Kessler Custom Performance Series Wood Clarinet
2nd Generation Design
With our Kessler Custom instruments, we have always worked on providing players exceptional performance and quality at affordable prices. Specifically, when we feel that a certain value price point for customers is not being matched with the performance level that they need, we seek to offer a solution in our Kessler Custom line. Throughout the years, we have offered a few models of clarinet but were always working to provide our customers even more. Our new Performance Series 2nd Generation Wood Clarinet is the culmination of that process!
First, it is made in the same facility that makes our 2nd Generation Low C Bass Clarinet. This instrument has received rave reviews for performance, quality and value. Our Performance Series Bb Clarinet offers this same level of design and craftsmanship.
Traditional Design
With our Performance Series, we stay with a traditional all wood clarinet. While various synthetic materials can be beneficial on larger instruments, the fact remains that on a Bb clarinet, wood is the optimal material to provide the mass needed for the tone you want. While not all woods are created equal, our clarinet is made from a high grade, unstained wood. This is paired with a traditional metal ringed design. While ringless designs have gained popularity, and were used on our previous generation of design, they also offer a higher risk of damage due to the lack of reinforcement. With our instrument’s exception cost value, we are opting to stay with traditional metal rings as the instrument will surely find its way in to the hands of younger musicians who might not always be as careful as they should.
Professional Bore
Our clarinet uses a bore that is designed to offer a richer tone, like professional clarinets. It offers exceptional intonation, fluid mechanics and a balanced response throughout all registers.
Professional Pads
We opted for a high quality, Italian leather pad for the clarinet. Leather pads offer a great life, excellent seal and a warmer tone than synthetic or traditional skin pads. This can make the lowest end of the clarinet a little too dark and tubby. So in the lower 3 pads, we upgrade to a leather pad with a domed metal resonator. This helps add a little bit of brilliance and response to these darker tonal notes, balancing out the instrument’s registers.
Additional Information
2nd Generation Performance Series Clarinet Specifications
Material | Premium Unstained Wood |
Pads | Leather Pads (with resonators in lower 3 pads) |
Key Style | Silver Plated |
Mouthpiece | Kessler Custom Plastic Student Model (upgrades available) |
Ligature | Rico H-Ligature in Gold Plate (upgrades available) |
Case | Pro Series Lightweight Custom ABS Case |
Warranty | 1 Year |
Wood vs. Hard Rubber
Some vendors of affordable performance clarinets use hard rubber instead of wood for a variety of reasons. They tout the “resonance” and “durability” of it trying to make you believe that hard rubber is actually better than wood… to be blunt, we disagree. In our opinion, a premium quality wood is immensely better than hard rubber. It has more mass and produces a richer tone. Hard rubber is less expensive and easier to manufacture with, which makes it a tempting alternative. Wood takes longer to age before it can reliably be used in an instrument… but like they say: “Good things come to those who wait”.
We believe that the “easy” way is not the right way when it comes to achieving the best performance from our Kessler Custom clarinet. We believe that a great piece of wood, like we use, is going to provide you with a better sound AND the stability that you require. Yes it costs us more and takes longer to do right, but it’s worth it because your sound is worth it.
Case Options
Stock Case: Pro Series Omebaige – Silver / Fiber Color
Lightweight and exceptionally well built, the Omebaige professional case is a very portable, lightweight case with a stunning look. This case is now the standard case provided with our Kessler Custom Performance Series Wood Clarinet.
Choose your case!
We love the case that we provide stock with our clarinet, but if you want something a bit different, take a look at these options:
Case Upgrade Options (Click to View)
ProTec ProPac Case in Black
ProTec cases are some of the best designed cases in the industry offering protection, storage and portability.
ProTec ProPac Case in Blue
ProTec cases are some of the best designed cases in the industry offering protection, storage and portability.
Professional Setup
Every 2nd Generation Performance Series wood clarinet we send out to a customer is not released from us unless it has been completely setup in our shop first. This is because the setup on our wood clarinet is of the utmost importance! Sometimes, a clarinet (regardless of who the manufacturer or the price point is) comes in needing 20 minutes of adjustments and then the very next one can require 2 hours!
This is why we perform our setup (in our www.ClarinetRepairs.com ProShop) on your new wood clarinet before delivering it to you. You trust us with your purchase and we want to make sure that you are rewarded by giving you your new Kessler Custom Artist Series wood clarinet setup flawlessly!
Financing Available
Multiple Financing Options Available!
We have a myriad of different financing options available for your new instrument! From affordable monthly payments over a longer period of time to other options that can include 0% Interest or Deferred Interest options, we can help find a way to make the instrument of your dreams become the instrument of your reality! Give us a call!
United Midwest Savings Bank
UMWSB offers flexible, long term financing with term lengths of up to 60 months at an affordable 12.99% APR. Better yet, their financing has No Pre-Payment Penalty so you can pay off your balance at anytime and only pay for the interest for the length of time you had the loan!
Minimum of $850 required for UMWSB Financing

Synchrony
Synchrony Financial is one of the national leaders in consumer financing. With deferred interest options (Interest if waived if paid off in promotional term) and sometimes, they offer manufacturer partnered promotions to offer you an even better term length.
Minimum of $299 required for Synchrony Financing