Vintage Clarinet Restoration & Repair
About 17Keys
As a woodwind player who has been playing clarinet for over 35 years, 17Keys was an idea that came to me while revitalizing my own playing career after several years of absence.
With my passion and love for the instrument, I noticed how so many of these fine French made clarinets were being neglected. Clarinets that had been tucked away for decades in garages and attics were just waiting to be brought back to life and played once again. This is where 17Keys steps in. We scout out these vintage clarinets, purchase them and revitalize them to performance-ready specifications.
Our complete restoration includes inspection, cleaning and oiling, pads and spring replacement, re-corking, adjustments and performance testing. All process for each instrument are carefully performed and documented to produce an instrument that can be long enjoyed for years to come.
Why 17Keys?
17Keys represents the number of keys on the currently played standard Boehm system clarinet.
What We Do…
17Keys specializes in the restoration of European made pre-professional and professional vintage wood clarinets to performance ready specifications. There are a lot of excellent instrument repair men around and I can not thank them enough for everything they have done for me in my 30+ years of performing. But, 17Keys goes a little further than just repair.
Our goal is to refine these vintage clarinets and bring out the pure beauty of the instrument so they may be alive with the warmth, color and charm that they once had.
17Keys’ restored clarinets are not just a valuable collector’s item but a viable professional performing instrument that has undergone extensive play testing and has been finely tuned against pieces from the standard clarinet repertoire. We can afford to take our time with each instrument because we only work on a couple clarinets at a time until we get the closest we can to revealing the beauty underlying that individual instrument.
What Are Performance-Ready Specifications?
We define “Performance-Ready Specifications” as a clarinet that could be used for performances in professional bands, orchestras or as a soloist. Our clarinets go through a playing process which includes live solo and chamber performances as well as symphonic use. As the clarinet waits for its new home it continues to be pampered and adjusted so that when it arrives, you can be sure that it has not been sitting on the shelf for months.