Chedeville

What Chedeville does

Chedeville designs and manufactures premium clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces and related accessories (barrels, ligatures, cleaning products). Its core technology combines CNC precision machining with expert hand craftsmanship, anchored by a proprietary hard rubber formulation branded Chedeville Rubber (CHR) — a reformulation of the super-resonant rod rubber used in original 1920s-30s Chedeville mouthpieces, authenticated by the CHR mark on qualifying products. Manufacturing is performed at the JodyJazz/Chedeville factory in Savannah, Georgia; the company uses advanced digital scanning of vintage Chedeville mouthpieces to set authentic starting blanks, and acoustical testing (Energy Transfer Impedance and Vibration Frequency Spectrum Analysis) to verify material properties.

The product portfolio is organized around four clarinet mouthpiece series: the Kanter Series (a premium collaboration with legendary studio musician James Kanter), Elite (professional-grade with CHR), Umbra (darker-toned, lower-resistance, also CHR), and SAV (an entry-tier line using standard German hard rubber for affordability). Supporting products include Kaspar and Umbra clarinet barrels, the POWER RING ligature, and accessories such as teeth protectors, microfiber cloths, and reed cases. All products are sold via direct e-commerce at chedeville.com and a global authorized dealer network spanning 25+ U.S. states and ~25 international markets, with exclusive distributors such as DUO Music in South Korea.

Chedeville serves primarily professional classical clarinetists, serious music students, and music educators, using artist endorsers (20+ globally), participation in clarinet festivals (ECA Festival, ClarinetFest, Texas Clarinet Symposium), and a 3-week trial program as its core go-to-market motion. The company is privately held as a subsidiary of JodyJazz Inc., which acquired Chedeville in 2018 from Dr. L. Omar Henderson. Pricing is unit-based, ranging from roughly $110 for a POWER RING ligature to $450 for a premium Elite or Kanter mouthpiece, with no subscription or volume-discount model.

Name

Chedeville

Legal name

Chedeville Inc.

Website

https://chedeville.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chedeville designs and manufactures premium clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces using a proprietary Chedeville Rubber (CHR) formulation, serving professional classical clarinetists, serious students, and educators through direct e-commerce and a global authorized dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Woodwind Accessories / Clarinet Mouthpieces

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric) (MPAIAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

Keywords

• Clarinet mouthpieces
• Woodwind accessories
• Clarinet barrels
• Hard rubber mouthpieces
• Saxophone mouthpieces

Headquarters

HQ city

Savannah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Clarinet Mouthpiece Sales: Primary revenue from sale of high-end classical clarinet mouthpieces across multiple series (Kanter, Elite, Umbra, SAV) and configurations (Bb, Eb, Bass Clarinet). Sold directly through e-commerce and dealer network.
2. Accessories and Related Products: Secondary revenue from ligatures (POWER RING), clarinet barrels (Kaspar, Umbra), cleaning accessories, reed cases, saxophone stands, and branded merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chedeville designs, manufactures, and sells premium clarinet mouthpieces and supporting woodwind accessories at its Savannah, Georgia factory, using a combination of CNC precision machining and expert hand craftsmanship. The portfolio centers on four mouthpiece series (Kanter, Elite, Umbra, SAV) for Bb, Eb, and Bass clarinet, with premium models made from proprietary Chedeville Rubber (CHR). Complementary products include Kaspar and Umbra clarinet barrels, POWER RING brass ligatures, and accessory items such as cleaning cloths, mouthpiece protectors, reed cases, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Chedeville is a manufacturer of premium clarinet mouthpieces and accessories, founded in Paris in the 1920s and now owned by JodyJazz Inc., operating from Savannah, Georgia. The product portfolio centers on four main mouthpiece series: Kanter (premium collaboration with James Kanter), Elite (professional-grade with proprietary Chedeville Rubber), Umbra (darker sound with less resistance), and SAV (combining Elite and Umbra qualities, student-accessible pricing). Supporting products include Kaspar and Umbra clarinet barrels, POWER RING ligatures, cleaning accessories, and protective gear. All mouthpieces bearing the CHR mark are made from proprietary Chedeville Rubber—a reformulated hard rubber recreating the pre-WWII formula—while SAV models use industry-standard German Hard Rubber. The company emphasizes old-world craftsmanship combined with new-world CNC technology and digital scanning of vintage mouthpieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KASPAR: Registered trademark acquired with Chedeville; historically produced legendary clarinet mouthpieces; now used for Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrels.
• SELECTA

