 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tdufka
Date: 2020-08-24 07:33
Just curious if anyone on the board is playing this mouthpiece and if you could share your impressions?
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2020-08-25 03:00
I own the Fobes 10K bass clarinet mouthpiece with the RR (rather than CK) facing and think that it's a terrific mouthpiece. I play it daily and think that it helps me deliver good intonation and a focused, dark tone.
I'd recommend the mouthpiece overall. Of course, you should make sure that the facing is what you want. The RR is kind of a medium opening (1.80mm tip), while the CK is quite a bit more open (2.10mm tip). According to their website, Fobes has reinstated their trial policy, so you should be able to test it out.
Good luck! (BTW, I got the blue marbled one just because I thought it was cool)
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2020-08-25 22:18
I have a 10K mouthpiece in a slightly more open facing than the CK, one that I believe Clark was trying out during the process of eventually ending up at the CK facing. It is an excellent mouthpiece that gives good control at all dynamics and a clear, full, even tone across the range of the instrument. In my experience, more open bass clarinet mouthpieces allow for a much higher upper dynamic limit in the upper register, but some, like the Vandoren B50, seem to give up a little at softer dynamics in the throat tones.
The Fobes is not like that. I really found that it gave the feeling of "headroom" in the upper register that I wanted without giving up clarity at softer dynamics. I really with I had had this back when I was getting my degree 10 years ago and was playing orchestral and chamber music every day. It really sings freely on solo passages, blends (and tunes) well in ensemble sections and can handle wide leaps and dynamic changes comfortably and controllably.
The only reason I am not using it right now is because I've been (or was, before social distancing) playing more with non-"classical" groups with saxophones and drums, where playing softly is less of a priority than wanting to be able to push a lot harder, both dynamically and tonally. Consequently, I've gone off the deep end with extremely open mouthpieces.
But someday soon I hope to be able to play chamber music with friends again and the Fobes will probably be a better choice for polite company.
The CK is definitely a little different from the mouthpiece I have, but probably in the same ballpark. Clark is an excellent craftsman and an excellent player, so I would imagine he ended up with the CK design because it is a better mouthpiece than what I've got.
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2020-08-27 20:21
I went through a boatload of mouthpieces before landing on Fobes. I have a 10K RR and AP. Love both of them. Would highly recommend you try them out.
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2020-09-06 09:56
I personally play on a 10K AP as well as tried Clark's various openings in 10K & Zinner blanks including a Zinner version of the CK(but NOT the 10K version). IMO it's feels and sounds pretty good, giving a pretty open sound without sounding too spread. That said, I personally prefer a medium-open facing on both Bb & Bass, hence the reason I eventually landed on my current 10K AP.
The 10K blank is more focused and deeper sounding than the older Zinner Blank, so I'm pretty confident that you'll like it if you prefer a rather open facing that is pretty versatile for various settings.
*Disclaimer: I'm a bit partial to Clark's products personally(especially the 10K line) as they work for me pretty well 8 out of 10 times, plus I've been doing business with him for nearly 5 years.
NB Clark's bass facings are also waaay shorter than the B50 (24-25 vs 32mm!!) so there's a noticeable difference in feel.
Max S-D: Clark made the CK & SV for 2 different players (the latter whom I know personally, and I also had several exchanges with the former). Not sure how long the SV facing length is though.
Josh
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2020-09-09 09:36
Yep, mine is an SV. It's fantastic. I think Clark said the facing was 27mm, if I remember correctly.
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