Backun 'Essence' Bb Clarinet in Cocobolo with Silver Keys

Backun BCLBESSC-SKG Essence Bb Clarinet Overview

The Backun BCLBESSC-SKG Essence is a brand new Bb clarinet built to deliver modern French-style clarity with a resonant, centered tonal core and consistent intonation. Designed through hands-on testing with Backun Artists across North America, Asia, and Europe, the Essence combines a premium unstained cocobolo body with carbon fibre middle joints, Backun’s precision-machined taper and scale bore, and handcrafted key work modeled after Backun Custom Clarinets.

Backun BCLBESSC-SKG Essence Bb Clarinet Specifications

• Key: Bb
• Body material: Premium, unstained exotic hardwood (cocobolo)
• Approx. weight: 810 g
• Bore/taper: Essence precision-machined taper with Backun Scale bore
• Tone holes: Essence sculpted undercut and overcut tone holes
• Middle joints: Carbon fiber middle joints with multi-material tenons
• Keywork: Drop-forged and hardened; triple-strike silver plating
• Mechanism: Enhanced left-hand mechanism; Removable left-hand Ab/Eb key; Inline trill keys; Advanced adjustment screws for micro tuning
• Springs: Hardened blue steel springs
• Pads: Custom black leather pads; custom register pad with voicing pin
• Thumb rest: Newly designed adjustable ergonomic thumb rest with neck strap ring
• Barrels and bell: Includes Essence 66 mm and 65 mm barrels; Essence bell with sculpted metal rings
• Finish: Cocobolo wood body with silver-plated keywork and gold plated posts
• Case: Custom Backun backpack case with memory foam
• Accessories: Boveda pack, polishing cloth, cork grease, Backun warranty card (mouthpiece not included)

Condition & Setup

Brand new. This clarinet is professionally inspected, set up, and play-tested by our shop to confirm correct mechanical regulation, pad seal, and intonation reference before shipping.

Who the Essence Bb Clarinet Is For

The Backun Essence is a French-style Bb clarinet designed for serious students, advancing players, and working professionals who want a clear, responsive instrument with a rich tonal core and dependable intonation. Its design focuses on fast response and resonance while keeping the instrument light in the hands, making it well-suited to long rehearsals, orchestral and wind ensemble work, and detailed chamber playing.

What distinguishes the Essence within Backun’s lineup is that it carries Custom-clarinet-inspired key work and refined acoustic design into a more accessible series, including Essence barrels and bell with sculpted metal rings for easy projection of warmth and brilliance. If ordered with the Automatic Low F Vent, the instrument corrects low F tuning without requiring an extra key, helping players maintain pitch stability across registers in demanding repertoire.

Common Questions About the Backun BCLBESSC-SKG

Is the Backun Essence suitable for professional use?

Yes. The Essence is built with professional features including a precision-machined taper and Backun Scale bore, sculpted tone holes, drop-forged silver-plated keywork, and black leather pads, supporting consistent response and intonation for advanced performance settings.

How does cocobolo wood compare to grenadilla in the sound of the Essence clarinet?

Cocobolo clarinets differ from traditional grenadilla models primarily in density, resonance, and aesthetic character. Cocobolo—a Central American rosewood—is slightly less dense than grenadilla (African blackwood), often producing a warmer, more complex tonal color with a broader, more vibrant core and a bit more natural projection. Players sometimes describe cocobolo instruments as feeling more “alive” under the fingers, with a quicker response and greater flexibility in color. Visually, cocobolo stands out for its striking reddish-brown hues and dramatic grain patterns, in contrast to the uniform dark appearance of grenadilla. 

What is included with the Backun BCLBESSC-SKG Essence?

It includes an Essence 65 mm barrel, Essence 66 mm barrel, Essence bell, a Custom Backun backpack case with memory foam, a Boveda pack, polishing cloth, cork grease, and a Backun warranty card. Mouthpiece is not included.

We are proud to be an authorized Backun dealer