This wood has been in use since the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century and is now probably the most widely used for clarinets. At that time, it was easy to acquire in large quantities and good quality and could be quickly processed to size for mass production. The wood has one of the highest densities. The fundamental tone, as well as the high frequencies are less dominant, whereas the middle ones are conveyed rather well. A centered, compact sound is the result.

Since we made the first clarinets from mopane around 2007, this special wood has increasingly conquered the world of clarinets. The wood is only known to us by its African name. In terms of density and weight, it is very similar to grenadilla (which is called “mpingo” in swahili – the proximity can be seen here), but has a different grain pattern and a different color. After oxidation and oiling, it turns a deep dark red to reddish brown.

Not only does it look fantastic, but the special sound is immediately noticed by players and listeners alike. In terms of sound, mopane fills the middle ground between grenadilla and boxwood. In comparison to grenadilla, it fills the room more directly and has a more forward sound, which in turn influences the playing feel. In its compactness, mopane is close to boxwood, which, however, enables an even greater dynamic range. This makes it a voice of its own.

Boxwood has been used in instrument making since the clarinet was invented over 300 years ago. However, boxwood has been used less and less since the beginning of the 20th century due to industrial production and the possibility of importing exotic woods via the colonies. In addition, the wood was hardly available in the required quantity due to the very slow-growing stock. Our experience in rebuilding historical clarinets and the audibly different properties of boxwood have prompted us to make modern clarinets from this fantastic material again.

Boxwood instruments offer great tonal flexibility and dense sound even in extreme dynamics (soft and loud) and extreme pitches (high and low). The result is more expressive playing, with no loss of volume or focus.

We have now built over 250 clarinets of various tunings and designs from boxwood – and the trend is rising (as of 2023). Above all, the visually very elegant instruments impress us with their finest shadowings and dynamic nuances.

This wood has a looser fiber structure, which is why it is better suited for deep instruments. We therefore mainly use it to make basset horns and bass clarinets. The sound is slightly less compact, very colorful and somewhat softer. This results in an interesting character of its own, which is desired by some musicians.

In collaboration with our local dealer (Prosono from Johannesburg), we have named Leadwood “Elegant Wood”, as there is as yet no popular name for this interesting wood. We purchased the first scantlings before 2016 and have now made our first clarinets from them.

The sound can be classified somewhere between mopane and grenadilla and – like the look – has some interesting colors. This is also what we mean by sustainability: developing alternatives and thus maintaining or expanding colorfulness.