 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rob W
Date: 2003-01-12 01:33
OK, so I just got back from Vegas and came home up $400. Now I guess would be a good time to start experimenting! Here's my current set-up:
Vintage R13
Buffet 'V2' Barrel (this one gives me a more open sound in comparison to the other one which is more 'tutty')
Vandoren 5RVLyre
Bonade Lig
V12 #4
I like the fact that I have a big sound and nice tone. However, I want to open my sound up even more while keeping it round. How do I do this?
Equipment wise, where should I focus? I've heard positive things about the Hite D and B45 Dot mouthpieces. As for barrels, I'm in the dark. Anyone have suggestions for what I should try?
And yes--it's not the horn, it's the player. Agreed! 
Rob
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-01-12 02:38
From my experience, the B45• has a great (big!!) sound, but dull response. Vandoren claims that their Profile 88 mouthpieces have better response than their traditional profile counterparts, so you may want to try it in both profiles and see if there really is a difference.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2003-01-12 13:34
i was a long time vandoreen user intil a fellow pro recommend i try a larry combs 3 mpc. well i did and it WAY better than any vandoreen i ever tried. eaiser & faster articulation.richer sound and responce in all registers and better dynamic controll. more reed friendly too! other than going to a expencive custom maker this mpc is hard to beat in my book
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2003-01-12 15:33
I've tried the Larry Combs 3 as well and agree it is a good off the shelf mouthpiece. However, I have never played a mouthpiece that gave me the advantages of tone, response, flexibility, etc. as my custom-made Greg Smith. If I had the extra bucks I'd try some of his mouthpieces alongside a Larry Combs 3. The Vandoren 45s just don't compare. They're great intermediate mouthpieces, but if you play them side-by-side you'll see the difference right away.
The only difference in Vandoren's regular mouthpieces and the Profile 88 is the taper on the beak. There's very, very little difference in sound. The reason I know is I play-tested and sold Vandoren mouthpieces a couple of years ago. I tried all of their models up to the M13Lyre Profile 88. But, as I said earlier, I wouldn't trade 4 of them for 1 Greg Smith.
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Author: Jean
Date: 2003-01-12 23:43
I have been dying to try a barrel from www.backunmical.com
If these barrels sound as good as they look....WOW....
Jean
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Author: William
Date: 2003-01-13 01:39
It might be of some interest to report that when I attended Larry Comb's last clinic at IMS, he was playing on a Hawkins custom made mpc.
It might also be good to remember the rule: The farther away from your mind the equipement is, the less important it is.
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Author: Mike
Date: 2003-01-13 02:05
Vandoren mouthpieces are too bright. If you are looking for dark, try Pyne. Also, if you want a bigger sound, try switching to 3.5 V12s.
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Author: Clarence
Date: 2003-01-13 04:27
Rob,
I chose a B45 dot over the M15 and 5RV-lyre. I played this mouthpiece for approx 4 months. Its ok for a student, but you can get alot better mouthpiece than Vandoren. And you don't have to look hard. The Hyte D is going to be hard to beat for the money. If you can budget a little more, you should try the Lomax A3.
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Author: Campbell M.
Date: 2003-01-13 18:33
Rob,
Right now I use a Hawkins mouthpiece with 4.5 v12's and I am pleased. I have always been concerned with volume and projection, and this works well for me. I've never been a big fan of handmade mouthpieces, but with Hawkins, you can always get one that just plays. I think the price ($115 or so the last time I checked) is very fair. The quality of the blank (Zinner) is really great, and as far as I know, that is the blank that Greg Smith and Rick Sayre use. He also has a facing that is a Chedeville copy that is a little more expensive. If you want to get in to the vintage thing, be prepared to go back to Vegas and win a little more money, since most of the older stuff (Chedeville, Lelandais, Kaspar, etc.) go for more than $400. Also, you have to assume that SOMEONE within the last 30 years has tried to adjust it, and then you have to deal with finding someone to reface it to your liking-also extremely time consuming and a real pain in the ass. Sorry to be so long winded.
Just be confident in your current setup as a point of reference when trying other stuff.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2003-01-13 19:57
For $400, you can get a Greg Smith mouthpiece matched by him to two Chadash barrels, one for your Bb and one for your A. I think that would make the biggest improvement in the way your instruments feel. I don't know if he makes jazz-style mouthpieces, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2003-01-13 21:36
Campbell M said:
"The quality of the [Hawkins] blank (Zinner) is really great, and as far as I know, that is the blank that Greg Smith and Rick Sayre use."
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As a point of clarification:
I would agree that the quality of the material is superb although
I do use Zinner blanks that are of my own proprietary design - not "stock" blanks. They are not the same Zinner blanks that others may use. I use my own custom designed blanks as a point of departure to then hand finish all sections of my mouthpieces.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-01-15 12:04
Yeah Baby, time to oil the wheels of commerce!
If you choose the larger makers, try to get more than one sample sent for testing. Most of the mail order shops will allow restocking provided you use patches to prevent scuffs.
Guy Chadash is now selling mouthpieces built to his design specs by a Woodwind regular, Chris Hill.
Guy is just up the road from you (NYC)
There is NO substitute for play testing, so bring your horn along.
I strongly recommend buying the product of living manufacturers if you're after handmade stuff. They are around to tweak things to your satisfaction.
Don't be put off by one schmuck's estimation of an entire product line as 'too bright' or 'too dark'... it's like buying shoes -
one size certainly does not fit all. (Come on 7!)
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