Klarinet Archive - Posting 000034.txt from 1995/05

From: Lisa Clayton <clayton@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Mouthpiece repair/refacing
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 16:56:01 -0400

> I am writing a research paper on the maintenance/repair and refacing of
> clarinet/sax mouthpieces. In my research so far, it apperars that it might
> be more cost affective to buy a new mouthpiece than to pay an expert to
> reface it.

This is by no means general interest, and frankly, it isn't even on
topic really, but it's good for your mid-afternoon wince.

Back in high school, I played on the loaner bass clarinet, and being
a clumsy lass, I managed to drop the mouthpiece and break it fairly
cleanly in three pieces. Horrified, I cut my last class and went
down to the local music store and found out that a new bass clarinet
mouthpiece was going to cost about thirty bucks, much more than I
had at the time. I'd have to save up my milk money, but in the meantime
I couldn't get hold of a mouthpiece. So I went home, got out my
dad's epoxy, and glued two of the three pieces together. The third
piece was too small and didn't stay put, so I ended up wrapping some
black electrical tape around the end to make up for the rather large chip.

I tried it out the next day, and miracle of miracles, it worked.
That is, it played, and relatively in tune with the rest of my
fair-to-middling high school band. Of course the sound itself was
pretty muddy and buzzy at times, but at least it played until I
could get the money for a new, cheap mouthpiece.

Now, if that didn't appal you enough, I could talk about how I kept
my marching lyre up with a radiator hose clamp...

____ Lisa K. Clayton Geek |GS/M d-- H++ s:++ g+++ p3 !au a32 w+ C++++ P--
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"There is nothing more onanistic than playing the bass clarinet by yourself"
-Steve Trier