 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2004-12-16 13:37
Again, out of inexperience...
When I started the cl. (some 30+ years ago) the R-13 that I got came with a Portnoy BP-1. Later my teacher had me get a Selmer which is stamped with an A* (star) in an oval on the flat face. (I don't remember why he had me change - too long ago.)
Now I have re-started learning (25 years later), I wonder what do I have? Are these m-pieces super-duper, OK, good for a relative neophyte, just "starters", or what? To my inadequate ear, the Selmer seems a bit "mellower" but my vocabulary for sounds isn't that good either. Are they "open", "medium" or "closed" and what differences would that make?
JDS
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2004-12-16 14:18
Hi John,
I have played the same Portnoy BP02 (medium opening) for over 30 years and it is still my best; there are a few others on the BB that also use this MP but I think the bulk of players seem to prefer VD.
The BP01 is a bit too closed for me and the BP03 is too open. I believe that the Selmer HS** or the C** (the newer numbers are something like 115 and 120) are close to the BP02 opening. VD 3 or 3 1/2 or similar reeds work fine for me.
I do like both MPs (Portnoy and old Selmer) very much but also enjoy my Buffet C Crown, a Lurie M3 (of all things), and some other classic MPs. I picked up a couple of Ideal MPs lately; these classics are based on the Riffault blank and play very nicely.
Good luck on this fun search.
HRL
Post Edited (2004-12-17 12:16)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-12-16 14:27
I recently bid/bot a {NEW, ?old stock?] Selmer C*, cheaply on EBAY, its VG!!, medium in character, I'd guess an A would be very close and ?short. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-12-16 14:59
The Selmer A* was a very short, medium close facing. They stopped making the A series many years ago.
Old Selmers are in demand and have some value. The rubber is good, and given the short, close facing, a refacer will have plenty of material to work with.
David Hite was the great restorer of Selmer mouthpieces, but he unfortunately passed away earlier this year. Santy Runyon and Everett Matson are also gone. Walter Grabner and Roger Garrett are the ones to go to.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: graham
Date: 2004-12-16 16:05
Is it for reasons of fashion that short close facings are no longer made? It might be that the A* is a top product that just does not have the characteristics most modern players are looking for (including sheer volume). It might be a pity to reface them all out of existance. They might come back into fashion.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-12-16 18:19
According to Sherman Friedland, Manuel Valerio in the Boston Symphony used a Selmer A mouthpiece and #5 reeds, which he clipped to be even harder.
http://clarinet.cc/archives/000586.html
Tom Ridenour plays on a short, close mouthpiece, but even he says they're very picky about reeds.
On Sidney Forrest's recommendation, I played one for about a year (a Selmer B*), but it drove me crazy. I couldn't get any volume out of it.
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Author: graham
Date: 2004-12-17 08:08
My main mouthpiece is 1.05 mm by 16mm (roughly) which I imagine to be short and medium close. Yes, it is not very loud and most cuts of reed can sound very harsh on it. I find both types of Glotin work with it, and Zonda is OK but not too good in the lower register. Obviously I don't know if these measurements are close to the A* at all.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-12-17 13:03
John...welcome to the simple world of mouthpieces...it sounds like maybe your instructor had you playing rather stiff reeds for a beginner...perhaps he was trying to exercise your embochure muscles
Bob Draznik
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Author: Buster Brown
Date: 2004-12-17 13:27
I started playing 2 years after a 40 year layoff. Forty years ago I played on a Woodwind B9 mouthpiece using a LaVoz medium hard reed. I tried to restart on the same setup, but alas the chops wouldn't do it. Gradually worked up to it. My daughter had a Portnoy BP02 she was no longer using, so I tried it and enjoyed it more than the Woodwind. Used it with a VD V12 3-1/2 reed. Most recently I have purchased a Genuso G** mouthpiece with a Gonzalez 3-3/4 reed. I like that setup better than either of the other two. Tried a bunch of VD mouthpieces before picking Genusa. I'm currently playing on an R-13. I haven't had the courage to try any of the "expensive" mouthpieces. Not sure what one I'd try.
It's taken a quite a bit of work to get back close to where I was 40 years ago, but I've almost done it. I wasn't a bad musician. Had a scholarship to a good music school, but opted for engineering. I was a bit of a mercenary. Playing second chair clarinet in a pretty good community band now (70 pieces).
I use a Selmer C* on alto sax. Currently playing with a local big band and loving it.
Don't get discouraged. It took a year to get where I could tolerate my playing.
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