Sans LuthierCH04 - Chalumeau

For 5 years I have been using the Classic Cantabile X-20 (separately and recently updated 5 star review) and didn't expect to find a similar instrument which would be just as good and, in many ways, better.Before I continue, I must emphasise that unlike the CH01, the Sans CH04 uses the German style of fingering which in some respects is easier than the more 'standard' Baroque or English system (eg: note F) but which in others is definitely not as easy (F# is the usual example but there are many others). For anyone who plays in a group or with other musicians, the Baroque system is much more advisable. However, if you're playing on your own or mostly want to play in the key of C, the German system is fine. There are several good demos and tutorials on Youtube which cover this topic. HOWEVER, there is one superb website which has a large library of tutorials and tunes which show both Baroque and German style fingerings for each melody. One of the images shows a screenshot with the necessary details.The CH04 is a beautifully made instrument. The 'CH' stands for 'Chalumeau'. It is slender and every tone hole has edges which are slightly chamfered which makes finger placement wonderfully secure. The lower two tone holes are placed within deep cutaways which have the same effect. The mouthpiece and ligature as supplied are more than adequate but my own personal preference is to use a Yamaha 4c clarinet mouthpiece and a Rovner ligature. The reeds used are for Bb clarinet. I use either Rico, Royal or Vandoren. My key advice is to NEVER buy 'cheapo' reeds. Always buy a good, well-proven and respected brand.Sound-wise, the CH04 resembles a husky clarinet and - thankfully - is not marketed as a pocket saxophone. As it uses a reed and mouthpiece with ligature it is essential to know or learn how to care for, attach and use the reed and how to form the necessary embouchure. I have COPD and asthma, so breath control is harder for me but I find the 'back pressure' of an instrument such as the CH04 or X-20 to be very beneficial, as is the need to develop good diaphragmatic ('belly) breathing. When compared directly against the X-20 I have been very surprised and delighted to find that the Sans instrument is easier to play in terms of getting clear, strong and stable notes. It is also significantly lighter and more comfortable to hold and in that respect is also easier to play than the X-20.Being an instrument made of wood, it is essential to dry it after use and to use a good bore oil both inside and out at fairly regular periods to help prevent damage or decay because of moisture. Again, there are many good brands out there. I use 'MusicNomad band and orchestra bore oil'. This is listed on Amazon. Also see photo.The CH04 has a companion in the CH01 which, at the time of writing this review, is out of stock and unavailable on Amazon. The CH01 uses the traditional Baroque fingering and C tuning. I currently have one on order from Hobgoblin and will review that after I've had time to evaluate it . . . but if it is as good as the CH04 then it is going to be VERY good. In that event, I fear that my much-loved X-20 may well be retired!

I can't say if it is any good as there were no instructions on how to even assemble the mouthpiece and reed(note the singular not plural as listed) there was no fingering guide, pretty disappointing for over 80 quid

Made in olive wood it has a lovely attractive grain pattern. There is also a light scent to the wood which is really nice to hold. The recessed lower notes are quite nice to rest the fingers into for the lower notes [ which have half holes for the sharps].Sound quality very melodious and rich. All I did change for myself was the supplied reed which I found too thick to get to sound with ease; I changed to a 1.5 grade reed [b flat clarinet reed] instead, and sound came out so much more easily with less effort. Based in its one octave range you can increase musical choice by transposing music to fit, yourself, which is worth the effort [ in my own opinion].So simple to maintain and use - just wood, clarinet head, and cane reed that simple! No keys to stick, or buttons to get jammed. It is you that makes the sound.

I bought this for my wife who plays both clarinet and recorder - it's a mix of the two. It's got a nice clarinet tone with the fingering of the recorder. Sounds good and brought a smile to her face.

