Walter Grabner 991 Wildwood Lane Highland Park, IL 60035 walter@clarinetxpress.com 847-266-8644 I have been hand-crafting and selling clarinet mouthpieces for over 22 years. However, everyday I seem to learn something new and exciting. Sometimes it is a new technique that offers better quality. Sometimes, it is a small design change that can make major differences in tone and resonance . After all these years, I am still excited about working with mouthpieces!

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Grabner
HiTech Clarinet
Mouthpieces

Customers Say:

“I can’t stop playing your mouthpiece. Congratulations on a new era.”

"This mouthpiece is great. You are really on to something here"

“You got the application of the technology just right.”

                             "You hit it out of the ballpark with this one.”

" Love my new mouthpiece!!! Thanks so much for developing these!"

         "They're really impressive -- tone, intonation, articulation, everything."

                                                        "Best mouthpiece, ever"

NEWS ABOUT THE MOUTHPIECES

After three years of research and study, I am proud to announce that I am now designing and manufacturing all my own mouthpieces. Since the retirement of Hans Zinner, I have completely redesigned and manufactured my entire line of mouthpieces, including:

• Eb Clarinet
• Bb/A Clarinet
• Alto Clarinet
• Bassett Horn
• Bass Clarinet
• Contra Bass Clarinet
  

Produced using cutting-edge, 21st-century technologies, these mouthpices were designed using CAD software and are realized through additive manufacturing. The designs are traditional, with subtle improvements that help meet the demands placed on the 21st century clarinetist.

I want to extend a big thank you to the clarinet community. The acceptance of my new mouthpiece models has been very gratifying! Since July 2019, we have made and sold over 2000 mouthpieces! They are appearing in ensembles worldwide. Some mouthpieces are already appearing in major symphonies in America and Europe, in London West End productions, and on Broadway.

Directly below is a table of all the available Grabner HiTech Mouthpieces. To get more information, just click on the mouthpiece name.

My Basic Material
ECO-TECH

I am pleased to announce the new ECO-TECH material.

This material is neither rubber nor plastic, but a resin. After manufacturing and curing, It contains no toxic chemicals. It is made solely from plant materials. It is completely renewable and does not cause pollution in its manufacture. The mouthpieces themselves, when you are done with them, are totally biodegradeable. What a pleasant change from hard rubber!

It turns out that this material has splendid acoustic properties, allowing a dark, focused sound devoid of buzzy or fuzzy tones. The projection is excellent.

The mouthpieces are smooth to the touch and have a pleasant black matte finish.

Mouthpieces for all clarinets are available in this exciting new material. 

Grabner HiTech Clarinet Mouthpieces
Type of Material	Type	Click for information or to order	Pitch	Tip opening	Price	Description
ECO-TECH	Eb Clarinet Mthp	E4C	440	Close	$250	Great for band and orchestral playing
ECO-TECH	Bb Clarinet Mthp	S4C	440	Close	$250	Great accuracy and precision
ECO-TECH	Bb Clarinet Mthp	S4M	440	Medium	$250	Best all purpose mouthpiece
ECO-TECH	Bb Clarinet Mthp Designed for Legere	S4M-LE	440	Medium	$250	Designed specifically for Legere European cut.
ECO-TECH	Bb Clarinet Mthp	S4MO	440	Medium Open	$250	Great for the pit musician, or jazz player
ECO-TECH	Bb Clarinet Mthp	S4P1	440	Close	$265	Designed for complete ease of playing
ECO-TECH	Alto Clarinet Mthp	A4M	440	Medium	$310	Classic design, warm inviting sound
ECO-TECH	Bassett Horn Mthp	BH4M	440	Medium	$375	True Bassett Horn facing.
ECO-TECH	Bass Clarinet Mthp	B4C	440	Close	$310	Classic design, world class mouthpiece
ECO-TECH	Bass Clarinet Mthp	B4M	440	Medium	$310	More open big projection
ECO-TECH	Contra Bass Clarinet	CB4M	440	Medium	$450	Back again after design review. Better than ever!

If you have a question about any of my mouthpieces, please contact me. I am ALWAYS interested and available to answer your questions. I am most easily contacted by e-mail and try to answer all inquires.

