Thank you for the way in which you helped Emilly and your generosity...  I wish you every success...

Geoff Mountain

Driffield

Sarah and Bethany Porter

Hereford

The clarinet and accessories are brilliant!...

Annette Grace

Below: more extracts from letters and emails.

Thank you to all our customers for your kind words - it makes our jobs much more worthwhile to know we’re appreciated!

I am writing to thank you for the wonderful service regarding the purchase of a SE5 Grenadilla. My wife was speechless at the quality of the instrument. It is a worthy successor to her current clarinet which she has had for 27 years and which holds many memories. Already she is thinking of looking for a local ensemble to join so as to do justice to her new instrument, and I guess that is what music is all about, passion and excitement.

I wish you every success in growing your business and reputation and be assured that we will be back for another clarinet soon when our daughter outgrows her beginner instrument.

Many thanks

Paul Gibbons

Dear Alastair,

... I now have a beautiful clarinet! I received him yesterday and he is really lovely. I play yesterday either, everything was great the sound, the mechanics! I don't really know what to say! It's amazing! I'm very happy with it! Thanks again for the great services and the lovely clarinet!

Best wishes,

Jolanda van Eijden

Netherlands

 

Dear Mr Hanson

I received my new SE-5 grenadilla wood clarinet about 10 days ago and I have to say that I am really delighted with it. It is a quality instrument and has an excellent tone. Compared to my old [clarinet] it is a great improvement and I am happily playing a lot more than I have done over recent months!

Many thanks for all your help. You have every reason to be proud of your company - the quality of service and of product is exceptional.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Oldham

Thank you very much for the clarinet for my son David, it arrived yesterday. I have tried it out and am very impressed with it. His teacher saw it today and said it was very good.

My son is very keen on the 'case'. The only thing I could've done with this morning as he rushed out the door eager to take it to school was somewhere to put his name on the outside!

Again, many thanks for your help and friendly service.

Grace Steele

feedback- we particularly appreciate feedback and suggestions from our customers - as a result of Grace's e-mail we are incorporating a name badge place on our next case 'design update'.  A complementary next issue case will be on it's way to Grace when they are finished.  Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Dear Alastair

The clarinet is lovely and my daughter is delighted with it.  She has already been able to get some good sounds from it and is really looking forward to going back to school starting lessons.

Yours sincerely

    Elizabeth Allen

           Lutton - Ivybridge

Dear Mr Hanson,

Many thanks for your prompt delivery of a HE-3V clarinet.  My daughter Jenna is absolutely delighted by its looks, sound and playability.

You were right to recommend the 5RV mouthpiece; it does sound warmer/fuller than her previous model and Jenna prefers it.

Once again many thanks and we wish you all the best possible success in the future.

Yours sincerely

Peter Hawkins

Cheltenham - Gloucester

Dear Alastair

The clarinet is lovely and my daughter is delighted with it.  She has already been able to get some good sounds from it and is really looking forward to going back to school starting lessons.

Yours sincerely

    Elizabeth Allen

           Lutton - Ivybridge

Having already bought a clarinet from you which was rather successful we decided to buy a saxophone and that was similarly very successful.

Next child wants a flute.

Can you assist with this latest development ?

Thanking you in advance

Jon

Jon Carver

 

and a short while later....

You guys are just a complete bunch of stars !

I would love to take you up on your offer and am fairly confident you will have a sale (whether I would be borrowing it or not) come November.

Please, on top of this, feel free to offer my email address to any customers of a nervous disposition who wish to contact someone who (all things being equal) will have bought 3 totally separate items over 3 years. I know I was one once nervous of buying something unknown.

Wishing you all the very best.

Jon

Jon Carver

note: thanks very much Jon - very much appreciated...  Jons e-mail is available upon request:  info@hansonmusic.co.uk

The clarinet and accessories are brilliant!

Many thanks

Annette Grace

              UK

 

Speed of reply to telephone message brilliant.  Clarinet delivered 08.50 following morning- excellent!

I would definitely recommend! 

 

 

I am delighted with the outfit and will promote your services to my friends.

Once again, thank you  for the quality of your product and the quality of your sales service.

Yours sincerely

Mauric Cairens

              Glasgow - Scotland

 

 

Great!

Bedford School think the clarinet I ordered for my son is so great they are going to order some for themselves!

 

 

The clarinet is great - I'll certainly be seeing my pupils do order from you direct in the future.

Yours sincerely

Terese Clarke

              Cardiff - Wales

 

 

Extremely impressed with the whole set up.

Instrument wonderful!

Would definitely recommend you to anyone.

Brilliant!!

       AR & LM Bruce

               Preston - Lancashire

 

 

We are thrilled with the instrument and you may find that  [our teachers'] students  lining up to buy instruments.

        G. Illan

               Kingswood - Surrey

 

 

It's a pity other companies don't operate like yourselves.  Absolutely first class, a pleasure to do business.

   My daughter said - "best Christmas present she has had".   The case ; excellent idea!

    Patrick McDyer

                    Tytreth - Wales

 

This next letter and review was also sent as an open letter to the 'klarinet mailing list' - a discussion list for clarinet players and enthusiasts. For more details visit the International Clarinet Association.  Klarinet is supported by the I.C.A., http://www.clarinet.org/

 

This week I received a Hanson student clarinet outfit (HE-3-V) that I ordered for my 5th grade daughter in her 2nd year of band and wanted to share my opinion with you.

I play tested and priced the Vito 7212 and Buffet B10 instruments before placing my Hanson order.   The final decision to go with Hanson was based on price/value comparisons between the instruments I could play test,  Alastair Hanson’s verbal and written promise of commitment to customer satisfaction,   a 30-day full refund Hanson policy and the 5-year Hanson warranty.

