is very reed friendly with articulation being very easy and precise. The workmanship is impeccable plus the sound one expects from a Zinner blank brings one to a new level in playing the Bass Clarinet. M.P. Houston, TX

“The mouthpiece is so eminently wonderful.  It changed trying to corral a wild beast of a bass clarinet into a terrific relationship.  It's such a superior mouthpiece”

“Your mouthpiece is wonderful, it made the bass clarinet (an old but just overhauled LeBlanc) so eminently playable.  Without your mouthpiece, my attempt to play the bass clarinet would have been a total disaster”

“The bass clarinet mouthpiece was waiting for me when I got home from work.  I managed to restrain myself from trying it until I had eaten, but only just :-) First impressions: I think I can get a much bigger dynamic range than I could with the old mouthpiece…  Also, I never could reliably start a phrase on G or A above the stave, and those notes had no volume, but with your mouthpiece they're no trouble at all.  I think articulation is a little crisper too. All in all, the differences are subtle, but nevertheless real…”

“I just wanted to let you know how happy I am with the CX_BB_PERS Bass Clarinet mouthpiece I recently bought from you. I'm using it with Legere 3 1/2 reeds and a Vandoren Optimum ligature. It's easy to play, good pitch, good tone and clean articulation. It gives me the sound I've been looking for quite some time. I'll be using it in a show I start rehearsing for next week and can't wait to use it.”

“I received the mouthpiece today and it has worked out great. I'm getting a beautiful, even tone. The best part is, I can now hit the high C right on the money without a squeak. Thanks so much!” T. A.,Red Bank NJ  

“Holy smokes! Wow! I guess you can tell I got your mouthpiece (CX_BB_PERS) today. Articulation response is astonishing! No more having to anticipate when low notes will speak. Thank you so much! Very easy to play, wonderfully in tune. The clarion is a whole new instrument. The altissimo booms. Well worth it.” D.A. Glouster, MA

Anyway...I was playing bass and was getting compliments right and left on my sound. It just resonated so beautifully in that magnificent hall! I do love this mouthpiece!! D.B. Los Angeles, CA

“Wow! You are truly a master! I've played it (CXZ_LB) a number of times now, and this is a wonderful mouthpiece. i could go on and on, but suffice it to say this is a key in my development. While the chalumeau is certainly impressive, my biggest surprise was being able to play so easily in altissimo (and very softly at that). You won't be getting this one back” G.H. FL

“Don't get hung up on Vandoren. there are others that are much better. I use a Walter Grabner CX_BB_PERS and it's FANTASTIC! He's a professional bass clarinet player and a master mouthpiece maker.” Gordon

“When I received my bass clarinet mouthpiece, you asked that I let you know what I thought of it...and...I absolutely LOVE playing on it. I feel much more secure going above the staff and the overall tone on my instrument (a Yamaha ycl-221) has improved tremendously. My stand partner even commented on how I sounded when I was finally back playing in the bass section. The tone is smooth at all dynamic levels. Going over the break is much easier. Every note just falls into place effortlessly now! I love it! To sum my review in a few words - Centered, smooth, AWESOME!” Pat, Arizona.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the mouthpiece, it’s great.” Paul Roe, Concorde Contemporary Ensemble – Dublin, Ireland

Re-facing:

“I just received the alto clarinet mouthpiece in the mail last week that you refaced for me.  You did make a substantial improvement in the mouthpiece.  It does play much more easily and consistently now.” S. M. Wisconsin

“ (I) just recommended your work and mouthpieces to some students today and hope they will contact you in the future...such excellent work is rare in an age of rushing and  low quality....refacing is not such an easy thing to do on an old mouthpiece…..David Dow, Principal Clarinet, Symphony New Brunswick, Canada.