Klarinet Archive - Posting 000128.txt from 1997/08

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: Re: mouthpiece and reed freaks
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 16:35:51 -0400

Oh boy! You must be the person I need to talk to because there is so much I
want to learn about mouthpiece facing and bore design that has yet to be
revealed to me by anybody so far on the list.

Since you have obviously looked in to this to have such a considered
technical opinion, please explain a few things for me.

What is the difference between an Vandoren mouthpiece and a Hawkins or Smith
or a Kaspar?

What parameters are important in the facing design? Is one design correct?
Why do many designs exist? Is it a matter of taste or is the B45 pretty much
what we should all be playing? Wouldn't it be great to have only one
mouthpiece so that we could all sound pretty much the same?

I know bore diameter and taper dimensions are important, they have been
explained previously, but what about the other dimensions how do they affect
the sound?

In your "humble" opinion you have determined that some of the great clarinet
technicians are idiots. Which ones are they so that I don't waste my money?
If they are idiots, and we emulate them by working on our own clarinets then
are we idiots too?

Wanting to know...

Jerry Korten
M&R F from
NYC

In a message dated 97-08-05 01:27:22 EDT, GTGallant wrote:

<<
If I read another article or hear about people who make their own reeds or
"reface" mouthpieces I may throw up! The best mouthpieces already exist.
Do
you want to know the secret? They are less expensive than nearly all
professionl models on the market today. Since the suspense is killing you
at
this point I'll divulge my wisdom upon thine now. VANDOREN (preferably the
B45 series). Wow, does'nt it feel great to put all those mouthpiece
refacers
and makers out of business! Never buy a silly $150 mouthpiece just because
some idiot rubbed it across a sheet of sandpaper a few times. They are
ripping you off! It's all bore design, baby! When was the last time you
heard an actual discussion on the instrumant itself? Probably once, in a
far
away place in a dark alley. This is why clarinets (all brands except maybe
Rossi) are inferior to other wind instruments because nobody seems concerned
with their construction. Mass production manufactures keep producing
garbage
that professionals accept as "top of the line" and they seem perfectly
comfortable with that notion. My humble opinion is that most players are
afraid to turn a screw without consulting a repairman first. Fellow
clarinetists, the instrument is not a mystical object, bound by magic and
prayed over, but a piece of wood with metal attached to it. I'm getting off
track a little bit, sorry! I am preparing a manifesto regarding the new
direction in clarinet technology that some of you may find interesting.
Does
anyone feel the same?

Comments are indeed encouraged. P.S - What's up with repairmen?
Big
deal.
>>