 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GL
Date: 2003-02-01 20:12
I have a F. Kasper "Chicago" clarinet piece. What are the differences between the Ann Arbor,Cicero and Chicago models?
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Author: GL
Date: 2003-02-01 20:35
GBK, WOW,this board is amazing in 3 minutes you gave me the exact answer I was looking for! Now I know that my "Frank L. Kaspar Co. Chicago, Ill." piece is the earliest in the line. Thanks!
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-02-01 22:11
After some years I think it is GBK who is amazing. A constant source of solid information. Sorry about the plug Glenn.
Bob A
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2003-02-01 22:44
article:
"At some point the younger Kaspar (Cicero) moved to America and came to work for his uncle (Frank L.) in Chicago. It would be pretty hard to determine which Kaspar made mouthpieces in the "Chicago" series."
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Kaspar mthpcs. simply stamped "Chicago" (Ill.) are of the younger (eventually Cicero) Kaspar. The "and co." was dropped after Frank L. the older moved to Ann Arbor and Frank the younger stayed, making the mouthpieces exclusively in Chicago.
Any Kaspar mthpc from the period that they worked together will either have a Frank OR a Frank "L." in front of "and co, Chicago" which I believe differentiates the two makers that worked in the same shop at the corner of Congress and Wabash in Chicago. Those are the oldest of the two Kaspars' mouthpieces.
Frank Kaspar the younger closed his shop in 1963 and moved to Cicero (hence the Cicero stamp), changed some of the inner dimensions, and continued to use the Chedeville blanks until the Chedeville co. was bought out by Glotin in the late 60's. He was unable to use the succeeding blanks made by Glotin after '68 since Glotin had an idea of their own as to how the blanks should be made.
Gregory Smith
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Author: brenda siewert
Date: 2003-02-02 14:22
After owning and playing several of each of the Kaspars, although probably not as many as others of you have played, I have found the Chicago and Cicero mouthpieces to have the best sound. One of my favorites was a Chicago that had an unfortuneate tiny chip on the tip. When I had it "smoothed" it just didn't sound the same. These are really fine mouthpieces and if you have a good one you need to keep it. I wish I hadn't sold mine.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-02-02 14:38
Hi Brenda:
"...tiny chip on the tip. When I had it "smoothed" it just didn't sound the same."
I have played and own quite a few Kaspars. I worked with Frank in Ann Arbor, MI in the early 1960's on many mouthpieces, and he made me an excellent Eb and Bb that I still use.
The Bb MP was damaged years ago, and sadly Frank was gone by then, so I did not have it repaired.
A few years ago, Jimmy Yan, a fine NYC repairman, suggested he take it and "fill in the chip in the tip", that is, not "smooth it out".
His repair work was excellent, and the MP now plays like new.
I suggest if you have a fine, or favorite mouthpiece that needs repair, do not have it "smoothed out", take it to an expert and have it "filled in", if possible. It worked well for my old Kaspar.
Good luck,
JJM
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Author: William
Date: 2003-02-02 15:45
I just acquired an Ann Arbor Kaspar that plays very nicely. By my measurements, compared to my Chicago Kaspar, it has a deeper baffle which gives it a "warmer" sound and has a shorter chamber, which causes it to play a bit sharper and with more "clarity" of response. The other dimensions--window, chamber bore, etc--are very similar to my Chicago mpc. It has a rather large serial number (10,xxx) on the right side of the table which I find curious. Also, it is a bit more resistant than my Chicago or Gregory Smith Kaspar's, but I think it could be a real "player" with the right reed. I never thought that I would like an "Ann Arbor" Kaspar, but this one has "possibilities."
(It's "on loan" from a fellow Muni Band player who "got it" from a friend in St. Louis--but I am tempted very much to "make it my own"--Kaspar mania lives!!!!!)
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2003-02-02 16:44
I have an Ann Arbor Frank Kaspar, no serial # or additional markings, except "Superb" and a small star.
I found the old receipt, dated 1962...$15.00--ahh, the good old days!
It was made to my teacher's personal preference. (The tip openning is narrow and the rails are medium to long. The internal walls are parallel--ie not angled--where the window meets the bore). My teacher rejected the first one that I ordered, had me send it back, and then liked the second one that came in its place. The tone is relatively clear, but not truly dark. It was never very reed-friendly. I suspect it was based on his own Chedeville.
