Klarinet Archive - Posting 000035.txt from 1995/04

From: "Donald B. Kinghorn" <don@-----.EDU>
Subj: suggestions for b.c. mouthpiece
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 00:58:22 -0400

Hi everyone!
I'm the one who asked about the Noblet Bass Clarinet a few weeks ago.
(thanks again to everyone who responded :-) )
I still haven't decided if I want to buy it. My instrument budget got
a nice boost from a bunch of stuff I sold this weekend and I've read
all of the discussions about b.c. in the archives on the list server.

Soooo, my new plan is this;
I'm going to mail order (on approval) a new Vito bass and a good
mouthpiece
I'll take the Noblet and the Vito up to the music dept. and get some
opinions
Then I'll decide.

I'm not an experienced enough clarinetist to do the mouthpiece ritual
but I would like to try something of high quality. I got to visit a
"real" music store this weekend in Spokane (Pullman ie WSU, is about
100 miles from a good music store ahhhhh!) and tried a new Selmer
student model b.c. (I can't believe they ship an instrument in that
condition, the side trill keys were out of their guides I had to pop
them into place before I could play it and the action was horrible) I
also tried and old Conn. The Selmer had a Bundy mouthpiece and the
Conn had a Brilhart. I used the same reed with both m.p's and on both
instruments. There was a huge difference! The Brilhart m.p. played
and sounded enormously better on both instruments. (I wish I had
brought the Noblet with me to compare)

I would like a mouthpiece that speaks easily with good articulation
warm tone and that will allow a fairly wide lip vibrato. I know m.p.
selection is a very individual thing but suggestions would be
helpful. I think a Selmer C** or a Vandoren B45 may be what I want
but I'm not sure. These are both high quality m.p's correct?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Also, for all of you who do repair work on bass clarinets, two
questions
1) how difficult (i.e. practical) is it to tune a Vito bass clarinet?
(has anyone done it? Mr Fobes?)
2) how difficult (i.e. practical) is it to rebuild (new pads, cork
and tune) an old Noblet

Many thanks
-Don
Donald B. Kinghorn
Dept of Chemistry
Washington State University
Pullman WA 99163-4630
(509) 335-0958
don@-----.edu