Apply now with Synchrony

About us

Uniting Craftsmanship and Musicianship

As a team of professional clarinetists and educators, we understand the bond between a musician and their instrument.[...] Our passion is matching the musician with the tools they need to express themselves in the most natural and exciting ways, helping you to find and share your unique voice with the world. All Corbin products are meticulously hand-crafted here in the USA using precision machining techniques, hand-selected exotic wood, and tested by Brian, Lilly, and our team of professional clarinetists. Our new and used instruments, no matter the brand, are all set up to perform at the highest level right out of the box. We combine artisan craftsmanship and artistry to help you along your musical journey, wherever the path leads you.

Read More

Frequently Asked Questions

Curious about our clarinets? We've got all the answers you're searching for right here.

How long have you been making accessories?

I started learning basic repair and acoustical skills as a self-taught undergraduate Music Education student at Indiana University in 2012 in order to better serve the students I taught, many of whom had non-functioning instruments. Over the years I began to start woodworking, prototyping products via wood lathe and 3D printing, and made connections with shops who specialized in low tolerance manufacturing. It was in 2016 as a graduate student at Florida State University that I first began manufacturing and selling products, starting with our Focus barrel designed for my older R13 clarinet.

What makes you different from other clarinet shops?

We pride ourselves on having a service-based vision that helps musicians of all calibers achieve their goals. We are both professional, performing clarinetists that understand the extreme level of detail and care needed to perform at a high level, including an instrument that serves your voice. All of our representatives are also highly accomplished clarinetists and educators. Every instrument for direct trial to our customers is set up with balanced spring tensions, proper venting / key heights, barrel and bell matching to your preferences, etc. We play test each instrument and make sure they are performance ready out of the box. Of course, wooden clarinets should be properly broken in and we provide our detailed break-in procedure to those who buy a new wooden clarinet. Although you may have specific preferences for tensions, ring heights, or other specifics that can be adjusted by your local technician if needed, we will not send you anything that we could not perform on ourselves.

Corbin barrels are all my original designs or collaborations with other artists, and they are made in small batches from the highest quality aged wood. Although we have several partners here in the USA that make parts or blanks for us, all Corbin products are hand-finished and tested here in Virginia.

If you’re looking for a Royal Global instrument specifically, we can help direct you to a dealer closer to you, especially if we don’t have stock of the instrument you’re looking for (this is very common with the Royal Global bass clarinets due to their popularity). We’d love to have you come visit us, but we are big proponents of shopping locally and supporting your community wherever possible.

What is your Trial Policy?

All in stock clarinets, barrels, and resonators are available for trial. A refund will be issued for items that are returned in new condition, less shipping charges incurred by seller and a 6% restocking fee. There is no restocking fee if any purchase is made from the trial, or if an item is postmarked for return within 3 business days from delivery. Trial returns must be postmarked no later than 7 days after delivery for accessories, or 10 days for clarinets, and include the original invoice. Damaged items will be returned to the buyer and considered sold. Return items using insured shipping to:

B. Corbin Clarinet Products
1215 N Military Hwy #103
Norfolk, VA 23502

Why do you charge a restock fee?

All of our clarinets for direct customer trial come with a professional set up that takes several hours to complete, while all of our barrels are hand-crafted and often made to order in small batches to allow for the best wood aging practices. We charge the restock fee to cover any refinishing or buffing of barrels, testing and cleaning/adjusting of returned clarinets, and to literally restock items that have been shipped. The restock fee can be avoided on all accessory trials (barrels, bells, resonators) by making a purchase or notifying us and shipping all items back within 3 days of delivery. This allows for customers to check the fit of our products on their instrument without worry.