In summary; it is priced lower, has more features, has better overall quality and craftsmanship, has a great guarantee and includes more and better accessories.

The look, feel and overall craftsmanship is superior.   The key’s have a nicer feel, tight with no play whatsoever.   The Pisoni pads are excellent, they seal tight and the key mechanism positions them accurately with no play. It is free blowing throughout all ranges and feels good in hand.

Compared to my Patricola Bb I’d say the keys and mechanisms are very comparable, the major difference is in the left-hand pinky key position and plating materials.   On the Hanson HE-3-V, they are closer to the thumb, forcing me to arch my pinky…an obvious advantage for kids.

It is made of ebonite and has a “brushed” finish that gives it a wooden appearance, very similar to the finish on the new Selmer ebonite bass clarinets.   The case is very nice too; small and light with provisions to carrying by hand or as a backpack.   It even comes with 2 barrels, Vandoren 5RV or B45 mouthpiece, 2 Vandoren 1.5 or 2 V12 reeds,  BG revelation ligature (I personally despise the BG ligatures, but that is me), BG pull through swab and a tube of cork grease.

My daughter really plays her heart out now. I don’t know if it’s due to the fact that the Hanson is so much more free blowing and easy to articulate compared to her wooden Noblet N or the pride of ownership, but she became a better player immediately. (Even after the N was completely overhauled by a professional repairman who’s been in his business for over 40 years).

Alastair Hanson says my daughter’s is the first HE-3-V ever sold in the USA, but that will most certainly change, as it becomes known. I whole-heartedly recommend that anyone out there who is looking for an entry-level student clarinet take a very close look at Hanson.

You will not be disappointed!           

                  Mike Barnes

                    Freeburg - IL- USA

 

Thankyou very much.

We were delighted with the clarinet and Emily's music teacher was very impressed

Matthew Heath

UK

 

 

Thankyou for your speedy service: goods ordered on 23/12/02 arrived within 24 hours ready for Christmas!

I will use your services again and have recommended you to several of my friends.

         Edinburgh - Scotland

Dear Sir,

... my son is very pleased; he says it's the best in his lesson now!

   Yours sincerely

       Sarah Eastaugh

            Watford - England

Greetings Steve and Alistair:

 I just wanted to let you know that the clarinet arrived Thursday, and we love it!  Peter (our 12-year-old budding clarinetist) took it in to his class on Friday morning, and his teacher, Mr. Nelson, was VERY impressed.  He checked it out in detail, and took one of your business cards that you had tucked in the front zip pocket. 

 Many thanks again!

 Janet Bergeson

Providence, Utah. - USA

 

 

Dear Mr Hanson,

... I would like to add how delighted we were with the quality of the whole  [clarinet] outfit.

 My  son's  clarinet  teacher confirmed  all  you had claimed  and  considered it  excellent  for  a  student beginner.

  She has taken your card and will be recommending you to her pupils.

       Thankyou once again.

           Stephen Crick

        Knaresborough, North Yorkshire - England

....thankyou for a wonderful service.... for being so helpful and producing such a lovely clarinet so promptly.

  My daughter will have great pleasure in learning to play the clarinet with such a beautiful instrument.  No doubt we will be back in touch in future for an upgrade.

     Mrs S Diggle

           Slough - England

The clarinet is lovely and my daughter is delighted with it.  she has been able to get some good sounds from it already and is really looking forward to going back to school...

Elizabeth Allen

Luton - England

Dear Alistair,

[my daughter] is delighted with [her clarinet] and plays it like mad (unlike the piano which was a complete battle!)

Many thanks again

Robin Kelly

Jersey - Channel Islands

Dear Alastair,

enclosed a copy of my (grade exam) certificate.  I'm really very grateful!

Not bad for a 74 year old man

Cheers

Terry Smith

Wakefield - England

congratulations on your exam success Terry - keep up the hard work!

Many thanks for a superb service

Best wishes

June Smalley

London - England

Thanks very much .  teacher pronounced himself 'very happy' with clarinet & tone although he was not familiar with Hanson.  thanks for the tips.

Peter Rees

London - UK

Many thanks for the HE-3 clarinet outfit received safely yesterday.  It looks good, feels good and sounds good

Thanks again

Ron Ulston

Brookhouse - Lancaster - UK

Dear Alastair,

Having spent more time trying [the clarinets] out I am very impressed...

Yours sincerely

R Salmon ARCM Cert Ed.

Worksop - UK

 

Dear Mr Hanson

delighted to have found this instrument available throught the internet - the way forward; great service, great product, great price - well done

Regards

Mr A Roberts

Andover - UK

'Excellent'

I would definitely  recommend to a friend.  When I spoke to a sales advisor he was very patient with me, answered all my questions.  Really friendly.  Lots of helpful advice.

Joanne Patchell

Grays - Essex

The clarinet and accessories are brilliant!

Many thanks

Annette Grace

 

            Clarinet arrived this morning, it looks great.

                   Thankyou very much

                       Helen Okell

                              Taunton - Somerset - England

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are very pleased with the quality of the clarinet - thanks once again

Maureen Dransfield

  Thanks again Alastair for a GRAND job!

            Malcolm Kirkpatrick

               Edinburgh - Scotland

Dear Mr Hanson

              Thankyou for the clarinet which my daughter Alice adores...

                Annie Renwick

                        Skelmersdale, Lancs - England

           

Thankyou for sending [the clarinet] to me - it seems to have hit the spot and my daughter can already play three notes and shall be up to six by the end of the week!

   My thanks again to you for your time and help.

       James Rogers

             London

             Thankyou for the excellent job.

                             Yours sincerely

                                 Christopher Blood                   

                                                             Clifton, York

Brilliant!

Thanks again

Joel Hunter

London