After having had the Nuvo range of instruments (Dood, JSax, Clarineo) for a while, I decided that I wanted a "proper" instrument. After much research, I settled on this one. It's my birthday, so Mrs Sunshine bought it for me. It was ordered on Saturday and arrived, as promised, the next Wednesday.My only concern was that the picture shows single holes for the D and E meaning I'd have to use half-holing for the C# and Eb. I needn't have stressed. The one I received has half-holes like a recorder (see photo) so those notes are easy. They seem to produce these in whatever woods they have available from oak, boxwood or olive. The one I received is olive wood and looks beautiful. The finish is matt and suits the instrument perfectly.The package contains a nice little carrying case, the body, the mouthpiece with the reed, ligature and a cap, a spare reed and a fingering chart. The instrument needs to be broken down to fit in the case.The lower register notes go from C4 (middle C) to D5 with all sharps and flats available - see later for more on this. The fingering in the lower register is almost identical to the recorder. I've included a picture of the fingering chart.There are TWO important criteria for any musical instrument: (i) playability and (ii) sound quality.Playability: It immediately feels comfortable and the holes fall naturally under your fingers. The mouthpiece is a standard bought-in part and feels fine. The reed has a dramatic effect on how well the instrument speaks. The two supplied are good enough to start with and play quite nicely.Because it only has a range of a ninth, you have to "fudge" it on some tunes. If the note you want is in a different octave, bring it into the octave you have. It won't sound like the original, but it sounds OK. You have to choose tunes that fall within the range of the instrument! There are plenty of them, so no worries there. You can overblow to get higher notes, I haven't experimented with this yet. Because of the physics of the instrument, it overblows a twelfth higher, so a couple of notes (10th and 11th) are missing from the scale - unavoidable.It is fully chromatic, and most of the accidentals are very accurate. Eb, Bb and G# are almost perfect and the F# is just a tad sharp, the C# seems to be very muffled. I only mention this in passing and it ISN'T a fault of this instrument; it's common to all simple keyless instruments. In practice, you won't notice it and can adjust the pitch by embouchure as you become more skilled ... but you might want to avoid playing in D major!The easiest keys to play in are C, F and G and their relative minors. F, in particular, is a nice key as the Bb is a really strong and accurate note.One of the joys of a simple instrument like this is that your fingers are in direct contact with the wood instead of metal keys. That means that you can slur notes much more easily by sliding your fingers onto and off a hole. This is a jazz player's delight.Sound: Now this is where the chalumeau really shines. Every natural note is bright and clear. Because of the physics of simple woodwind instruments, some notes ring out more than others. Classical instruments overcome this with keys to open several holes to even things out. Some slight unevenness of response is inevitable on a simple instrument like this. The wood used also has a bearing on the overtones. I've found that the G, in particular, is very bright and the E slightly less so; other notes are pretty equal. This is hardly noticeable, and after a while, you'll adjust your embouchure and blow to even things out.The reed you use also has a bearing on the sound as does your embouchure. You really do need to experiment and fine-tune these things to get the sound you want. It's never going to "just right" straight out of the box. That's one of the joys of an instrument like this ... it's a lifetime of experimentation and fine-tuning.WARNING: If you've bothered reading this far, I'm assuming that you're interested in buying one. In that case, I'll give you a word of warning: if you're expecting something that plays beautifully straight out of the box, you're going to be disappointed. It doesn't. But if you're willing to put in the time and effort to master it and get every note in tune and speaking evenly, you'll have an instrument that will provide you with a lifetime of fun.The similarity to the recorder is striking. There are, however, TWO important differences. (1) because it's a closed tube, it sounds an octave lower than the recorder and (2) you need much more breath to get a sound. The sound is VERY different and it's much easier to play without the annoying "quacking" that most beginner recorder players get.If you're new to reed instruments you'll find the first hour to be very frustrating. After a couple of days of intense practice and experimentation, you'll have it well-sorted. After a couple of months, you'll be making a decent sound. After a couple of years, you'll be playing like a pro.To illustrate this, have a look on youtube and you'll find a few videos showing both beautiful playing and some that are quite painful. The difference is the player, NOT the instrument.Another question you might want to ask is what kind of music do you want to play. For myself, it's early jazz, and this is ideal as it has sufficient range for most tunes and the common accidentals are (i) easy to play and (ii) strong and accurate. There is music written especially for the chalumeau, but this isn't the instrument you want for that; you'd need one with keys. Folkies would enjoy it and especially morris musicians for whom the range is just about enough. The unavoidably missing E and F# make many folk dance tunes unplayable, go for a keyed chalumeau.SUMMARY:Quality of materials/manufacturing/appearance - excellent.Playability - very good.Sound - depends on you, but the potential to sound very good is there.Flexibility - fine, provided you choose the right music and adapt it as necessary.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++UPDATE: I've recently started playing along to backing tracks AND THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM.The tuning is decidedly flat across the range. Playing with others and with backing tracks is painfully out of tune. See screenshots of the tuning app. The problem is certainly with the instrument and not my playing. I hope this can be resolved as I'm very happy with it otherwise.