Products and services

• Kanter Opera Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece Premium Bb clarinet mouthpiece developed in collaboration with James Kanter, featuring the most open facing in the Kanter series (0.047"/1.20mm tip opening) for rich sound with added depth and flexibility across all registers, crafted from Chedeville's proprietary rubber.
• Kanter Cinema Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece Bb clarinet mouthpiece collaboration with legendary studio musician and mouthpiece maker James Kanter, offering a beautiful warm sound with flexibility across musical settings and positioned in the middle of tip openings.
• Umbra Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece Bb clarinet mouthpiece featuring a darker sound color than the Elite model with less resistance, made from proprietary Chedeville Rubber (CHR) with tip openings from F00 (95) to F6 (130), developed with input from Milan Rericha.
• Elite Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece Bb clarinet mouthpiece creating a crisp, strong clarinet tone with clean approach, featuring excellent control, intonation, free-blowing nature, and easy articulation, made from proprietary Chedeville Rubber (CHR).
• Elite Bass Clarinet Mouthpiece Bass clarinet mouthpiece creating a warm, beautiful clarinet tone with excellent control and intonation, producing a warm yet strong, full tone with unsurpassed playability, made from proprietary Chedeville Rubber.
• SAV Eb Clarinet Mouthpiece Eb clarinet mouthpiece delivering a warm, full sound reminiscent of Bb clarinet with a perfect balance of warmth and projection and ease of play in the upper register.
• SAV Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece Bb clarinet mouthpiece combining the dark warmth of the Umbra with the free-blowing clean articulation of the Elite, priced for serious students.
• SAV Bass Clarinet Mouthpiece Bass clarinet mouthpiece creating a beautiful robust sound with free-blowing, clear articulation, using German Hard Rubber and available in tip openings 170, 187, and 205.
• Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrel Clarinet barrel with a unique hourglass shape designed to add power and projection while decreasing resistance, made from Hard-Anodized Aluminum and available in 63mm, 64mm, 65mm, 66mm, and 67mm lengths.
• Chedeville Umbra Clarinet Barrel Clarinet barrel made from proprietary Chedeville Rubber, designed to add warmth, depth, and body to the clarinet sound with better intonation and less resistance, available in 64mm, 65mm, 66mm, and 67mm lengths.
• POWER RING Ligature with Cap Revolutionary ligature CNC-machined from virgin brass at the Savannah, GA factory, designed to provide an optimal balance of performance and function while emphasizing the full harmonic spectrum of the clarinet, available in Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold finishes.
• Chedeville Teeth & Mpc Protector Cushions 4Pk Teeth and mouthpiece protector cushions (20mm x 14mm, 0.35mm thickness, sold in packs of four) designed to protect the mouthpiece and tooth enamel without deadening vibrations.
• Chedeville Premium Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Deluxe microfiber cleaning cloth for mouthpiece, instrument, or delicate cleaning, safely removing fingerprints and oils from metal, wood, hard rubber, and plastics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistency between mouthpieces praised by professional players - Dr. Scott Litroff states 'The consistency between mouthpieces is astounding'
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• DUO MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 June 2026DUO Music, based in Seoul, South Korea, appointed as exclusive distributor of Chedeville products in Korea. Company established as trusted resource for clarinetists offering high-quality instruments, accessories, and personalized service to students, educators, and professional performers. Partnership announced June 2026 with distribution to begin at ClarinetFest 2026 in Incheon.
• James KanterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with legendary studio musician and mouthpiece maker James Kanter on Kanter Series mouthpieces (Cinema and Opera models). Kanter designs mouthpieces which are then manufactured to his exact specifications using Chedeville's CNC precision and Chedeville Rubber material. Represents premium product line with highest price points.
• Milan Rericha (RZ Clarinets)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with international soloist and RZ Clarinets co-founder on Umbra model development. Rericha provided feedback during development process, requesting modifications for darker sound and other characteristics. Result was multiple iterations sent between Savannah factory and Czech Republic until final product achieved his vision.
• Piotrowski MusicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted dealer in Poland. Chedeville exhibits alongside Piotrowski Music at European Clarinet Congress events.
• JodyJazz Inc.flagshipOthersParent company owned by Jody Espina. Founded JodyJazz in New York City in 2000 as world's premier jazz mouthpiece company. Acquired Chedeville in 2018. All Chedeville mouthpieces manufactured at JodyJazz/Chedeville factory in Savannah, Georgia. POWER RING ligatures branded as JodyJazz products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pomarico Mouthpieces: Custom mouthpiece maker primarily serving clarinet and saxophone professionals. Directly competes in the high-end custom mouthpiece niche with similar craftsmanship-driven value proposition and similar target customer of professional classical musicians.
• Clark W. Fobes: Custom clarinet and saxophone mouthpiece manufacturer serving professional players. Directly competes in the premium mouthpiece market with handcrafted products and a similar focus on classical/jazz professional clarinetists.
• Vandoren: World's leading manufacturer of clarinet and saxophone reeds, mouthpieces, and accessories. Direct competitor in the clarinet mouthpiece category, explicitly named alongside Chedeville as the gold standard. Most comparable in product line, customer base (professional classical clarinetists), and brand positioning.
• Becon Musical Products: Specialized manufacturer of custom clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces. Directly competes in the same premium mouthpiece category with a focus on professional classical and jazz players, sharing similar customer profile and price positioning to Chedeville.

Broad incumbents

• D'Addario Woodwinds: Largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories including woodwind reeds (Rico, Reserve) and related products. Competes in adjacent woodwind accessory categories and serves the same clarinet player customer base, with materially larger scale and distribution.
• Selmer Paris: Legendary French manufacturer of clarinets, saxophones, and related accessories including mouthpieces. Direct competitor in clarinet mouthpieces but operates as a broader instrument manufacturer with much larger scale and a diversified portfolio.
• Backun Musical Services: Canadian manufacturer of professional clarinets and accessories including mouthpieces. Competes in the broader premium clarinet ecosystem with similar artist endorser model and royal-toned product positioning, though primarily an instrument manufacturer.
• Buffet Crampon: Major French manufacturer of professional clarinets, saxophones, and accessories. Competitor in the broader clarinet ecosystem serving the same professional classical customer base, with a much larger portfolio and global distribution.
• Yamaha Corporation: Global manufacturer of musical instruments including clarinets, saxophones, and mouthpieces. Indirect competitor at the entry-level and intermediate mouthpiece tiers, with a much broader product portfolio and global brand reach.

Emerging players

• RZ Clarinets: Czech-based clarinet manufacturer co-founded by Milan Rericha, who is a Chedeville endorser and Umbra model collaborator. Operates in the same premium classical clarinet ecosystem with overlap in artist relationships and target customer base, though primarily an instrument maker rather than mouthpiece specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Chedeville01
• Facebookfacebook.com/chedeville1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chedeville