 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: SaraSoda
Date: 2004-01-18 03:16
a few months ago someone broke my B45. i haven't the money to replace it so i have been forced to play on a Premiere by Hite. it's a pretty bad mouthpiece and i can't do anything but get a bad tone from it. i can't seem to get my pitch to stay up and my tone is so bright. does anyone have any advice on how i can darken my tone with the mouthpiece that i have until i can replace my old B45?
-Sara
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Fred
Date: 2004-01-18 05:04
The Hite premier isn't really a bad mouthpiece. I wonder if you are trying to use the same reeds on it that you used on a B45? If so, you might consider using a bit harder reed.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-01-18 12:28
Hites ar reputedly a good enough m/p -- not all m/p's from one source are brilliant however. A further thought - I know it's basic sorry but - is your clarinet a wide bore instrument and are you trying a narrow bore m/p on it. ?? - cos' it won't tune. Or vice versa - the m/p may have been previously "doctored" - Check it out - I've been there, to my embarrassment.
BobT (having learned from his ignorance and waiting for the next mistake)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-01-19 03:20
Bob49T how do you know whether your mouthpiece is a wide or narrow bore. Which specification of the mouthpieces reveals this? I have a Hite Premier and it seems to do very well on my LeBlanc Noble which has a .584 bore.
Leonard
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2004-01-19 04:55
A Hite Premier should have pretty much the same exit bore size as a B45 and, from what I've seen, Premiers are well made and very consistent though it does not surprise me that someone who likes a B45 wouldn't like a Premier. They are quite different mouthpieces. Because it is made primarily as a beginner's mouthpiece (unlike the B45), the Premier is considerably less resistant. It will probably need at least 1/2 to a full strength harder reed. BTW, you shouldn't have to pay more than around $60 for a new B45 if you are in the U.S.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Karel
Date: 2004-01-19 06:44
Whoever broke your B45 should have the decency to help you replace it.
Karel
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-01-19 21:41
Leonard,
I agree there should be some designation on the m/p but I doubt it here.
Other mouthpieces (eg B and H) would have 1010 or 926 on them.
Apparently a m/p built for a wide bore clar has a more cylindrical internal config as opposed to the narrow bore m/p which is more conical one. This is a generalisation as individual manufacturers will have their own tone chamber specs. I don't think you'll see the difference from the outside
dimensions.
Sara,
I hear that vandoren m/p's may be a fraction longer than some. It might be interesting to go to a m/p retailer and compare v/d lengths with others. This may hold the key to your tuning problems, however, the tuning problems would possibly be in the reverse direction. I suggest you speak to the m/p experts - Grabners, Eatons et al. There are probably too many unknowns here. I'm with Karel on the replacement by the perpetrator of the crime, - if your instrument is insuranced this also may be a possibility for replacement.
Best wishes,
BobT
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-01-20 12:21
The B45 is a somewhat more refined mouthpiece than the Hite, so the Premiere would certainly be something of a step down in terms of tone and flexibility....on top of that the Premiere is a bit more closed so you may notice the sound to be somewhat smaller and narrow in terms of focus.
Although some people may find the Vandoren line inconsistent, this is a great thing in my opinion. I have about 6 B40s in my collection and can say each has characteristics all their own...one in particular given to me by a teacher from Belgium is particularly nice and has a velvety sound with tremendous tonal colour....
The B45s as of late I have noticed not as accurate as could be, but there are some very nice ones I am sure if one can take time to look. As to the other models, the B45 Lyre is a real gem, but has the tonal colour I would describe as dark but with a very fine ring and definition to the sound.
If I was a B45 player, then lost my piece, I would probably go to the B45 Lyre or return to the B45. B45s really work well for some of my students... because of the tonal flexibility.
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2004-01-20 14:01
bob49t wrote:
"Apparently a m/p built for a wide bore clar has a more cylindrical internal config as opposed to the narrow bore m/p which is more conical one. This is a generalisation as individual manufacturers will have their own tone chamber specs. I don't think you'll see the difference from the outside dimensions."
Bob,
Could you point me to a reference for your comment on the internal differences. I would like to check it out. I would expect that a mouthpiece made for a large-bore instrument would be noticeably different from one made for a narrow-bore instrument on one external dimension -- the exit bore. I have never seen an Eaton mouthpiece or a Boosey mouthpiece for their large-bore instruments. I do have a few mouthpieces that were made for older large-bore Selmers (old Selmer and Kaspar mouthpieces). These all have a noticeably larger exit bore than more recent mouthpieces made for narrow bore instruments -- presumably to match the larger entry bore of the barrel. This would require a steeper internal taper for the large bore mouthpiece rather than a lesser one. Clark Fobes briefly addresses these points in his short history of the Kaspars elsewhere on this site.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-01-20 15:25
Have you considered having a refacing done on your Hite mp? I have had a VD 5RVL facing put on an old glass O'Brien, its much better, and have recently sent off a second glass to Manfredo Cavallini in Italy for a "fairly-wide" "fairly long" reface as my ?jazz? mp, will report! Dave S here does fine work also, as do other refacers. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-01-20 21:47
Jack,
Interesting though this is, we're "skiing off piste" as far as the original theme is concerned. I'll email you "off board"
BobT
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: john gibson
Date: 2004-01-20 22:49
SaraSoda
And I like the moniker.....get yourself a Pomarico crystal.......they break a lot easier....but damn do they "perform". Better than any of the hard rubber or even wooden MPCs I've played. Email me if you need more info.
John Gibson
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
