 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-06-05 18:04
Almost all my life I've played on Vandoren mouthpieces. Reading this BBoard has made me realise that there are lot of other important mouthpiece makers out there. So, in the last few months I've gone on a quest for the "perfect" mouthpiece (other than Vandoren). I've tried Charles Bay, Gregory Smith, Ralph Morgan, Lomax, Heinz Viotto, Hite and Portnoy. I din't find anything better than my B40 for the sound and response that I want to get.
So, my point is that more expensive isn't always better. Hand crafted isn't always better than mass produced. Don't let me catch anybody criticising Vandoren again! :-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-06-05 18:08
Did you try a Vandy M30 which is alot like the B40.????
..pretty nice piece
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-06-05 18:25
Liquorice,
I believe you've missed the point. Any given mass-produced mouthpiece, be it Vandoren or whatever, MAY play better for you than any number of mass-produced or even custom-made mouthpieces. The point is, given a sample of X mouthpieces from a good custom maker, you (and other players) are likely to find a much higher percentage of "good" or "excellent" mouthpieces, and far fewer "dogs", than from an equal-size batch of X stock mouthpieces from mass-producer Y. EVERY mouthpiece is different --- so it all boils down to statistics. Maybe your particular B40 is outstanding --- that's entirely possible. But chances are, there is a higher percentage of crappy B40's out there than, say, crappy Hites or Morgans or Bays or Fobes or Viottis....... You're right, hand-crafted isn't ALWAYS better than mass-produced ---- but on average, it certainly is!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: contragirl
Date: 2003-06-05 18:39
I have been wanting to try some Bays myself. But I wanted to get it custom made by Bay himself. He never responded to my emails when I asked for more information about it. How do I find out about his mouthpieces? No one around here sells them.
--Contragirl
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-06-05 19:26
David Spiegelthal, I believe you missed my point. But never mind... I agree with you.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-06-05 19:32
D Dow- yes I did also try some M30s. They are good pieces. I tried several Vandoren mouthpieces too in my extensive search, but didn't mention that. Perhaps I should have mentioned for David Spiegelthal's sake that all of the B40s that I tried were also good. There was a far greater inconsistency in the Charles Bay mouthpieces that I tried than any of the Vandoren models.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Vytas
Date: 2003-06-06 01:11
I own more mouthpieces than our local SamAsh music store. Some of them like Bonade, Grabner, Chedeville, Kapar Cicero 14 and so on are considered desirable. I still find that my Vandoren B45 is the BEST. Also I've tried some other B45's but couldn't find a single piece that comes even close to the one I have.
Vytas
Post Edited (2003-06-06 17:39)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-06-06 02:15
Vytas,
Good one on the "I own more mouthpieces than our local SamAsh music store" anaology.
The Portnoy BP02 that I have been playing for about 30 years is the best and I have tried at least 5 of them in comparison. Also, my favorite Stowell Wells Schneider B2 is better than the 2 others I have right now.
Liquorice, when you find that one special mouthpiece, stay with it but I'm like you in that I wonder "is there that one special new mouthpiece just around the corner."
But then there is the famous Bonade quote (may I please paraphrase) "take all your mouthpieces, get in a boat and go out in the middle of the lake, select one mouthpiece, and throw all the others in the lake. That's your mouthpiece to play on." As Portnoy and Combs seems to agree, after a while on no matter what mouthpiece we play (other than an HS* - my editorial comment), we'll revert back to our own unique sound.
HRL
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-06-06 11:33
Interesting posts here, I have a set of B40s that are excellent which were picked out in Paris by my teacher Robert Fontaine at that time.
.... I have a nice set of Hite D facings which play a little lower and are great for working at lower pitch....
I also have a great set of Blayman pieces which I used to use...they are the E ones and would be halfway between the B40 and the Hite D in terms of tip....I sometimes retain all my pieces depending on who I have to play with and what I am recording...
I think students should be care though and stick to one facing...
A recent recording of Bizet Carmen music I used the B40s as they project well and give a nice tang to the sound.....
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-06-06 13:31
Liquorice, I apologize for misunderstanding your post --- perhaps the Vandoren B40's are unusually consistent and effective for a mass-produced mouthpiece --- if so, great!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2003-06-06 13:47
I too went on a huge mouthpiece search this past year. I spent a lot of money purchasing custom mouthpieces mentioned on this BB. I am still playing my B40 because it responds and produces the tone I want. I would be happy playing some of the pieces I bought but not nearly as happy as I am playing the B40.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-06-06 14:45
Hey bravo! Liquorice deserves credit. A good piece is a good piece.
I have long lauded the quality and timbre of the B40 to the masses...
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2003-06-06 15:10
A bit off the present subject, but some years ago, I borrowed a metal alto sax mouthpiece from a friend of mine to try out. Before playing it, I carefully washed it in warm, soapy water to insure that I not inherit some unwanted germs. The mpc played good, but not better than my own, so I returned it to its owner--who later reprimanded me for completely ruining the sound of the mpc by cleaning it and removing the built up "gunk" that gave its sound "character."
To the above discussion, if you are happy with what you are playing on, why change??? However, if you do find a mpc that lets you play easier (response, tonal focus, flexability) then that is valid reason to change. Back in the sixties, all of us clarinet majors switched from Kaspars (and others) to Bays because they allowed more fexability of dynamics. Our Kaspars were "stuffy" in comparison--or so we thought. But one thing that we also noticed is that we all continued to "sound" the same. In other words, we retained our original sounds on the Bays that we played with on the Kaspars. We just played louder. (maybe that is why I am now experiancing hearing loss and "ringing"sounds)
Basically, I agree with Liquorice (and David) on this one.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cyso_clarinetist
Date: 2003-06-06 15:12
I have yet to try the B40. I have tried most of the other models including the B45. I never though I would ever play a vandoren mouthpiece but never say never. I play on a M30 and it's just such a great mouthpiece. The m30 and m15 are mouthpieces everyone should strongly consider.
Perhaps people should also consider when trying out mouthpieces that certain ligatures and reeds work better or worse with different mouthpieces. For myself, the M30, Vandoren Optimum ligature and regular vandoren strength four reeds work great.
Also, note that for the most part the Regular M30 isn't available to most places. You are trying the M30 13 and profile 88 and so forth. Most people who try the m30 13 won't like the intonation issues. Wait for the m30 to make a judgment call.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Benni
Date: 2003-06-06 15:51
William said: "A bit off the present subject, but some years ago, I borrowed a metal alto sax mouthpiece from a friend of mine to try out. . . ."
Apparently, this is not too uncommon of a perception . . . Even Bix didn't like cleaning his cornet often because cleaning made it "sound hard." From personal experience, I have a cymbal that I never totally clean because I like how it sounds after I only cleaned off the worst of the buildup. A complete cleaning would probably give it a much brighter sound.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
