 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2002-11-24 01:32
<img src="http://pages.sbcglobal.net/thorlick/images/lig.jpg" align=left> I recently purchased a clarintet which had this mouthpiece and ligature combination on it. It plays, but not nearly as nicely as my Greg Smith (well duh!) mouthpiece. Here you see the ligature. It is made of a single piece of stamped steel with a keeper which allows you to roll the ligature into several different diameters. You then place a reed onto the mouthpiece and slide the ligature home. It is held tight by spring tension.
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<img src="http://pages.sbcglobal.net/thorlick/images/mp.jpg" align=left> Here you see the mouthpiece it is made out of solid metal, it's heavy and I can't tell what type of metal it is. It seems to be some sort of silver alloy, however steel is a possiblity. It does not attract a magnet. The black material seems to be hard rubber vulcanized to the metal. The workmanship on the piece is good and the rubber has held up well. When it came to me it had a soft red rubber bite pad afixed to it. This pad was quite nasty looking and even after sterilization I didn't want to get too close to it, so I carefully removed the add on gooey pad. On the metal it is stamped patent pending and there is a tiny cursive script which looks like Holton or something like that.
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Okay, can anyone tell me what kind of piece this is and what it is good for. I don't throw very far or well so it won't provide much enjoyment that way.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-11-24 04:04
It's a MOUTH-piece, Terry.
If you attach a reed to it with the springy ligature thing that came with it, it'd probably be a good combination for making clarinet music Which, if it were in my possession, would make more sense than using it for a fishing lure/sinker combo. Only YOU can decide its ultimate fate after you've tried it out, one way or the other - or, both. Do you like smoked salmon? I hear the steelhead are running pretty good right now.
Okay, enough already, and all kidding aside, have you tried it yet? My former teacher, eons and eons ago, 'way back in the '50s, had a ligature like that and loved it. He couldn't understand why any other kind was even allowed on the market. I've always wondered about his love affair with it, he was a little kinky in some respects, but I never ever tried one. To this day I don't remember how I got away with that. So... Please let us know how you like, or don't like it. I'm still curious. It's one of those few things I always intended to do, but never got around to.
The mouthpiece looks like it was made in the manner of some popular sax mouthpieces many years back. Maybe they still make 'em, I couldn't say. I'm a bit out of touch with the sax world (and harsh reality) these days.
Interesting piece.
Whatever it turns out to be... Happy tootin' !!!
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2002-11-24 13:31
Hi Terry:
Interesting ligature and mouthpiece.
I have a ligature just like it made by Selmer, I belive, in the 1920's. Plays very well, but slips off during fast changes from A to Bb, so it's not useful in orchestra.
In the studio, it records well, although a bit bright, but very responsive.
The only "metal" clarinet mouthpiece I've played belonged to Danny Banks, a great Bari player here in NYC. It was a "Link", made by the famous sax manufacturer.
If your ligature & mouthpiece are of that quality, you have a real find. Did they come with a cap? Do you want to sell them?
Curious,
JJM
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-11-24 13:33
Quite interesting. Do you suppose it's all metal with rubber or whatever inserts?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-11-24 22:17
Like JJM, I know I have one, maybe more, of these "universal" ligs, copper/brass?, Selmer, pat # 2,20x,xxx {about 1940} [need to take apart to read] on a Geo M Bundy alto cl mp [believe it is my only lig to fit that mp well!!]. Difficult to adjust size, but useful! Re: the mp, the "yahoogroups/mouthpiecework" had some discussion of metal-plastic combos recently. My thot would be that the metal would "hold" the lay very well and the plastic would be "warmer" to the embouchure. Don
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Author: ed
Date: 2002-11-25 00:29
There are pictures of Benny Goodman using one of these in pictures of him with Bartok doing contrasts. I have seen Joe Lovano, the jazz tenor player using them. They do work well and are quite responsive and even. If you put a mouthpiece patch or piece of tape on the back of the mouthpiece it helps keep them from slipping. Bill Blount, the NYC freelancer and principal clarinet of St Lukes Orchestra uses one.
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Author: Arnold
Date: 2002-11-25 01:08
Greetings!
I have the exact same mouthpiece which indeed is a Holton, it plays surprisingly well, although it makes the clarinet top heavy.
Regards! Arnold.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-11-25 04:35
The mouthpiece is unknown to me, but I used one of those ligatures for many years during the 1950s. The one I had was not made by Selmer and had no patent marking... perhaps by then the patent had run out, or maybe it was just a knock-off. A curious thing, it would fit anything from an Eb Clarinet (none too well) to a really *big* mouthpiece, although I cannot remember ever having used it on a Baritone Sax MP.
As I recall, the thing cost me around two dollars and the metal "pusher" riveted to the spring-steel part fell off after about six weeks. So what. I still liked it rather well.
Regards,
John
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