 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul Miller
Date: 2010-03-13 20:49
So, there's been a lot of conversation lately on mouthpieces. I decided this morning that I would try to reface a mouthpiece by myself and see what happend.
I picked out an old, unplayed Buffet stock piece, got out my sandpaper collection, and went to town. I've never refaced a mouthpiece in my life, I have no measuring tools, and I figured that I was about to completely destroy this mouthpiece, but hey, whatever.
So, I played a few notes... it's the typically stuffy stock mouthpiece. I figured I'd narrow down the tip aperture and lengthen the curve just to see what would happen. So I took down some material from the table and found an immediate improvement in response but the tone suffered. Eventually I found a nice balance of response and tone (it was a HUGE improvement actually), but I kept tinkering with it until the damned thing suddenly stopped responding... sounded like my V12 4 was actually a Rico 2.
What had happened was that the curve was starting way too soon... like, before the mouthpiece window. I wound up having to take a ton of material off the piece to fix it - it's actually playing decently now. Still, it was pretty dicey for a while. I think the thicker rails and tip help quite a bit with the sound of the piece... but this was an entirely fly-by-night operation.
So, a couple of questions. First, how do I go about adjusting the table without screwing up the curve (and vice versa)? Secondly, what kinds of changes should I make to the rails and the baffle to improve response and tonal color? Finally, are there any good books on making/adjusting mouthpieces?
I'd love to be able to fix a stock Buffet mouthpiece and surprise the hell out of my teacher some time...
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2010-03-13 21:00
Adjusting the table..... lay the mouthpiece on plate glass with 600 paper. Put your index on top the of the mouthpiece directly over the table. Pull the mouthpiece backwards. Let the abrasive paper do the work. When you flatten the table you are also shortening the facing little by little.
There is a short book by Ralph Morgan which is quite good. It has the basics of refacing in it. All good refacers measure somehow so you might be best advised to get some feeler guages and a flat glass for measuring the facing length and curve. There is a group in Yahoo.....mouthpieceworks
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2010-03-13 22:53
There is a well known monograph by Erik Brand about how to reface.
He devised the standard glass facing grid which is divided into one-half millimeters, giving us the facing measurements in Brand units.
If you can get a copy, you can try your luck. Morgan makes a facing glass and tip measuring rod.
Be prepared to ruin countless mouthpieces before becoming adept.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Woop Woop
Date: 2010-03-13 23:40
Trying to reface and adjust mouthpieces is all well and good.... just don't do it right before an audition...
Woop Woop
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-03-14 04:51
there is a very, very good Yahoo group: Mouthpiece Work that contains a wealth of good information on facings, baffles, chambers, volumes, bite plates, ....and all that.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Its_Michael
Date: 2010-03-14 05:23
Hey Paul, I've also started refacing mouthpieces at home a few months ago 
From what I've read and experienced so far:
High baffle -> Brighter sound, greater projection
Lower Baffle -> Darker sound, lesser projection
Thicker rails dampen the vibrations of the reed, thus creating a darker sound, but too thick will lead to more resistance. The rails will naturally thicken as you take off more material.
I've looked online for some typical table lengths and tip openings (there are some on the bboard)
Have fun
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2010-03-14 21:01
Everett Matson had popsicle sticks that he trimmed and marked to check mouthpieces. Somewhere in my stuff I have these, but there's no telling when, or if, I'll find them.
Is there a source for these? I think they checked length of bore, and shape of baffle.....or is there some measurements to look for to see if the insides of the mouthpiece are acceptable?
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