Backun Musical Services
| Backun Musical Services Ltd.
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|---|---|
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| legal form | Ltd (Canada), comparable to GmbH |
| founding | 2000 |
| Seat | Burnaby Canada
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| management | Morrie Backun, Joel Jaffe, Jeremy Backun |
| Number of employees | estimated 70–80 |
| Branch | Woodwind instrument maker |
| Website |
https://backunmusical.com/
Commons : Backun Musical Services - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
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Backun Musical Services Ltd. (BMS) is a Canadian manufacturer of Bb and A clarinets based in Burnaby , British Columbia .
history
In 2000 the clarinetist Morrie Backun and two employees opened a small repair shop for woodwind instruments. After receiving the order from the clarinetist of a well-known symphony orchestra to not only overhaul one of his clarinets, but also to make a new pear for it, namely from cocobolo wood (Dalbergia retusa), he decided to start with pears, then goblets, and from 2004 onwards also make mouthpieces for clarinets in small series. In addition, he received orders to develop designs for clarinets from other manufacturers. In 2006, Backun was commissioned by the American company Conn-Selmer, which in 2004 had taken over the American clarinet maker Leblanc, to redesign and redevelop their clarinet series. This is how Backun's first complete clarinet in Bb was born, which Conn-Selmer and Leblanc sold under the label "Leblanc by Backun". During the partnership from 2006 to 2010, Backun continued to develop accessories for the international market and made the Backun brand known worldwide.
After the end of the cooperation with Conn-Selmer, Backun presented his first custom clarinets for his own company at the NAMM Show 2011, instruments of the highest quality for professional clarinetists. In 2012, Backun built a modern factory in Burnaby, near Vancouver, equipped with the latest CNC machines and construction equipment including 3D printers and scanners. First of all, 15 people working in production there produced 30–40 clarinets and thousands of accessories per month, mostly industrially. According to Morrie Backun's intentions, 2013 numbers should be more than double that.
In January 2017, Eastman Music Company made a significant investment in Backun to acquire a strategic stake in Backun Musical Services Ltd. to obtain. This investment enabled both companies to achieve significant growth in the musical instrument market. Today (November 2019) around 50 production employees produce a considerably higher number of clarinets and accessories per month than in 2013.
Products
Backun only produces clarinets with a French fingering system (Böhm) and so far only the most common clarinets in B and A. The A clarinet, model Lumière (top model), will soon also have a basset lower piece that has already been presented .
The following clarinets are in the program:
1. Student instrument Alpha in Bb made of ABS plastic , with 17 keys, 6 rings and optional Eb lifter, with nickel-plated or silver-plated mechanics
2. Student's instrument Beta in Bb made of grenadilla wood (Melanoxylon) with 17 keys, 6 rings and optional Eb lifter, with nickel-plated or silver-plated mechanics
3. Intermediate model Protégé in Bb made of grenadilla with 17 keys, 6 rings and optional Eb lifter, silver-plated mechanics
As a limited special edition, this model is made of cocobolo, then with the same mechanism as No. 5 and 6, in some markets with also gilded mechanics.
4. Professional model Q series in B and A made of grenadilla with 17 keys, 6 rings and Eb lift and silver-plated mechanics. In a limited edition also made of cocobolo and with 18 keys, for some markets also with a gold-plated mechanism
5. Two soloist models MoBa and Lumière in B and A, optionally made of grenadilla or cocobolo, with 18 keys, 6 rings and Eb lifter, optionally with silver-plated or gold-plated mechanics. The small additional key at the bottom of the lower piece (like the Tosca from Buffet Crampon ) improves the intonation of the low-F. The two models differ in optics as well as in the bore and tone hole design, as Backun developed the Lumiere for the needs of players who are looking for a livelier and sweeter sound than that of the MoBa, which is considered dark and powerful. The Lumière model made of Cocobolo is occasionally offered for a considerable surcharge in such a way that the clarinet is made entirely from the same trunk and thus has the same grain throughout. The same offer is occasionally available for a complete set of Bb and A clarinets.
6. CG carbon clarinet in Bb and A with 18 keys, 6 rings and Eb lifter (CG are the initials of the Italian clarinetist Corrado Giuffredi). These clarinets developed by BMS, for which a patent is pending and only available from BMS, have a carbon-coated body (upper and lower part), the core of which - like the pear and bell - consists of either grenadilla or cocobolo. The coating, which is firmly pressed with the wood core, is intended to prevent cracks and increase the service life, but also leads to a different sound. The surface is mottled black.
It remains to be mentioned that differently shaped pears and beakers made of the two types of wood mentioned as well as mouthpieces for Bb and A clarinets of other makes are also offered and, as a special feature, a wooden pear for a bass clarinet, which is usually equipped with a metal bell is. The latest product is a mouthpiece for a bass clarinet.
The current prices for the models mentioned can be found on the website. The company not only sells its instruments itself, but also through a global network of dealers. Individual dealers offer certain models that they have bought in larger numbers, sometimes at significantly lower prices.
Fatboy pear
Lumiere pear
Carbon clarinet, detail
Cocobolo mug for bass clarinet
Web links
- Website
- Video: The new basset clarinet in action
- Video: Till Eulenspiegel played on two MoBa clarinets
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jane Ellsworth, A Dictionary for the Modern Clarinetist, December 23, 2014, 11
- ↑ Das Musikinstrument 9/12, Backun Musical Instruments: The best of both worlds
- ^ Note on the Eastman Music Company website
- ↑ website