 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-01-15 07:07
What are these mouthpieces? https://www.prowinds.com/product/CBPCM-H1/486?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=Surfaces%20Shopping&utm_content=google%20surfaces%20shopping&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqo_yrNj2igMVTS2tBh0a3SnWEAQYASABEgKbm_D_BwE
I believe Charles Bay is dead. So, are these old stock or is someone else making these under his name now? I believe Bay's son used to make the intermediate and student model pieces, which were just called Bay, but the ones that Charles Bay made himself were called Charles Bay on the mouthpieces themselves. Has anyone played any of the pieces advertised on the above site, and do they play like the "Charles Bay" pieces that we know Charles Bay himself made? The facing and chamber designations appear to be the same.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-01-15 17:23
I would contact the vendor to see. We can all make guesses, but it would be nice to get the actual facts. I recall that after Charles passed the business seemed to fade from existence. They could be old stock, but it is possible that his son is back to making them or someone else bought rights to the name. It would be nice to know for sure.
Charles Bay made excellent mouthpieces from the early Ithaca ones on through the years. I played one many years ago that I liked. Early on, his facings were fairly traditional. As the years passed, I recall that he moved to much more open facings. At the time he told me that was the direction that things were going. Unfortunately, I was not comfortable with those tip openings and moved to other things.
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Author: hartt
Date: 2025-01-15 21:15
Save your money.
These are modern day knockoffs.
I had Charlie as a teacher at Ithaca in the mid 60s and I have several of his mouthpieces that he made on chedville blanks. these modern day mouthpieces are nowhere near the quality or workmanship of the old Bays.
Going back about 5 years there was a woman selling Bay mouth pieces on eBay ....Bb, Eb, Bass. there were thousands that she had bought from his son that were in storage lockers, they were prototypes , rejects and some were unfinished. none of them really played and she was selling them for $40 a piece
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2025-01-16 02:23
i have 2 bass and an alto that are too open for me also. too bad fantastic mpcs otherwise. my Bb ones are easy the best i have played
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-01-16 17:26
Quote:
Going back about 5 years there was a woman selling Bay mouth pieces on eBay ....Bb, Eb, Bass. there were thousands that she had bought from his son that were in storage lockers, they were prototypes , rejects and some were unfinished. none of them really played and she was selling them for $40 a piece
Yes, I recall those listings. There was a whole lot of stuff that was in various semi finished state. Some seemed finished but were probably as you say, rejects. Bay was quite a salesman and if these were not sold by him, there was probably a good reason.
His mouthpieces were always beautifully made. His bass mouthpieces were fantastic.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2025-01-17 03:34
i bought one of those unfinished lots and one mpc in the lot plays perfectly. been meaning to send the unfinished ones out to a refacer to get done . very high quality blanks
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-01-17 03:52
"His mouthpieces were always beautifully made."
I have one of his MO-M H2 mouthpieces and it is really excellent. I have been playing Gregory Smith mouthpieces for years, but I could easily use the Bay as my regular mouthpiece, though it is a rather different facing concept and I would need a few weeks to adjust fully.
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2025-01-17 15:24
Back in high school in the early 1970s, the Charles Bay MO-M and the Portnoy BP02 were the recommended mouthpieces for clarinet. By the mid to late 1970s, the Gale saxophone mouthpieces were no longer available. I had a Gale 5M(M) for my alto saxophone.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2025-01-17 23:06
this thread made me revisit my non finished bay mpcs i got several years ago from a lot on ebay. one is hopeless with out a lot of proffessional help but the other looked promising after some cork work.guess what -it plays beautifully ! rich dark sound with mega fast responce. a hidden treasure!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-01-18 03:04
Quote:
Back in high school in the early 1970s, the Charles Bay MO-M and the Portnoy BP02 were the recommended mouthpieces for clarinet.
I had an MO-M from the later 70s that was really excellent. His work was really nice with thin rails and easy response.
The mass player Adrian Cunningham uses a Charles Bay mouthpiece and sounds terrific
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v53tFrdmUPQ
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