 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-10-08 19:41
As many of you know, Dave Spiegelthal refaces mouthpieces, as well as restores and repairs woodwind instruments.
Dave is one of the few people around that specializes in refacing of crystal mouthpieces.
I recently sent him my Vandoren crystal (A2) Eb mouthpiece for a diagnosis and repair/reface. It had always played balky, with too much resistance and not enough edge and definition to the sound. Thus, it found its way to my shelf with the other mouthpieces in purgatory. I have a custom Morgan Eb which I am very happy with and use regularly.
As I have a good deal of Eb playing to do in the next few months and would feel more secure with a back-up mouthpiece, I sent Dave the Vandoren crystal to see what he could do with it. When it arrived back completed, it was totally transformed into a mouthpiece which now plays effortlessly with beautiful coloration and response. My Morgan has now taken a back seat to the now vastly improved Vandoren.
I wanted to publicly acknowledge Dave's work and recommend his skills without reservation. He is most accomodating, easy to work with, prompt, and has the keen eye and skill to fix any problematic mouthpiece. I plan to use Dave again with other mouthpieces that are not playing up to their full potential.
One cannot ask for more than that ...GBK
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Author: William Hughes ★2017
Date: 2003-10-08 19:50
Apparently, Dave's fame is spreading far and wide. Earlier this week I lost out on the chance to buy on eBay one of his refaced Bundy 3 Contra Alto mouthpieces to a bidder from Germany.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-10-08 20:22
Let me join the throng. I have four of Dave's masterpieces. Two bass, one Alto and one Bb Sop. I am just a noodler but have spent much money on many mps's looking for the "perfect" one. Until it ever shows up I will stick with Dave's as they are as near to perfect as perfect comes.
Bob A
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-10-08 20:39
While I may not be close to a pro player, I did send my mouthpiece to DS also to get refaced. Before his work it played well, but with a little edge and undertones that I just couldn't seem to get rid of. After it returned, it was great. And still is. It's my number one and I strongly recommend him. Great guy. Great.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-10-09 12:22
Just be prepared to wait... Dave is dilligent (Dillinger-Gent?) but has a full plate to serve at home.
Any delay is worthwhile. I still have an early trade from him that plays in my Chamber settings.
(He's a serious player, and tests his work. I think that's key to his success.)
*******
I'm just wondering when he'll come out with a signature line of reed cases, lined with Donkey fur.
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Author: Katfish
Date: 2003-10-09 13:17
Ialso am a satisfied customer. He took a m13 with a slight chip on the tip and turned it into the best mouthpiece i have ever played. Great guy to work with, first class in every way.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-10-09 13:35
I've said it before, and will repeat, I'm very happy with my crystal Pom , esp. the one bearing DS xxxx. I'm about to invest in a Pom alto cl mp, and, Dave, will try it against my best, an old HR "Olympia" [ever heard of it?] and then send both to you for improvement. Would like my Sel-Par to sound like a Basset Horn!!! Possible? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2003-10-10 01:18
NOT ONLY THAT....Dave specializes(spiegelthaizes) in restoration of Bossey Hawkes clarinets. He overhauled a 2-20 for me that is now an excellent player. Suse is good. Period.
Gibson
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Author: yo_dude24
Date: 2003-10-10 15:23
so does he just work on any mouthpiece? if i were to send him a hunk of junk he could turn it into a beautiful sounding mouthpiece. and just in case i didn't get through heres an example. I send him a mouthpiece lets say a Debut (which I play on and love, but i feel it could be better) he would work on it and make it better? or does it have to be a professional mouthpiece like vandoren or pomarico? thanks
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-10-10 18:33
That may a be question to email and ask dave himself, but my view would be that he coudl take a hunk of junk and make it BETTER, but not as good as a good mouthpeice could be made.
For example: If you buy yourself the lowest made bundy, and send that to a repairshop to get it "tuned", how well will it come out when compared to a hand selected Concerto sent to the same company?
