Paetzold by Kunath Recorders Set Standards - for Decades.

The basses from Paetzold by Kunath are characterized on the one hand by the cranked construction and the special key design. Both features make then instruments particularly compact and easy to grip.

Since 2012 Kunath Instrumentenbau continues the workshop of Herbert Paetzold. The concern of the 16 instrument makers is to continue to incorporate the innovative power inherent in these instruments into their daily work.

Bass recorders are heavy instruments by nature. Conventional manufacturing methods cannot get to grips with this. Paetzold by Kunath basses are usually made of plywood. Plywood is an often misunderstood material. It is made from particularly high-quality pieces of wood, is very dimensionally stable, and insensitive to cracks due to its crosswise gluing. These properties are especially positive for a wind instrument, which is constantly in contact with moisture. However, plywood does not make instruments any lighter.

To overcome this challenge, it was necessary to develop a completely new manufacturing process. 3-D printing is a new possibility with which high-quality components can already be created today. Over the course of more than three years, a possibility was created in Fulda, Germany with material developers and mechanical engineers to produce bodies of woodwind instruments using the 3-D printing process.

These 3-D printed instruments are up to 40% lighter than traditionally manufactured recorders. They are insensitive to moisture variations.

The entry level is the Solo series, where the instruments are completely 3-D printed. They are the lightweights and are appreciated by many players for their ease of use. The sound is reminiscent of instruments made of cherry wood.

In the Master model series, the instruments are still made of plywood and other noble materials. They represent the master class. Here the motto is "better is not possible".

But not only the instruments, but also the accessories have been completely revised and expanded in many areas.

The stands, which used to be detached from the instrument by a kicking mechanism, have been completely redesigned. The new cross stands are easier to assemble and also more attractive in price. Since many instruments have been equipped with the new telescopic spines in recent years, it was necessary to develop another stand. The result is the head cross stand. With this variant, it is not the foot of the instrument that stands in the stand, but the head. This way, the telescopic spine does not have to be removed during short breaks in playing.

The twin stand is the combination of both stands. It connects the cross stand with the head cross stand. Since it also consists of only three plates, this stand fits into all cases sold by Paetzold or Paetzold by Kunath in recent years.

With new developments it is always important to us that the new accessories, the improvements or the revised details are compatible to the old instruments.

This means that you can have your old Paetzold Bass completely updated, except for the exterior, as part of a general overhaul.

One of the biggest innovations in recent years has been the Direct-Blow headjoints, which are offered on all models. The Paetzold by Kunath basses have always been characterized by great musical maneuverability due to their short blowing headers. With the Direct Blow headjoints, players are given even greater musical expression, as the instruments up to the 3.6 m long subcontrabass are played directly on the windway.

Again, we have made sure that the new direct blow headstocks can be purchased to go with any existing Paetzold bass.

However, since the models have always improved slightly in the more than 40 years, it makes sense to send the instrument to our workshop for such an adjustment. If you have any questions about this, please contact the RecorderForge.com team.

Players who play in large recorder ensembles will probably already know the new model of the subcontrabass. In our daily work, however, we notice again and again that folks are unaware that the new subcontrabass is more compact, but also powerful in sound. Many orchestra conductors are happy about the deep F-F# key, which was not present in the first model.

Special adjustments to the key action are also possible at the customer's request. For example, small links can be added to the overblown keys to further facilitate fingering, should the comfortable hand position need to adjust over time.

Since Paetzold by Kunath bass recorders are not only played in the classical field, but are especially often used in modern or popular music, we offer interested customers the installation of a high-quality microphone system. This microphone can be either wired or wireless.

From the above list you can see that the instrument makers at Paetzold by Kunath try to customize the instruments as much as possible to meet each customer's individual needs. If you have any special wishes, we would be very pleased if you contact us so that we can work out an individual solution for you.