Hanson HE-3V

When my the 7 year old son found my old French wooden clarinet to much of a blow, I bought him a new Hanson HE-5; this is essentially the same as the HE-3. Nine years on and he still plays the clarinet occasionally although he now has a Hanson T6. (He passed Grade 6 on the HE). The HE clarinet is tough, well made and has needed only the odd drop of key oil and one piece of cork in all the time it has been in use. The ebonite body doesn't look lovely anymore but down the bore it is perfect and the tone is as good as you can expect from a student model. The keyword is excellent and looks perfect. To retain the ebonite in good order, keep it out of the sun and wipe off any spit. You can also coat the body with a grease like lanolin. This is not a complaint - ebonite mouthpieces also discolour over time. Having seen one of these clarinets made by Hanson in their workshop I can say they are made with great care and attention. Recommend to anyone.

I've just had the pleasure of buying a Hanson student clarinet for my 11 year old son. From start to finish this Yorkshire based company provided some of the best customer service that I have ever experienced. They know their products very well and give fair, objective advice. There is no hard sell and no pressure to buy an expensive instrument that doesn't suit. They offered a hassle free trial of the instrument before we bought (actually we were sent 3 instruments to try at home) and the clarinet we finally purchased was excellent quality and value. My son is thrilled with his new clarinet and his music teacher thinks that it is a superb instrument with great tone and beautifully made. If you buy through school you get the price less VAT. I just can't recommend this company enough to anyone about to purchase a clarinet.

Hanson HE-3V - The clarinet was exactly as described on the Hanson web site. www.hansonclarinets.com

We bought directly from the company and would recommend them highly to anyone wanting to buy a real quality instrument.