 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: pinky
Date: 2011-05-29 03:25
I am wanting to pick everyone's brains about mouthpieces.
I currently use a Vandoren B4013 with size 3 to 3.5 reeds.
I am reasonably happy with the sound, works well within the section I usually work in, (mainly playing 2nd) and I like that it is relatively easy to keep the pitch at 440.
I used to play an old Selmer C85 120 that had been adjusted by a well known American mouthpiece maker. I loved the sound, responsiveness and 'ring' i could get on this mouthpiece, especially for principal and solo playing (not so good for playing second). But I struggled more than usual to find reeds, and found pitch to be more of a problem.
I currently freelance professionally, mainly playing second, but in the next year will be doing some recitals and hopefully some auditions for principal positions.
I would love to find something more 'special' than my current mouthpiece (although that doesn't mean it has to be from a specific maker or not from a large company).
Being in Australia (and having limited funds) makes it impossible to visit a great mouthpiece maker. In the past I have ordered (usually with some colleagues who play a similar setup) a quantity of Vandoren mouthpieces of a specific model we all like and tried them all out, as this has been quite cost effective.
Any ideas on what to try next would be greatly appreciated.
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2011-05-29 12:09
You could have a whack at a Pomarico black crystal... I love mine .... and it won't bust the bank.
You don't mention what tube you play , so take that into account... Pom do standard French bore and they have /are producing a wider bore for the Austrian market? I believe...so let them know. If its a narrow bore, retail outlets/suppliers will likely have a range in stock...
Facing was custominsed for me by Pomarico from an Austrian bore and I find it has a very creamy tone. Plays beautifully but as always, may not be for everyone. May not be as punchy as you want for band or orchestral music, but it's fab for chamber music.
BobT
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-05-29 13:12
There are really too many varieties on the market by too many different makers, both large, well-known manufacturers and individual "custom" makers, for anyone to do any more than tell you what he/she likes and is currently playing on. Whether or not you'll like the same thing is anyone's guess. You'll still need to find a way to try them yourself.
The Vandoren line overall includes enough variety to satisfy a considerable range of expectations. If you've exhausted the possibilities there, there are a number of American makers (Grabner, Fobes, Smith, Hawkins, Behn, Backun, Hill, Morgan, Redwine and others) and companies (Gigliotti, Selmer, Woodwind Co.) using Zinner, Babbitt or proprietary blanks. And that's just the American contingent. I don't know enough about the European makers even to list them.
Look through the archives here, read whatever replies you get to your question and even the online advertisements for each maker you read about, and then order what you want to try on approval (see the concurrent separate thread about this). If you find something that seems very promising but isn't quite right, you can then contact the mouthpiece maker and tell him what you've bought and where you've bought it, and ask if he can either do anything to customize the mouthpiece further or send you other (newer, perhaps even more refined) specimens that he's tweaked to try to meet your needs. I've personally worked with Walter Grabner, Clark Fobes and Chris Hill and found them all to be extremely helpful and flexible and I've heard similar things about many others. Most individual makers, I'm certain, have similar policies about sending mouthpieces either on approval or with a prepayment that's refundable for any you return undamaged.
Good luck,
Karl
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-05-30 16:51
Jannette Jonquil, principle with the Vancouver, Canada Symphony plays on Vandorens. She says, "Hey, if I break it or loose it, I can always get another at the local drug store.?
(She also uses stock reeds, scouring her inventory for one that will play when she needs it.)
Bob Phillips
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2011-05-31 02:31
Bob Phillips quote :- Jannette Jonquil, principle with the Vancouver, Canada Symphony plays on Vandorens. She says, "Hey, if I break it or loose it, I can always get another at the local drug store.?
(She also uses stock reeds, scouring her inventory for one that will play when she needs it.)
Now there's a versatile musician ! A lot of us could learn something from her.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2011-05-31 11:29
Barry Vincent said:
"Now there's a versatile musician ! A lot of us could learn something from her."
Like stop adjusting expensive reeds and throve money out of the window.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-05-31 18:04
Carl, Morrie Backun is a Canadian not an American, just so you know.
