Klarinet Archive - Posting 000803.txt from 1995/05

From: Bradley Cohen <f64@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Crystal Clear?
Date: Sun, 28 May 1995 14:18:45 -0400

The crystal mouthpiece is in a way a double edged sword. The very
thing that is one of it's major advantadges is also the thing that has
garnered the most complaints. That is, the fact that crystal is harder
than hard rubber. As I am sure most of us have experienced, a hard
rubber mouthpiece changes over time due to the fact it is made out of
rubber. The crystal mouthpiece is harder (and more brittle) and
therefore stays the same until you drop it.

In my opinion, they are quite playable if you find the right one. I
was recently looking for a replacement to my beloved 12 year old Pyne
that I chipped. I tried about half a dozen Mitchell Lurie Crystal MPs
and found one that I really liked. I ended up not buying it because I
didn't want to go mouthpiece shopping again after I drop it, and
because I found a Blayman (hard rubber) that I liked a little better.

Brad