 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ah Clem
Date: 2005-09-13 16:48
I have been doing a lot a reading on this forum, and have been learning a lot. One of the topics that continues to return is mouthpiece selection, and that the mouthpieces which come with student clarinets are not always the best.
Additionally I continued to see references to Van Doren B45 mouthpieces and set out to fine one locally. At the local shop, I was quoted a list price of $120.00 (with the welcome comment that the shop could do better than that price). My present clarinet is still a Simba (which cost $20.00 less than the mouthpiece I wanted).
The shop owner suggested that I try an inexpensive Selmer Goldentone ($20.00), which, I purchased and installed on the Simba (the "lipstick on the pig" reference).
I cannot believe the difference. It is incredibly easier to get into the upper register! The tone is entirely different and everything is suddenly easier.
I am now eyeing a used Selmer Bundy in the same shop. It has been overhauled with new pads and seals and has a two year guarantee.
I am wondering if the Bundy will yield as dramatic an improvement as the mouthpiece did.
Any thoughts?
Thank you.
Ah Clem
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Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2005-09-13 16:51
Can't tell, just test it!
We have a few RC's, all look the same, one is terribly out of tune and difficult to blow.
How do we know, only by playing.
Peter
Post Edited (2005-09-13 21:54)
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-09-13 17:12
It would have been a good idea to get that Bundy in the first place instead of the Simba, but I can understand why you made the choice you did.
Now what you have to decide is how proficient you're becoming on your instrument and if you plan to stick with it long enough to require another upgrade. That Bundy will likely be a whole lot better than your current instrument and will serve you well for many years, but you can anticipate outgrowing it if you continue making progress. So you may want to consider getting as much clarinet as you can afford. Doing so would be akin to planning ahead for a future you may not really foresee yet, so put some thought into it.
To sum up -- if you just want a better horn that you have now and don't mind possibly needing another upgrade in the future if your playing continues to improve, get the Bundy.
If you're already making great progress, can detect your instrument's shortcomings and know you'll be a pretty serious player for many years, consider skipping the Bundy and going for something even better.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-09-13 18:51
For whatever another opinion (mine), and a couple of Thoughts may or may not be worth, A.C., I've found the old (or, preferably new if you find one) Goldentone #3 mouthpiece to be a very good inexpensive mouthpiece. I have several and paid less than five [US]dollars for the cheapest one -- none cost over $12, postage included in some cases. The Bundy horn and G'tone-3 mpc combination I often play these days while 'out-and-about' is a very good, all 'round setup; it's durable, nearly maintenance free and as easy blowin' as any of my more "sophisticated", treat-'em-kindly instruments.
A reconditioned Bundy with a two-year guarantee, reasonably priced, looks like a very good deal to me. As stated in preceding posts, it should be a good, reliable instrument for a very long time. Personally, if I were in a situation similar to yours, A. Clem, and could afford a Bundy, I wouldn't wait for my Simba to poop out before upgrading. Also, as Ralph says, if you're doing really well and plan to continue playing you might, if you can afford to, consider setting your sights higher than a Bundy.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-09-13 19:04
Get a Wooden Clarinet.
Wooden Clarinet's will sound better almost every time. A bad wooden clarinet won't sound good, but a good wooden clarinet will beat a good plastic model every single time.
That's just my opinion (and most players too .....), but it's a pretty qualified one.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-09-13 20:27
Why not give the new "Forte" a shot? You can read reviews here on the site, of which I haven't seen a bad one. Seems to be reasonably priced, very good quality, and it comes with a good mouthpiece as well (from what I've READ that is . . . haven't tried one out myself)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-09-13 20:39
I've tried it - it's very, very good for a plastic clarinet.
Would be a lot easier than playing a junky one. Consider trying also the Fobes Debut Mouthpiece as it will probably be about the same level of ease then when you switched to the goldentone which I don't think much about at all.
but if you do get the forte, it comes with a very good mouthpiece (that's rare for any clarinet from any manufacturer to come with a decent mp and that one has a pretty good one!)
Post Edited (2005-09-13 20:40)
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Author: Markael
Date: 2005-09-14 01:31
I purchased a B45 Profile 88 in 2001 from a Mars Music Store. (It is now a Sam Ashe store.)
It cost me about half of the retail price quoted to you.
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Author: Ah Clem
Date: 2005-09-14 15:48
I picked up the Bundy yesterday morning. It sounds much better, now if only I did...
(although the music store owner said my tone "wasn't bad" when I tested it).
Ah Clem
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