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2003-02-02 17:00
One of the things about Frank L of Ann Arbor is that while in Ann Arbor, he used to turn his own mouthpiece from the rod or simple piece of rubber from scratch. They are usually not blanks already semi-finished from the Chedeville company of France.
Hence the wide variation and most times seemingly huge difference in playing characteristics from those of the younger and more famous Kaspar (eventually of Cicero) that continued to use Chedeville blanks.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2003-02-02 18:24
Since we are into the history of the Kaspars, keep it mind that both the Franks made mouthpieces for Goldbeck & Co., Chicago. A couple of quotes from a letter from 1953 from Frank L. Kaspar:"I was in partnership with Arthur Goldbeck in Chicago" and "when I bought Mr. Goldbeck's interest in the business"....the Kaspar Co., successors to Goldbeck were in the Congress Building, as Greg Smith notes, on the corner of Congress and Wabash, with Frank L. later moving to Ann Arbor and the younger Frank staying at that location until he moved his shop to his home in Cicero because of health problems.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-02-02 20:02
Alseg wrote:
>
>
> I found the old receipt, dated 1962...$15.00--ahh, the good old
> days!
Per capita income has risen a bit since then ... in 2002 dollars that would be about $160 or so.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-02-02 21:13
By 1969, Kaspar mouthpieces were up to $30. I bought 2 while in college.
Should have bought 20 ...GBK
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-02-02 23:00
brenda siewert wrote:
>
> Wouldn't it be great to be able to buy a good Kaspar for
> $160.00?
Essentially, you can ... if you buy from the living ...
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Author: Andy
Date: 2003-02-02 23:31
Just buy a Greg Smith. They sound just as good, even better is some cases IMO!
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Author: buzzkirk
Date: 2003-02-03 00:48
Am I the only person who doesn't have one of these holy grails?
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2003-02-03 14:25
I ditto the buy a Greg Smith. I had him to match my Kaspar Cicero 13 with a Grenadilla wood model and he did a most exceptional job. And, instead of $575.00 or so that one would pay on eBay for a good Kaspar, I only paid $200.00. A bargain.
However, just for the sake of having one--I'd still like to have my Kaspar back.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2003-02-03 15:06
"And, instead of $575.00 or so that one would pay on eBay for a good Kaspar...."
I know a lot of people who consider this blasphemy, but- One of the problems on ebay (and other places) is that there are many Kaspars floating around that just aren't that good. (If they were all phenomenal, people would be playing them and not selling them.) I have played some Vintage mouthpieces that were truly lousy. They are going for incredible prices and people buy them sight unseen. You are better off in many cases going to a modern maker (Smith, Fobes, Pyne, Lomax, etc, etc) where you can get them to tailor something to what you need and your playing, and have the option to try a few. If you are desiring a great Kaspar or Chedeville, or whatever, try them, hopefully with an option to return it, or not purchase. Buy if you feel that it truly is a great mouthpiece and blows you away, not because it says Kaspar on it. The only plus is that I suppose there will always be a market to resell them for more.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2003-02-03 18:24
Actually, I sold my good Kaspar Cicero 13 on eBay for $575.00. I also sold my good Ann Arbor Kaspar and my good Kaspar Chicago for about the same. I should have kept at least one of them. But, the new R-13 I bought with the money was nice.
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Author: nzdonald
Date: 2003-02-05 01:35
at least two players i know have these stories about being "given a Cheddeville" or "given a Kaspar"... always by an ex teacher of the old man at the end of the street etc. This is like the mythical $us100 air fare from New York to London.... it actually happens but never to me.
donald
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Author: Thomas Piercy
Date: 2003-02-05 12:44
Given one:
While studying with Leon Russianoff, he would often pull open a drawer of mouthpieces, pull one out, hand it to me and tell me to have a go at it. I still have several of the ones he said "keep it" after I played them and he liked the sound. One of the mouthpieces he gave me is a Kasper Cicero 13. I keep it around, giving me incredibly good memories of Leon and his generosity in teaching, life and mouthpieces.
Tom Piercy
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