Since 1998, I have hand crafted over 17,000 mouthpieces!

I have shipped mouthpieces to clarinetists in professional orchestras and bands and at leading music schools around the world, including the following countries:

United States Australia Austria Argentina Belgium Bolivia Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Czech Republic Denmark England Finland France Germany Guatemala Hong Kong Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Japan

Kazakhstan Republic of Korea Latvia Luxembourg Malta Malaysia Mexico The Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru The Philippines Poland Romania Russia Scotland Singapore Slovakia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Ukraine Uruguay Venezuela

I perform extensively in orchestras, in recital, and as a soloist, and I am proud to say I play exclusively on my own mouthpieces.

I am one of the very few mouthpiece craftsmen who make mouthpieces for all clarinets:

Eb Soprano Bb and A Clarinet Alto Clarinet

Basset Horn Bass Clarinet BBb Contra Bass Clarinet

Optimized, What does this mean?

Some might call it reed friendly. Since my earliest days as a mouthpiece maker, I have attempted to optimize a given mouthpiece to a certain strength (and brand) of reed. Most of my mouthpieces are optimized for Vandoren V12 reeds and the most popular strengths, either #3, 3.5, 3.75, or 4. Of course, other brands of reeds work fine, such as Gonzales, Vandoren Rue Lepic, Peter Leuthner, etc.

Every soprano clarinet mouthpiece is also tested using Legere Signature European Cut Reeds.

The S4M-LE and the S4P1 are specifically designed to use the Legere Signature European Cut Reeds.

The concept is to make mouthpieces that fit reeds that are available, making reed selection easier and adjustment less arduous. Each mouthpiece is tested against several representative reeds fitting the description and style of the mouthpiece. How well I succeed can only be decided by your reactions and playing experiences.  Any feedback you can give me is welcomed.

"Grabner Mouthpiece Sightings"

In the United States:

The Presidents Own� Marine Corps Band

Amarillo Symphony Orchestra

Annapolis Symphoy

Arkansas Symphony

Ashville Symphony

Bellevue Symphony Orchestra

Beloit/Janesville Orchestra

Broadway Show Orchestras

Cedar Rapids Symphony

Charlotte Symphony

Chicago Chamber Players

Chicago Civic Symphony Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Cincinnati Symphony

Cleveland Symphony

Columbus Symphony

Dayton Symphony

           Detroit Symphony

Eastern Connecticut Symphony

Eugene (Oregon) Symphony

Evansville Symphony

Galveston Symphony

Golden State Pops Orchestra

Grant Park Symphony

Grand Rapids Symphony

Green Bay Symphony

Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Honolulu Symphony

The Illinois Symphony

Indianapolis Symphony

Jacksonville Symphony

Kansas City Civic Opera

Kansas City Symphony

Las Vegas Show Bands

Louisville Symphony

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Madison (WI) Chamber Orchestra

Maryland Symphony

Naples (FL) Philharmonic

New Haven Symphony

New Mexico Symphony

New York City Ballet Orchestra

New York Philharmonic

Phoenix Symphony

Portland Symphony

Portland Opera

The Piedmont Symphony Orchestra

Quad Cities Symphony

Richmond Symphony

Ridgefield (CT) Symphony

Rockford (IL) Symphony

Royal Hawaiian Band

Santa Fe Opera Orchestra

Saint Louis Symphony

Seattle Symphony

South Carolina Philharmonic

South Dakota Symphony

Southwest Michigan Symphony

Toledo Symphony Orchestra

US Air Force Band

United States Army Field Band 

US Army Ground Forces Band

US Coast Guard Band

Virginia Symphony

Waterbury (CT) Symphony

Waukegan Symphony

Wheaton Municipal Band

York (PA) Symphony Orchestra

International:

Aargauer Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland)

Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (Sydney Opera)

Banda Musicale della Marina Militare Italiana

Bilbao Symphony Orchestra

Bogota Philharmonic

CastleWard Opera Company (Ireland)

City of Southhampton Orchestra (UK)

English Chamber Orchestra

Gothenburg Opera (Sweden)

