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Alto Clarinet Mouthpiece Quest

Author: Michelle
Date: 2005-09-11 00:51

I have a two-fold post here. For reference, I am playing on a circa 1960 Buffet Alto Clarinet.

First: I am going to get a new mpc for concert band playing. The Yamaha 4C is not impressing me right now and I want to move on. I have a Grabner for my bass and I like it but the price tag is a little high for my budget right now. I'm looking at a Fobes Nova or a Hite, both of which are half the price of the Grabner. Does anyone have any recommendations from those 3 or any others you have experience with? I would actually LOVE to find a crystal alto clarinet mpc but I haven't found anyone yet that carries it.

Second: I bought a no-name grenadilla alto cl mouthpiece that has a beautiful sound, but it seems slightly smaller than the Yamaha 4C. The table is smaller - reeds hang over the side a bit. An old brown-box rico reed fits great on the wood one and is too small on the Yamaha. The rest of my reeds (Vandoren, Rico Royal) fit on the Yamaha and overhang on the wood one. The bore of the mpc is also smaller, so although the sound is gorgeous it is not in tune. The Yamaha "honks" but plays in tune.

Any thoughts on why this mpc would be smaller? I was wondering if it's actually for a bassett horn. Should I have it redone by a mpc professional or just leave it alone and play it only at home for my own enjoyment?

Thanks for getting this far and thanks in advance for your thoughts and expertise.

Michelle

Post Edited (2005-09-11 07:05)

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Re: Alto Clarinet Mouthpiece Quest

Author: joannew
Date: 2005-09-11 08:24

I have a no-name grenadilla MP that came on an old Albert system Bb horn. The istrument is high pitch, so slightly smaller than a modern Bb, and the MP is definitely smaller and tuned to play at A450, or whatever was the HP standard. Maybe your grenadilla MP is from a similar vintage alto clarinet. Some refacing could be attempted, but you can only take material off, you will never make it bigger!

The alto I just bought takes a basset horn MP, which has a tenon size the same as a soprano MP (although a bigger chamber) and uses soprano reeds, so if your grenadilla MP is actually for a basset horn, it must be of the wider bore variety.

Good luck in your search - keep us informed!

Joanne

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