 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2005-11-03 03:55
Dear BBoarders,
Im confused. It seems that a lot of "handcrafted" custom mouthpieces have the exact same facing measurements as the untouched Zinner blanks. I guess there must be a lot of handcrafting of the bore or something, or perhaps just of the insignia.
Comments?
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Author: chedmanus
Date: 2005-11-03 09:25
Its no mystery, there are people out there who do VERY little work to the Zinner blanks and sell them off as their own creations.
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2005-11-03 17:29
<< It seems that a lot of "handcrafted" custom mouthpieces have the exact same facing measurements as the untouched Zinner blanks. I guess there must be a lot of handcrafting of the bore or something, or perhaps just of the insignia.>>
Perhaps you are confusing "hand-crafted" with "refaced".
Zinner now offers at least 7 different blanks for mouthpieces craftsmen. The blanks are of very fine quality and do come with a facing. Zinner is amazingly consistent, so once you settle on a given blank for your mouthpiece, you can be assured that you are going to get the same product time after time. If the facing they supply works for the given finished product you want to make, why change it?
This is where most "mouthpiece craftsmen" start.
Those of us who have worked with Zinner for a long time, have developed our own particular products, and rarely work with the "stock" blanks. If you buy in large enough quantities, Zinner is quite happy to customize a blank for you. I know Clark Fobes does this, as does Dave McClure. I am sure others do as well.
Most of this stuff is the particular craftsman's "trade secret".
There is much else going on in "hand-crafting" besides the facing. A craftsman might widen the window, change the baffle profile shape and depth, narrow (or widen) the tip and side rails, deepen or otherwise alter the chamber, and provide a certain method of polishing and finishing.
To think that one simply takes a blank, applies a facing, and puts the product in a box is a great oversimplification.
When you are at ClarinetFest, or the Oklahoma Symposium, take some time to watch any of the craftsmen at work. I will guess that less than 25% of the work that they do is related to the facing.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
World Class Bass Clarinet Mouthpieces
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2005-11-03 18:09
Same people will fork over huge money for computer software that never works properly... the physical artifact is distracting because of the minute scale relating to the maker's adjustrments.
Walter's stuff is so beautifully finished, it would be easy (and mistaken) to underestimate the careful adjustments made.
If this stuff came with a small bag or hard rubber dust in the box, perhaps the buyers would be more appreciative of the effort.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-11-04 15:47
Since most of us don't have the proper equipment to refinish a blank, I don't mind paying someone like Walter for their expertise. Most mouthpiece finishers have invested lots of money and time to developing their skills--something most of us do not want to do.
If you have the time and money to spend on buying and trying Zinner blanks, go for it! Otherwise I'll just send Walter or Greg Smith or other artisans an email and ask for them to do the work for me. Their knowledge is extremely valuable to players like myself.
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