 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: William
Date: 2002-08-11 03:11
I just traded some mpcs via UPS and recieved, in return, an old Stowell (Chicago) Bb clarinet mouthpiece that plays quite nicely (like my old Ithica Bay and Chicago Kaspar). Just wondering if anyone out there uses--or has used--one of his products.
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2002-08-11 13:33
Jerry Stowell was associate principal clarinet in the Chicago Symphony for decades. He started the Stowell, Wells, Schneider clarinet mouthpiece for which he provided funding and design info. Wells and Schneider were the actual workers who faced blanks made to Stowell's specs by Babbitt. At some point, I believe the middle 60's, Stowell pulled out his financial support after conflicts with Frank Wells ( Schneider had long since left the company). At that point Frank Wells continued with the mouthpiece company, filing off the names of Stowell and Schneider from the mouthpiece trade mark stamp. Because Stowell had some connections with the Leblanc company, Leblanc produced, for a very short time, a mouthpiece supposedly copying the original Stowell, Wells, Schneider mp. This Leblanc accessory mp had only Stowell's name on the trade mark. The early Stowell, Wells, Schneider mps were quite good, although they tended to tune a bit sharp. Some of the Wells mouthpiece are truly great, with a very focused sound and projection. The Leblanc/Stowell mouthpiece was not as good as the other mps associated with Stowell and he, himself, was not happy with it. From your description, I would guess you have a Leblanc/Stowell mp. If it plays well, great. Just some mouthpiece history for you to know.
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Author: William
Date: 2002-08-11 16:23
Thanks for the historical info--for a "stock" LeBlanc mpc, I may have found a "good" one. For anyone else curious, the blank has a quite narrow beak conforming to the tip of my reed (V12), razor thin rails, especially at the tip, and a sort lay with about a 13mm tip opening. The base of the table is like a classic Kaspar and no lines appear around the body. "Made in France" is inscribed on the bottom and "Stowell--Chicago" is in an oval logo. Somewhat resistant, but good articulation. I'm going to try using it this afternoon in an outside band concert instead of my Chicago Kaspar.
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2002-08-11 16:40
OK, here's a bit more on the Stowell mp: In a Leblanc accessory catalog I have dated April 1, 1966 (don't read anything into the April Fool dating, please) there is this item: "Stowell mouthpieces; Jerry Stowell, well known symphony artist, music educator and mouthpiece authority, designed this clarinet mouthpiece designed to give you the finest playing performance; a beautiful singing quality with plenty of reserve power and tonal depth. Available in your choice of facing. MS-1 Bb Clarinet (1, 2,3).....$14.00" Elsewhere in the catalog is a listing for the Bonade mouthpiece, also $14.00, and Vandoren mouthpieces were listed at $21. Leblanc copy writing is still about the same these days, isn't it.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-08-11 17:07
"...Leblanc copy writing is still about the same these days, isn't it..."
-and the quality control of their Bonade ligatures hasn't improved either...GBK
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Author: Katfish
Date: 2002-08-11 18:15
I grew upnear Chicago, and in the late 50s-early 60s the most common "good" mouthpieces were Woodwind and Stowell-Wells -Snyder. My teacher claimed that the S-W-S mouthpiece was copied from a Woodwind mouthpiece his son had that Stowell liked. I have no way of knowing if this story is true. I finally got a S-W-S mouthpiece a few years ago on Ebay and like it very much. In the late 60s I studied with Mr. Stowell one summer. He was a fine teacher and gentleman.
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