Klarinet Archive - Posting 000525.txt from 2000/01

From: "J. Hobby" <jhobby@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Vandoren Mouthpiece
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 19:31:49 -0500

Interestingly, the Vandoren reed doesn't really fit, either! Just took it
out and looked. There's a fair amount of reed extending over the sides of
the table bottom. (Not as much as the MLs or the RRs. That's what I first
noticed. Trying to hold everything in place and crank the ligature down, I
twisted too hard and actually split a piece off the side of a RR reed.) The
side rails seem to be covered satisfactorily, without any overhang, though.
(You referenced regular and V12 Vandoren reeds. I assume this is a regular,
since it has no numerical designation, other than the strength of the reed.)

This is really most interesting. (Years ago,) when I was at university, and
for years after, the only mpc I ever played on was the Fountain crystal,
which I liked much better than the one that came with the Selmer 9* set. I
don't remember much discussion of different mpcs. It wasn't until recently,
when I decided to be brave and start back to playing, that I found Klarinet
and the discussions about the various units that were available.

Even if the reeds do fit strangely, for now, the Vandoren seems to play
satisfactorily. Better than the crystal. To the extent that I'm physically
able, currently, anyway, I'll give it a reasonable try and see what I'm able
to do with it. Perhaps if I'm able to get back to any sort of standard of
quality, I can look at a personally-made mpc.

Jim Hobby

> -----Original Message-----
> From: J. Hobby [mailto:jhobby@-----.net]
>
> I finally got the chance to try the Vandoren M13 mpc (with 88 on the side)
> that I found in a box of "clarinet stuff" collected from who-knows-when.
>
> Does anyone know, is this mpc physically smaller than others?
> The ligature
> used on my Pete Fountain crystal (and the stock mpc that came with the
> Selmer 9*s) slid almost off the bottom of the M13. Also, the reeds that I
> had in the case (some Rico Royals and some Mitchell Luries)
> didn't match the
> table. They all seemed to be too large. I found a couple of
> Vandoren reeds
> in the bottom of the case that fit better. Both were too soft,
> but did fit.
>
> Is this a normal situation with the M13, or am I imagining things?
>
> Jim Hobby
>
>I would probably be asking the same questions in reverse about the Fountain
>crystal or the Selmer stock mouthpiece if I found one of them. I use the
>same reeds (slightly varying strengths) on all of my mouthpieces including
>several Gigliottis and several Vandoren Profile 88's (M13, M14, M13Lyre,
>even a 5RVLyre). I also use the same ligature on all of them as well as
many
>of the mouthpieces (Bundies, Brillhardts, Yamahas, etc.) students bring to
>their first lessons. We recently had a burst of complaints here that the
>tables on the Gigliotti mouthpieces (which are modeled on the same kind of
>prototype as M-13's) are too narrow for regular or V-12 Vandorens. I've
>never had a problem with this, however, and the VD Profile 88's that I own
>accept Vandoren reeds (regular and V-12) without a problem. Are you perhaps
>used to the table's being slightly wider than the reed, such that you've
>gotten accustomed to see a sliver of the table around the edges of the
>reeds? My Profile 88's and Gigliottis don't accommodate that, but the
>"normal" reeds (including the brands you mention) fit and play quite well.

>Karl Krelove

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