About us
History of RZ Clarinets
The manufacture of wind instruments in the musical region Kraslice-Klingenthal-Markneukirchen (often called the ‚Musikwinkel‘) has been famous around the world, and its roots date back to the 17th century. Hand-craftsmanship has been a strong foundation of this splendid and unique tradition over the last centuries, but it disappeared in its original form in course of industrialization during the second half of the 20th century. Consequently, the creation of wind instruments in this area contracted back to the master workshops that are still anchored to the old traditions of craftsmanship.
One of those places is our RZ master workshop, established in the year 2000 in Kraslice, which is located in the western part of Bohemia. From the very beginning, the services offered have focused primarily on repairs of woodwind instruments, specializing in repairs of oboes and clarinets. The high quality of work carried out over many years contributed to our entering into cooperation with renowned German makers engaged in the manufacture of woodwind instruments. Today, strong partnerships flourish, based on a commitment to high-quality work, combined with honest business relationships. Thanks to this alliance and the continued refinement of our repair work, opportunities to broaden our enterprise presented themselves to our master workshop, and we began to plan our own instrument manufacture. The workshop has been regularly visited by the world-renowned Czech solo clarinetist Milan Rericha, who adopted the idea of a Czech-built professional instrument very quickly, and who offered his assistance with the developing work. A new partnership emerged, and concentrated work began on the preparation of a new Boehm concept for the clarinet. We were able to arrange the reliable delivery of high quality wood, and, after several years of development, filled with many prototypes, thorough testing, and fine adjustment, a new range of professional clarinets finally entered the market.
The RZ clarinets manufactured in our workshop are genuine Czech products, following the famous traditionof handcrafted musical instruments in Kraslice. They can be considered works of art and the affection and mastery of highly skilled Czech craftsmen who provide the instruments with all their craftsmanship and long-time experience. These instruments can rightly take pride of having the predicate “Czech hand-made”.
The RZ clarinets are crafted from high-quality, naturally long-seasoned Grenadilla wood, kept in its natural finish. The main features are a new polycylindrical bore, along with optimized tone hole positions. Great attention during the manufacturing process is dedicated to the key-work, which appeals with its beautiful design, impresses with its superb ergonomics, and persuades with its excellent workmanship, beginning with keys refined with long durability premium silver plating. The unique impression created by our instruments is supported by specially worked joint rings. The overall clarinet design is completed by individually developed barrels and bells made of Grenadilla or, optionally, Cocobolo wood.
The RZ Clarinets have been designed with the professional player in mind. They stand out from the start through the purity of their intonation, their easy response in all registers, and their beautiful, warm and round sound. With increasing dynamics, their support and focused foundation will fill every concert hall. All instruments are being individually play-tested by Milan Rericha, the endorser of the RZ brand, confirming his personal distribution approval by his signature on the guarantee card. RZ Clarinets offer a limited 3-years warranty.