Everyone else, there are many professional players that play on Vandoren MPs, everyone doesn't need a hand crafted one to sound really good. Of course many fine players do play on hand crafted MPs as well. The same for commercial reeds, many still use them, sound great, and do not have to spend a fortune when they actually know how to break them in and make adjustments. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-05-31 18:40
Ed Palanker wrote:
> Carl, Morrie Backun is a Canadian not an American, just so you
> know.
Canada is on the (North) American continent - the complaint used to be that the U.S.A. was being presumptuous in adopting the description "American" to refer only to them(our)selves. 
I was only trying, I suppose carelessly, to distinguish between makers on this side of the Atlantic and the many in Europe whose names I couldn't list but who might be equally as accessible from Australia as those here.
Karl
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2011-06-02 08:20
Of course a lot of the 'american' makes are quite different to the open/medium B40 and C85, being long/closed instead.
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Author: pinky
Date: 2011-06-02 09:28
Thanks for all the really good advice so far
I guess I am looking to see if anyone plays on something similar to the Selmer C85 120 but maybe with a bit more depth (which is what I like about the B40) and hopefully pitched at 440hz. I have already tried similar mouthpieces by Lomax and Morales/Backun with no success (although I didn't have access to many to try).
I play on Buffet Festivals.
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Author: pinky
Date: 2011-06-02 09:41
Thanks for all the really good advice so far
I guess I am looking to see if anyone plays on something similar to the Selmer C85 120 but maybe with a bit more depth (which is what I like about the B40) and hopefully pitched at 440hz. I have already tried similar mouthpieces by Lomax and Morales/Backun with no success (although I didn't have access to many to try).
I play on Buffet Festivals.
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Author: 2E
Date: 2011-06-02 13:05
Hey Pinky,
I notice you're in Melbourne, are you going to the Australian clarinet festival from 3-6th July? There'll be heaps of mouthpieces to try from vandoren, backun and possibly lomax? Andy Firth will tell you all about them, he had his designed and handcrafted specifically for him by the man himself.
See you there :p
2E.
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Author: claaaaaarinet!!!!
Date: 2011-06-02 21:51
Hi pinky,
I played M13 Lyre and similar mouthpieces for a long time (15 years!) and recently switched to a more open lay. I used a B40 for awhile, then a B40 Lyre, and then eventually ended up on a B40 Lyre 13, which I play currently. I like a lot of things about my new set-up, but I really relate to your comments about missing the 'ring' or 'special' quality of your Selmer.
Just a few thoughts:
You might try a B40 Lyre 13 as opposed to the plain B40 13. It's similar but with wider rails, and I find it much more satisfying overall. The altissimo register is great. I haven't had a chance to try the new Vandoren Master mouthpieces yet, but they sound interesting and might be up your alley. Also, Ramon Wodkowski tells me that he will have some new models coming out soon. He plays a more open lay, so I'm really looking forward to trying these.
I played a full length recital on the B40 Lyre 13. I felt I had a lot of flexibility, ease of playing, and good intonation. I have to admit, though, that I lacked projection in the Brahms Sonata that I played, and in the recording I felt the tone was a bit uninteresting. Since then, though, I've made some adjustments. I changed from blue box Vandoren to V12 and bought a different clarinet. The new clarinet (same brand/model), in particular, seems to compliment the mouthpiece very well and provides the punch I was missing before. I have another recital coming up this summer, and I'm hoping that the sound quality I think I'm now getting comes across. Anyway, it's a work in progress.
I'm finding that when you change mouthpieces - especially if you make a drastic change - you have to be open to changing other things as well. If you like the overall feel and sound of the mouthpiece, you might just need to find good matches for the mouthpiece in terms of complimentary equipment. You have to be open to adjusting other aspects of your set-up to find the right fit: reed cut/strength, ligature, mouthpiece patch, etc. Maybe even a new clarinet, which seems to have solved some of what I thought were mouthpiece issues. Finding a really special mouthpiece might even just be as simple as trying more of the same model you already play. You might find another B40 13 that, for one reason or another, has that special quality.
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