 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LKKlarinet
Date: 2008-07-25 07:04
How close is Borbeck mouthpiece to Kasper? I have always used Borbeck and never had a Kasper.
LKKlarinet
Borbeck V12 Bob Harrison S-1Buffet
Post Edited (2008-07-25 07:06)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2008-07-26 04:33
I played a Chicago Kaspar 14 for about 40 years. For a good many of those, after the Kaspars were gone and my first teacher told me about watching his beloved Kaspar shatter when he dropped it on a concrete bandstand, I searched for a backup that would have similar characteristics "just in case." Over the years, I have tried quite a few mouthpieces supposedly modeled on a favorite Kaspar. Most haven't been anything like mine.
Borbeck studied with one of the Kaspars and he uses the same model designations so I thought he might be the answer and bought a Borbeck 14 sometime during the 1980's. Unlike most of the Kaspar clones I have tried over the years, it plays very similar to my Kaspar -- same resistance, same intonation, same sound (both internally and on tape). There is, however, one significant physical difference. The Borbeck's beak is much shorter than the Kaspar so it has a much larger angle at the tip. At the time I bought it, I found it rather uncomfortable. I preferred the Kaspar design.
Many years ago, I mentioned this to someone who knew Borbeck. His response was, "Yes, he studied with Kaspar but he has some of his own ideas."
After I graduated from high school, I kept playing actively but stopped taking lessons. Eventually, I developed the bad habit of tonguing against my lower lip instead of the reed. (Actually, I think I started doing this in high school.) I thought this approach gave me a more focused tone and a "sweeter" sound. When I decided to take lessons again several years ago, one of the first things my teacher noticed was this bad habit -- and she set out to break it. First, by taping me, she showed me that tonguing against my lower lip did not improve my tone to an outsider. Then she pointed out that my approach slowed my tonguing down considerably. So she convinced me that I should change. When I tried to break the habit, however, I found tonguing tip-to-tip very hard to do with the Kaspar. I could do it if I consciously tried but, when focusing on other aspects of my playing, I would slip back into my old ways. One day, grasping at straws, I put on the Borbeck. I immediately discovered that the steeper angle at the tip of the mouthpiece made it much easier for me to tongue correctly so I switched to it until proper tonguing became natural. Today, I still go back to my "trainer" mouthpiece if I think I may be slipping back into my old ways.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Bill
Date: 2008-07-26 12:37
Fascinating story, Jack! Thank you!!! I had a Borbeck 13 (3 lines down) and presently have a Borbeck 11 (also a 3 lines down blank). Very deep tone. I have never played a genuine Kaspar facing.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
Post Edited (2008-07-26 12:37)
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Author: LKKlarinet
Date: 2008-07-29 00:52
Bill,
Are you changing to Borbeck 11 from 13? Any knowledge about Borbeck 8?
LKKlarinet
Borbeck V12 Bob Harrison S-1Buffet
Post Edited (2008-07-30 03:12)
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2008-07-30 01:14
I played on a Kasper 11 for my first 5 years as a clarinet student and can say I really liked the velvety sound..however it was eroding to the point of no return ...
The Borbeck design is very close..I would add that Smith and Grabner make very good versions of the Kaspar facing and they are rated highly among my students.
David Dow
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