Klarinet Archive - Posting 000055.txt from 2005/04
From: X-MailScanner-tom.henson@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] Wurlitzer Mouthpieces
Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 11:19:46 -0400
Well this is a very good question that Michele asks because I also asked
myself this same one.
I was just at the Wurlitzer workshop on March 24th to pick up my new
Reform-Boehm clarinet and I saw no evidence of them having any of the hard
rubber ones available. At least they did not give me a choice and I would
definitely have wanted to try them out and compare if I suspected that they
had any. It may be possible that they do have a few old stock ones left and
that if pressed they would look for some, but I did not press the point. The
mouthpieces that I tried worked so well that I saw little reason to.
The current mouthpieces that they offer are indeed made out of some form of
plastic and are molded. I actually did not realize this at first when I was
upstairs trying out my clarinet and deciding which model mouthpieces I
wanted to take with me for a longer test.
Bernd brought my clarinet into the testing room and told me that Ulrich
(Herbert Wurlitzer's son) had picked out a mouthpiece that he felt worked
well with my clarinet. It was a K4 with a Vandoren White Master 2 1/2 reed
tied off with the string. This mouthpiece was solid black in color and
looked just like a hard rubber one.
It did work very well and ended up being one of the ones that I took with me
for a longer test. I did ask Bernd if I could try out some of the other
models while I was there. It was not until he brought in another K4, K4*,
M5, and M5+ that I realized that some of the mouthpiece were a dark
grey/black or charcoal color and if held up to the light you could see
through them. It was then that I realized they were plastic.
I have to say that I was a little surprised at this, but in my testing I
honestly could find no fault with them. I took 5 home with me and am still
testing them now. They all play just as well as any hard rubber mouthpiece
that I own. The facing is of course machined and there is some hand work
around the tip, but the inside of the mouthpiece does not have any tool
marks that I can see. This leads me to believe that they have a very exact
molding process. I do see evidence that the chamber is molded with different
internal dimensions, so there was a lot of work that went into producing the
mold for each model blank I suspect to get it just right. With Wurlitzer's
reputation for excellence, I would not expect that they are supplying
plastic mouthpieces as a cost saving factor. Nothing I saw in their workshop
led me to believe that they cut any corners anywhere in their manufacturing
process. Every aspect of their work is of the highest known quality and
skill. I have to believe that if they are supplying plastic moutpieces it is
because they feel they are just as good as the hard rubber ones they have
supplied in the past, maybe superior. It is possible that the high tech
plastic that they use is less suspectable to shrinkage when cooling in a
mold and thus produces a more exact blank to the master.
I also wonder if the plastic resin that they use will hold up as well as
rubber does. My limited knowledge of plastic resin leads me to believe that
if they used a resin with the right properties (UV and heat resistant for
one) that they will last just as long as a rubber one. They might even be
less suspectible to warping if the resin is molecuraly more stable than hard
rubber. I also see no reason why they could not be refaced if needed just
like any rubber mouthpiece. There seems to be enough material there to work
with.
Now, the fact that they are using plastic instead of rubber brings up an
inevitable point. Does the traditional hard rubber have any inherent
properties that would allow it to produce a superior sound from the plastic?
That is a very good question and it sounds like Michele may feel perhaps
that it does, but I will not put words into her mouth.
It also could be that the older Wurlitzer mouthpieces used the more
traditional German design that requires you to use a harder reed. It has
been mentioned on this list that the current German mouthpiece design favors
a softer reed such as a 2 1/2 to 3. I can concur that this is true, as I
tried using a 3 1/2 Vandoren White Master on all of the Wurlitzer
mouthpieces that I have and it just does not work well at all, at least for
myself. I got very poor results. I have not tried any other brand of German
mouthpiece at this time, but may do so in the future.
I also was able to stop by Hans Zinner's workshop in Marktrodach and spend
some time with him and his son Carsten. I was looking for a French
mouthpiece that I could use with the Reform-Boehm Wurlitzer that I had just
picked up. I had a set of barrels made that will allow me to use a French
mouthpiece. The main difference is in the socket diameter and depth.
Wurlitzer does not advertise that they have these barrels available, but if
asked, they will acknowledge that they have them and you can buy them. Bernd
claimed, that with the right French mouthpiece, you could play their
Reform-Boehm clarinets just as well as with a German mouthpiece.
Hans Zinner measured the barrel that I had and then brought me some
mouthpieces to try. I found one that worked extemely well. I have not tested
it enough yet to draw any final conclusions, but it does seems to work well.
Using a French mouthpiece on a Wurlitzer does affect the sound that you get
to some degree, so this may not be what I end up using full time.
Cooincidentally, the Zinner mouthpiece also works great on my Buffet Tosca.
I would suggest to Michele that if she is unable to obtain one of the older
model Wurlitzer mouthpieces from them, to contact Hans Zinner. They make a
full line of German moutphieces and their model numbers correspond almost
exactly like that of the Wurlitzer's. So if she plays on an M3, the Zinner
equivalent is a 3M. They can then match the tip opening and length of the
window to either a K (short), M (medium), or L (long) just like the
Wurlitzer's.
I do regret that when I was at Hans Zinner's workshop that I had another
appointment that I had to make and did not have more time to spend with
them. I did not take the opportunity to try some of their German moutphieces
and wish now that I had. I would then be in a better position to know if
there is any real benefit to be gained from using a hard rubber mouthpiece
vs. the plastic Wurlitzer's. My feeling is that the sound difference will be
minimal, if at all. I think the benefit that could be gained would be in the
fact that the Zinner mouthpiece would be a hand made product which can be
fine tuned beyond that of just a molded plastic one, and perhaps this is
what Michele is wanting.
Tom Henson
<< Jim Lytthans wrote:
Michele Zukovsky sent me this e-mail today. I thought I'd post it here to
see if anyone could help.
<Hi Jim,
If you ever are on e-bay, I am looking for older German mouthpieces from
Wurlitzer from 1970- 1985 when they were made from rubber, not plexiglass.
(?...Jim)
I would pay you a comission if you found a good one. I like the M3 style.
spater,
Michele> >
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