Don't just buy a piece of a junk and expect it to be phenominal. Go out, select something nice, then send THAT away for an improvement.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-10-10 19:11
All,
Thanks for the kind words --- they mean a lot to me!
yo_dude24,
If I may take the liberty of rephrasing Alexi, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but maybe we can make a much nicer sow's ear? To answer your question, I do work on any mouthpiece, it's just that the worst the initial 'raw material', the more time and effort it takes to make it good, and chances are it won't be as good in the end as a mouthpiece which started from a good-quality blank or finished mouthpiece. As an example, a couple of years ago (as a challenge to myself) I took one of those no-name white plastic molded clarinet mouthpieces, and made it into a very good classical mouthpiece which I played in orchestra rehearsals just for fun --- but I had to do an AWFUL lot of work to it, including a whole bunch of interior modifications (baffle, bore, window, everything) which normally I don't need to mess with at all when starting from a good blank. So in the end it was do-able, but not cost-effective. Same with sax mouthpieces, with which there's an enormous variety of designs, materials, and quality levels --- I've refaced quite a few of those that started off as junk and ended up OK at least, but just weren't worth the trouble.
Again, thanks to everyone for your support --- hope to see y'all at ClarinetFest 2004......................
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Author: CPW
Date: 2003-10-10 20:06
Dave...what is your favorite mpc. to reface??
Least favorite???
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2003-10-10 20:50
Since Mark's and GBK's pictures were posted a while back, it should be pointed out that Dave Spiegelthal's picture was in the Sept. issue of The Clarinet magazine (International Clarinet Association) on p.22. Just thought you might want to put a face with this series of comments.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-10-10 20:57
Do y'all mean I've got to spend $50 bucks for a sub just to see Dave? Can't we get a free picture, one that shows him with his wings and crown riding on his Donkey?
Bob A
Post Edited (2003-10-10 20:59)
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2003-10-12 12:38
How do you know when your mouthiece needs/could benefit from a refacing? Are there symptoms that develop that tell you?
Leonard
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2003-10-14 19:18
I sent Dave a mouthpiece for refacing. After the work the mouthpiece played so much better than it ever did before (a night and day difference). Dave’s workmanship is superb, he is very friendly and easy to work with. So much so that I sent him another mouthpiece to reface.
Best Regards
Mark
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Author: glin
Date: 2003-10-14 21:42
HI All,
Another vote acknowledgin Dave's work. He refaced a JD Hite Bass Clar. mpc that is great to play on. And he also did a reangled bass clarinet neck for me. Also, he corrected the assymetrical facing on a Clark Fobes. The result was a much improved mpc. He also does good pad work. I've been using him, as he is local to my area, for other repad-regulation jobs on my Bb clarinets.
PS: He has a picture with one of his ensembles in the latest issue of the Clarinet magazine by ICA.
George Lin
Fairfax, VA
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Author: yo_dude24
Date: 2003-10-16 19:16
ok, so i wont send my debut cause i'm not sure if it's a good subject for refacing, but i do want to send my M13, but what i'm afraid of is am i gonna have to reduce to a softer reed if i do get it refaced?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-10-16 19:18
yo_dude24 wrote:
> what
> i'm afraid of is am i gonna have to reduce to a softer reed if
> i do get it refaced?
All you need to do is talk to whoever does the work on your mouthpiece and discuss with them your needs.
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Author: Ken Rasmussen
Date: 2003-10-21 05:11
Dave did a great job imitating a bass clarinet mouthpiece for me. I gave him the mouthpiece I wanted duplicated and a blank of the same type, and he pulled it off. He also modified a badly out of tune Eb sopranino so it plays well. He's made big improvements for me. Thanks Dave!
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-10-21 18:28
Dave- My Pomarico glass Alto cl mp [a 3] arrived, by my initial playing, its great. I'll try it in comm.band for several weeks and will let you know by EM what my plans are. Lots of "confidence votes" here, congrats. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: icecoke12
Date: 2003-10-22 08:33
I just sent my B45 to Dave.. eagerly anticipating its return after reading all these posts.....
Anyone tried buying new crystal blanks and sending it to Dave to put a facing on it?
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2003-10-22 09:17
I just sent a mouthpiece to dave too. It's a Pomarico #0 (for bass clarinet). Does anyone know where you can get it? I only see Pomairico #1, #2 and #3. I bought it new a few years ago when I just started playing bass clarinet so I coudn't tell if it was good or not. It's the best mouthpiece I've tried soundwise but it's just too closed that it's almost impossible to play with. I'll let you know how it turns out when I get it back.
Post Edited (2003-10-22 09:21)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-10-22 12:09
This is out of hand now. While I don't mind people singing the praises of their favorite (repair person/mouthpiece refacer/etc), we don't need to know about their entire backlog ...
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