Klarinet Archive - Posting 000848.txt from 2000/02

From: Kenneth Wolman <kwolman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Rage and Shame
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 09:06:12 -0500

I've discovered in the last few years that what I'd heard about mouthpieces
is entirely true: your mileage may vary, even within the same brand or
model. One of my soprano sax mouthpieces is a metal Selmer, very narrow
facing, and quite expensive, for classical playing. One problem: the
reeds--irrespective of whether they're Hemke, Daniel, or whatever--are too
narrow for the facing. There's more metal than there should be. And the
tip doesn't align with the reed unless you wear magnifiers. I'm not
exaggerating. I have to put on reading glasses to adjust the reed to the
mouthpiece because someone ground the thing imperfectly. I have to imagine
that refacing and tip-adjusting a metal mouthpiece is a REAL pain in the
ass and not cheap.

It also plays miserably with the standard ligature they throw in. The
Consoli ligature makes it quite playable if you've done the other things
first; but the fact that Selmer/Paris throws its mark on this thing makes
me wonder if ANYONE does a reasonable job of QC anymore. The used
Yanigasawa I got with the sax is quite fine, the Otto Link metal is
extraordinarily good; but the Selmer is a beast. I suppose 2 out of 3
ain't bad (to quote the old Meat Loaf song), but still....

Ken

----------------------
Kenneth Wolman http://www.rio-cardoner.com
"The East River. But it was not a river at all. Merely a column of water
connecting the upper harbor to the Sound. Yet everyone called it a river.
They chose not to think about it. They clung to the surface of things."
--Peter Quinn, "Banished Children of Eve"

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