 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DaveMussen
Date: 2018-10-10 16:54
Greetings, I have an old Larry Combs clarinet mouthpiece (with his cursive signature) that I very much like. I just can't figure out if it is an LC1 or LC3. Does anyone know how to tell them apart? Thanks in advance for any advice or support you might be able to give.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-10 19:03
The LC1 is a smaller tip opening, closer to an M13 perhaps. So if yours plays like a close facing, than it is an LC1.
I am editing in case there is a faded mark on your mouthpiece. The facing designation was place to the right of the table at the very bottom of the mouthpiece body. It is an LC in script followed by the number. It may very well be rubbed off. Though engraved, it was very shallow and mine is nearly completely illegible.
.................Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2018-10-11 02:45)
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2018-10-12 17:13
The LC1 and LC3 were excellent mouthpieces. They were designed by my mentor Elmer Aiello, many years a Leblanc employee, who among other talents, was a fantastic mouthpiece craftsman.
I have not had a good LC1 to examine and measure for quite a few years. Does anyone have one that they could send me? I would love to examine a really fine one and get all it's measurements and perhaps make a cast of the baffle area. I would guarantee its save return.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-12 19:38
I'm up for it Walter. Mine is in decent shape.
I hadn't heard Elmer's name in YEARS. He was part of Robert Marcellus' week long clarinet seminars at Northwestern. That was a long time ago.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-12 23:54
Hey Walter,
I put that in in post this morning. Hope it helps.
Again, thanks so much for the wonderful mouthpieces!
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Gene Chieffo
Date: 2021-02-01 19:21
Hello Paul and Walter. Just this morning I tried an old LC1 I found in my drawer. It seems to have potential. I am currently playing a Vandoren M15. How did your experiment with yours go?
Gene
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2021-02-02 00:47
Hey Gene,
Great as always to hear from you! I hope you did not get too much snow out there.
That mouthpiece issue was (for me at my age) a LONG time ago. And I had not heard anything about what happened from Walter. In fact, I don't recall what happened to the mouthpiece. I may have gotten it back or may not have. I am in the middle of a move and have no idea which boxes have my mouthpiece drawers in them. It may take a few weeks to even check to see if that LC1 made it back.
HOWEVER
As usual I'm always changing up stuff. Shortly after my Grabner mouthpiece stint, I moved to an old Hawkins that I bought off a fellow bandsman. I stuck with that until just a month ago when I started experimenting with the middle model from Brad Behn. Some really good results there with the Legere European cuts that I swear by now.........no worries with changes in weather!
Suffice to say though that all these mouthpiece discussed in this post and above are ALL in the the same close facing category and have very similar playing characteristics.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Gene Chieffo
Date: 2021-02-03 17:34
Hello Paul! I'm in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia now, we don't get much snow! Where are you moving to?
I'm also playing Legere Euro cut reeds as well as the Soprano Sax reeds. I will never use cane again. I've been moving back and forth between my Vandoren M13s and an M15 I discovered I have that was actually tinkered with by David Weber. Then the other day I pulled this Combs LC1 out of the drawer. Not sure where I got it, but it plays nicely. When this covid dies down I think I'll take to to somebody to check out the symmetry of the dimensions. Actually I'd like to do that with all the mouthpieces I currently play.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2021-02-03 22:39
Hey Gene,
Not a long distance move, just to a house in the Nashville area.
The Legeres are the way to go to preserve sanity over the long haul. Synthetic reeds are now so close (at least these are) to cane it doesn't really make sense to go through all the break in, moisture control, weather related vagaries nonsense anymore.
I'd say your guy for mouthpiece checking and adjustment should be Brad Behn. He's really patient (with me, and we both know that's a tall order), meticulous and will give you just enough resistance to what he thinks is a bad idea, but will do what is asked no matter what in the end.
I don't know if you ever ran into Terrina Anderson (USAB). I bought her old Richard Hawkins (R facing) that is just magical. Don't know why she was willing to sell it. But as she said, it was a non-refundable sale off eBay (she's not getting that back!).
..........................Paul Aviles
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Author: Gene Chieffo
Date: 2021-02-03 23:32
Paul, yes I know Terrina. I did a week with TRADOC in the fall of 2019 since they were short handed, I also did a week-long tour with the Langley Air Force Band right before covid. It's fun playing with military bands but not being on active duty any more. Oddly both paid using pay pal!
Yes, I've heard great things about Brad Behn, I will check it out. Do you still have the same email? We should keep in touch!
Gene
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Author: TomS
Date: 2021-02-06 23:19
I had an early production ... LC3 I think. Mine had some finishing issues so I talked to Elmer and he sent another one to me in exchange. He also did the Marcellus MP, later.
Elmer was accessible and loved to talk shop. Seemed like a great guy!
I should have kept all the assorted MPs over the years ... I gave dozens away to teachers and students.
Tom
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