Kaspar Barrel Chedeville

We'll be honest — this barrel looks a little strange. The hourglass shape turns heads, and not always in the way a player expects. But it's our best-selling barrel for a reason, and once you've played it, the shape makes complete sense.

The hourglass exterior is directly inspired by the interior bore geometry — the shape that does the acoustic work. By reducing the material at the centre of the barrel, the exterior design increases resonance and lets the barrel respond more freely. The result is a powerful, projecting sound with less resistance than a standard barrel produces. You get more with less effort, which is exactly what a good barrel upgrade should deliver.

The hard-anodized aluminum construction is what makes all of this possible. Aluminum is lighter than wood, more acoustically responsive in this design context, and completely immune to the cracking, warping, and dimensional changes that wooden barrels face in Calgary's climate. It will play identically in January and July, in a dry rehearsal room or a humid concert hall.

The Kaspar name carries real heritage — Frank Kaspar's pre-WWII mouthpieces are considered some of the most desirable vintage clarinet mouthpieces ever made, and the CB1 honours that tradition of innovation in a genuinely original way.

It's the best barrel we've ever played on. Try it alongside a few wooden options and see for yourself.