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

Icelandic Opera Orchestra

Icelandic Symphony Orchestra

Israel Philharmonic

Kindred Spirits Orchestra (Ontario, Canada)

Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre (Russia)

Latvian National Symphony Orchestra

Lugano (Italy) Wind Symphony

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Mexico City Philharmonic

National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia

Nice Philharmonic Orchestra

Novosibirsk Academic opera and ballet theater

Odessa National Theater Opera and Ballet(Ukraine)

Orquesta a Base de Sopro - Brazil

Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Italy)

Orquesta Sinfonica de la Universidad de Guanajuato

Orquestra Simfonica Sant Cugat

Orquestra Sinfonica Estadual do Parana¡

Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra

Philharmonic of Bogota

Queensland Symphony Orchestra (Australia)

Rome (Italy) Philharmonic

Royal Australian Air Force Band

Royal Danish Lifeguards Band

Royal Dutch Marine Band

Royal Norwegian Air Force Band

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Royal Swedish Opera (Stockholm)

Silesian Opera Company Czech Republic

State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Kazakhstan

Stratford Shakespeare Festival Orchestra

Swedish Armed Forces Navy Band

Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Symphony New Brunswick, Canada

Symphony Orchestra of Alicante (Spain)

Ulster (Northern Ireland) Symphony Orchestra

Ukraine National Opera Orchestra

Ural Philharmonic Orchestra

West Australian Symphony Orchestra

Young National Orchestra of Spain

Other venues:

Broadway Musicals

London West End Musicals

Las Vegas Shows

Film Score Recordings

To report a Grabner mouthpiece sighting, just send me an e-mail.

Trial and Return Policy

**** NEW POLICY ON REFUNDS - IMPORTANT ****

We are sorry to say that, effective May 1, 2021, any refunds on sales processed  through a credit card or PayPal, will be charged a 3% surcharge. This is due to policies enacted in 2019. The surcharge is NOT extra revenue for ClarinetXpress, but compensates finance fees that are NO LONGER refunded by credit card companies or PayPal back to the seller.

We will be examining other alternatives to online payments due to this development. If you can pay by check, that would also help. I also take Zelle payments. Please call 847-266-8644 if you have a question.

Please do not ask me to ship you mouthpieces without a payment. Mouthpiece blanks are not free, and my time is not free. I have a liberal trial and return policy that should easily meet your needs. 

Trial Rules:

You may order by using the shopping cart (PayPal), sending a check, or calling with a credit card number. All mouthpieces must be paid for in full before I can ship them. Refunds on returned mouthpieces are processed promptly.

You have two weeks days UPON RECEIPT to try them out. Returned mouthpieces must be postmarked by the 14th day after receipt.

*** NEW ***

Beginning with mouthpieces shipped on/after Feb 5, 2023, the trial fee will be 5% of the mouthpiece cost (not to exceed $25).

Returned mouthpieces postmarked after Due Date are considered purchased and will be returned to purchaser.  E-mail in advance if there is going to be an unavoidable delay.

Mouthpieces returned with non-removable tooth and/or ligature scratches will be considered purchased and returned.

Please use a box to mail returned mouthpieces. Padded envelopes do NOT work.

If you are returning a mouthpiece, you are responsible for it until it arrives at my address, printed above. To be safe:

Ship the item using an approved carrier.

Save all tracking info or other proof of shipment.

I recommend USPS Priority Mail. Within the U.S. USPS Priority mail is very safe and reliable, but not infallible. To be completely safe, use Signature confirmation and/or insurance.

Serial Number Tracking

As a service to my mouthpiece customers, I put serial numbers on my mouthpieces. In my records, I keep serial #, facing info, internal and external dimensions, and type and origin of blank.  Therefore, if YOUR mouthpiece is lost or broken, I can duplicate it for you.  This is important protection for your future playing security.

* Pitch:  I offer mouthpieces at 440. Of course, I cannot guarantee the pitch of your clarinet by mouthpiece alone. There are too many other factors. What it does mean, is that the 440 mouthpieces will generally play at 440 with a standard 66 mm barrel.  

The 440 mouthpieces can play at 442 with a shorter barrel, usually 1 mm shorter.

Copyright: Walter Grabner, 2004