CLARINETS FROM MASTER HAND
TO MELODIOUS PRICES
Seggelke-Line
in Bflat
Seggelke-Line
in A
The Seggelke-Line
in detail
For the Seggelke-Line, barrels with two wooden rings and a slightly thicker belly has been proven to be the ideal design. The Vienna model comes with barrels with two metal rings.
The bell is of particular importance on the clarinet; its length and shape, as well as the thickness of the material, influence the response, intonation and timbre of the entire instrument. Jochen Seggelke, together with the company F. A. Uebel, has developed a special bell for the Seggelke-Line clarinets, so that the sound is carried into the room as round and focused as possible.
Basically, the keywork is heavily silver-plated. The combination of mopane with silver-plated keys is unique among German system clarinets in the price segment of the Seggelke-Line.
For mopane clarinets you can also choose 24 carat gold plating. This high-quality coating not only looks fantastic, but also sounds especially soft.
Unfortunately, this is not possible. Quite deliberately, we leave off parts of the mechanical options,which rarely improve the sound and response of a clarinet. The 21 keys allow for all important fingering options while at the same time being both economical and lightweight. Only through this standard pre-configuration can we achieve such a good price-performance ratio.
Quite deliberately, we reduce the keywork of the Seggelke-Line down to 21 keys, which still allows the playing of all important combinantions.
The buttons and key levers and their positions were designed by Jochen Seggelke together with F. A. Uebel GmbH to ensure optimal accessibility for as many hand sizes as possible. Spring tensions and keys are precisely checked and balanced during final assembly.
On the A clarinet, a bell mechanism can be added to optimize the intonation of low E and low F. This is operated by the right thumb. To ensure that the pusher is easily accessible, the thumb rest is mounted on a wooden plate. This opens up the right hand and provides an ergonomic support while holding the clarinet.
With the Seggelke-Line we offer preconfigured instruments, which are produced by F. A. Uebel GmbH according to our specifications exclusively for Seggelke clarinets. Here in Bamberg, the clarinets receive their final bore, all tone holes are reworked and the keys are adjusted. Finally, the clarinets are play-tested and checked by our master craftspersons. Additionally we select matching S&S barrels. We recommend mouthpieces that have been reworked by S&S.
We offer the Seggelke-Line with a traditional German bore or a Vienna bore
The German bore of the Seggelke-Line corresponds to the narrow bore of the clarinets of our brand “SCHWENK & SEGGELKE Bamberg“. It has a centered, throaty sound.
Our Vienna bore goes back to the clarinets traditionally played there since 1900. This is drilled much wider than the German one and also requires longer barrels. The Vienna bore sounds particularly soft and velvety-round in combination with the typical Vienna style mouthpiece and reed.
Vienna bore – with A-Ab coupling
German bore – without A-Ab coupling
Instruments made of grenadilla, silver plated mechanics
- GSD => Grenadilla, silver plated, German bore
- GSW => Grenadilla, silver plated, Vienna bore
- GSD+ => Grenadilla, silver plated, German bore, with bell mechanism (only available as A clarinet)
- GSW+ => Grenadilla, silver plated, Vienna bore, with bell mechanism (only available as A clarinet)
Mopane instruments, silver plated mechanics
- MSD => Mopane, silver plated, German bore
- MSW => Mopane, silver plated, Vienna bore
- MSD+ => Mopane, silver plated, German bore, with bell mechanism (only available in A)
- MSW+ => Mopane, silver plated, Vienna bore, with bell mechanism (only available in A)
Mopane instruments, gold plated mechanics
- MGD => Mopane, gold plated, German bore
- MGW => Mopane, gold plated, Vienna bore
- MGD+ => Mopane, gold plated, German bore, with bell mechanism (only available in A)
- MGW+ => Mopane, gold plated, Vienna bore, with bell mechanism (only available in A)
The scope of delivery includes the Seggelke-Line clarinet (upper joint, lower joint, bell), one mouthpiece, a ligature, two barrels, a case and care accessories (swab, cover cloth, cork grease, screwdriver, allen key, linseed oil and oil wiper).
All mouthpieces offered by us are provided with the bore of S&S and are individually optimized. We use our 1 mm thick special silicone mouthpiece cushions. These reduce the vibration on the teeth, and also relax the jaw.
We supply Seggelke-Line clarinets with mouthpieces matching the body bore: the German bore comes with Vandoren D20 (German facing), the Vienna bore comes with PA by J. Gleichweit (Vienna facing).
The mouthpiece facing decides which reeds fit. We recommend the following combinations:
- German facing: German reeds e.g. G cut by JSB or V21 German by Vandoren
- Vienna facing: Vienna cut by Peter Leuthner
You can also get these reeds from us.
We recommend ligatures by GF.
For beginners and advanced players, we recommend our GSD and MSD clarinets. These are optimal for playing alone as well as in a group, ensemble or orchestra. These clarinets are provided with our “German bore” and harmonize well with other clarinets made in Germany. Thus, playing music together gets wonderfully easy.
The MGD model meets the same criteria – the 4k gold-plated mechanics give the instrument a warmer sound. The instruments made of mopane generally have a softer, warmer sound than those made of grenadilla.
The GSW, MSW and MGW instruments have a wider bore (Vienna bore). Therefore, they require more resistance in the reed-mouthpiece combination and then sound particularly round and balanced. As a result, they are more suitable for players who have already gained experience or for players who come from the Austrian playing tradition.
The “classic” clarinet wood is grenadilla wood from Mozambique and Tanzania. The wood has one of the highest densities. Its natural color, which alternates between black-purple and black-dark red, is left without additional color treatment. To protect the wood from moisture, we treat it with linseed oil.
Acoustically, the wood is extremely appealing: the fundamental tone and trebles sound less strong, but the mids are well conveyed. The result is a centered, compact sound.
Our alternative to grenadilla is mopane wood (from Zambia/Zimbabwe). We have gained experience with this material at Schwenk & Seggelke clarinets since 2007.
In density and weight it is very similar to grenadilla, but has a different grain and color. The reddish base color of Mopane is interspersed with fine black stripes. It is interesting to note that the wood darkens with time. This very vividly colored wood has special sound characteristics: it sounds stronger in the room than grenadilla, i.e. more forward, which influences the playing feel. It also sounds a bit warmer and offers greater dynamic range.
