Klarinet Archive - Posting 000377.txt from 2006/04

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay3020@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Arnold Brilhart
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 23:53:49 -0400

Ted Casher posted:

<<<The white plastic was called "Tonalin", and had a sweet
sound. They were deemed desirable in their day. However, the material was
a softer compound than the black mouthpiece, called "Ebolin." As a result,
most of the Tonalin players wound up putting their teeth thru the tip!>>>

I have one of these beasties for my tenor. I don't like the sound much, so
use others in the drawer. OTOH, I've played with a low saxophone specialist
named Jay Easton (see www.jayeaston.com); his weapon of choice on bari is a
Tonalin 2*, upon which he gets a most glorious tone.

I've been told that the only difference between the Ebolin and Tonalin was
the pigment they put in to plastic - both are essentially the same material.
I've had a few black Brilharts over the years, and none have ever split at
the tenon. All the white ones I've seen have. This *could* be a
coincidence, I suppose - just don't think so.

Arnold Brilhart and the colors of his mouthpieces live on in the ARB line of
mouthpieces, sold by Remle. See www.beechler.com. Beechlers come in three
flavors: "Black Diamond," "White Diamond" (which appears to be exactly
like the Black Diamond only with a little white diamond on the beak), and
"Tonalex" (White with a black diamond on the beak). The Beechler S5S was
the hot tool on alto on the West Coast when I was in college; for whatever
reason, the "old" ones with a black dot in the center of the white diamond
are especially prized. I gave mine to my best friend - sigh.

According to the website, the lighter color of the mouthpiece changes the
color of the sound, too: "[t]he white acoustic resin in these mouthpieces
favors the softer signing qualities of the instrument." (Of course, the
chamber and baffle might have something to do with it as well, but hey if it
looks cool it *is* cool right?)

kjf

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