Alpha Plus A Clarinet

Mozart For Everyone

For generations, the conversation around A clarinets has gone the same way. Your teacher tells you you'll need one. You look at the options. You look at the prices. And you make do.

Not anymore.

Morrie Backun — with Jeremy Backun and Joel Jaffe of Backun Musical Services — set out to solve a problem that the clarinet world had quietly accepted as unsolvable: that a truly exceptional A clarinet, built without compromise, could not exist at an accessible price. The Alpha Plus A is proof that they were wrong.

Built on What We Know. Reimagined for the A.

The Alpha Plus A shares its DNA with the instrument that helped make Backun's reputation, the Alpha Plus Bb. However, this new Alpha Plus A Clarinet was designed from first principles for the specific acoustical demands of the A clarinet.

The body is manufactured from premium, unstained grenadilla - the same exotic hardwood used in Backun's professional and custom instruments - machined with Backun's advanced techniques and featuring integrated wooden tone holes. The result is a warmth, resonance, and depth of tone that only wood can provide, delivered at a price that makes owning it a decision, not a dream.

The Engineering That Makes the Difference

Ergonomic Hardened Key Work - Designed Around You
Every key on the Alpha A is precision crafted and hardened, then laid out with the player's ergonomics as the governing principle. The result is an action that is fast, reliable, and intuitive - key work that accelerates your technique rather than limiting it. Available in nickel or silver plating, with an optional Left Hand Eb Lever in silver. 

Poly-Cylindrical Bore with Vented Tone Hole Wings
The Alpha A's poly-cylindrical bore is refined with a detail that sets it apart: vented "wings" on select tone holes that allow for optimal tuning and voicing across the full range of the instrument. This is not a cosmetic feature. It is an acoustic one - the kind of engineering decision that separates an instrument that plays in tune from one that merely plays.

Black Leather Pads
Custom Black Leather Pads are included on every Alpha Plus A Clarinet, just as they are on the Bb model. A genuine soft and waterproof leather repels moisture and provides the optimal seal that enables the toneholes and keywork to function exactly as they are designed. And they last far longer than traditional bladder pads. 

For Every Clarinetist Who Ever Wanted One
The student who is ready to play the real repertoire. The amateur who has spent years making do. The emerging professional who needs an A clarinet on stage, not someday. Now.

Backun built this instrument because we believe the same thing we always have: that the quality of your music should never be limited by the price of your instrument.

Mozart wrote K.622 for the clarinet. Not for the clarinetist who could afford the right one.

K.622 For All!

Key

• Available in A

Approx. Weight

• 754g

Features

• Proprietary synthetic body
• Precision crafted and hardened key work with triple-strike plating in nickel or silver
• Poly-cylindrical bore

Mechanics

• Adjustable thumb rest with neck strap ring
• Traditional flat springs
• Removable left-hand Eb key (optional, only available in silver)

Pads

• Black leather pads
• Cork register pad

Includes

• Alpha A 65mm Barrel (standard fit)
• Alpha Bell (standard fit)
• Backun Double Bb/A Backpack Case to carry both of your clarinets everywhere
• Cleaning swab
• Cork grease
• Backun Warranty Card
• Mouthpiece Kit: Backun Protégé Bb Mouthpiece, cap, ligature and reed