Klarinet Archive - Posting 000104.txt from 1998/02

From: reedman@-----.com
Subj: Kaspar Bass Clarinet mouthpieces
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 14:29:50 -0500

Kaspar Bass clarinet mouthpieces are very rare. Even more rare are
Alto Clarinet mouthpieces and Eb mouthpieces. The Kaspar bass mouthpieces
that i have seen and tried are owned by Chester Rowells who lives in
Houston. I believe he is using one and has two others. For my taste I found
that the one he was playing was decent, but the others were just not very
good. I have nothing but the greatest respect for both Kaspars and their
craftamanship, but it is very likely that they were better at evaluating
clarinet mouthpieces than bass mouthpieces. it is also highly likely that
they may have refaced bass mouthpieces as well.

I have often pointed out that one of the reasons that Kaspar
mouthpieces were successful is that there were so few individual makers
at the time. The common practice was just to use stock mouthpieces and have
them adjusted or play them "as is". Of course we have an even greater
abundance of stock mouthpieces available now , but we also have a larger
group of serious craftsman who custom make mouthpieces. Still, the vast
majority of players ( especially bass clarinetists) play "stock"
mouthpieces.

I probably sell one bass mouthpiece to every thirty clarinet
mouthpieces and even less Eb mouthpieces. In my career as a maker i have
made perhaps 2 dozen Alto/basset horn mouthpieces. All gems, I might
add :-).

Clark W Fobes

Clark W Fobes
Web Page http://www.sneezy.org/clark_fobes

   
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