Klarinet Archive - Posting 000150.txt from 1997/08

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: mouthpiece and reed freaks
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 23:07:13 -0400

At 01:25 AM 8/5/97 -0400, you 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.
>
>
Comments (ramblings from an opinionated amateur):

1.) Vandoren is not the only good mouthpiece. I have a B45 and like it's
sound, but I regularly play on a Selmer C-85. I also play a plastic
Goldentone 3. Or an O'Brien crystal, but only if I never intend to enter
the chalumeau register. There are so many variations in bore design,
facing length, and tip opening that it is almost impossible to select the
one that is right for you without much trial and comparison (I know; I own
7 different clarinet mouthpieces, and 5 for alto sax.) Price is not
necessarily a valid indicator of quality (see Goldentone, above). Refacing
should only be necessary to repair damage, and probably will not restore
the mouthpiece to what it was, only to something close.

2.) At least 80% of the tone comes from the mouthpiece and reed. This is
probably why clarinet design has been relatively ignored. No real new
ground has been broken since Buffet introduced the polycylindrical bore in
the R-13.

3.) No one should be allowed to play a clarinet unless they have first
been taught to AT LEAST diagnose significant instrument malfunctions
(missing pads, severe regulation problems). By high school, anyone who
cannot perform simple repairs (replace a pad or key cork) is not a serious
player. Any professional or serious amateur who cannot completely
disassemble and reassemble a clarinet in less than an hour and repair, at
least temporarily, anything that does not require a soldering torch, had
better carry a spare horn at all times. That said, it still never hurts to
have a real technician check the horn on a regular basis. I have repadded
my own and other clarinets before, but when my Selmer Series 10 needed it,
I had it done professionally. No sense taking chances with the good ax.
Same comments apply to all woodwind and sax players.

3.) Looking forward to your manifesto. Sorry I got carried away, folks.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.