 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Llewsrac
Date: 2006-02-26 22:59
I wish to share with board members the Superior results I am receiving from Mr. Behn's Vintage mouthpieces. The craftmanship, artistic quality, and cordial service is refreshing and much appreciated.
The mouthpieces I have played rival and surpass the master mouthpiece makers from the last century and certainly the current century. A bold statement no doubt, but very accurate.
Be aware and take note, a new "Star" is rising.
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Author: William
Date: 2006-02-27 21:05
"a new "Star" is rising".
It might rise a bit faster if his price(s) would sink a bit and make auditioning/purchasing one of his new products more affordable for more of us.
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Author: Llewsrac
Date: 2006-02-27 21:53
Point taken;
Mr. Behn is easily reached by toll free phone service, email ect. He welcomes calls and will speak directly to you concerning his rates. I found his customer service the finest I have experience.
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Author: CPW
Date: 2006-02-28 00:47
Ditto and double ditto
Against the windmills of my mind
The jousting pole splinters
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2006-02-28 02:23
There has been some interesting reviews about Brad's mouthpieces, maybe you can tell us something about the way they feel and sound to you?
And "great" is not the most informative word.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: msloss
Date: 2006-02-28 03:21
Well, for what it is worth, I understand from Brad that his stock is in short supply, so he is apparently finding an audience that is quite comfortable with his pricing scheme. If you ever looked into the price of a flute head joint or a good bassoon bocal you wouldn't find these prices to be all that shocking (not to mention what people are paying, rightly or wrongly, for vintage Cheds and Kaspars).
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Author: donald
Date: 2006-02-28 07:16
.... i might be spreading an unfounded rumor here, but i'm sure i recall hearing that during the time that Brad was the TA for Marcellus at Northwestern one of his duties was making/adjusting reeds... (i really can't remember who i heard that from)
Rodrubber- Brads facings tend to work better with Thin blank reeds as this is what he prefers... although i sucessfully used V12s on the zinner he refaced for me in 1995 (which i unwisely traded, curses!), and use chopped off V12s on my BB eflat mouthpiece.
Dang- the Bass cl mouthpiece Brad refaced for me (1998) has now got a scratch on the facing.... maybe it's time for a new one?
donald
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Author: Michael Montague
Date: 2006-03-02 18:22
The discussion of mouthpieces is an unending activity for many clarinetists. It’s no wonder. Each of us is different in terms of her or his concept of the ideal sound and in terms of highly individual facial architectures and airway peculiarities. We should all be grateful to have so many fine designers and craftsmen available to us to give us a wide and diverse selection of mouthpieces so that we can find those that work best for each of us.
One designer, Brad Behn of Salt Lake City, is rapidly becoming known as an exceptional mouthpiece maker. He has done a careful technical analysis of the old Chedevilles, not only from the standpoint of their dimensions, but also with regard to the chemical composition of the rubber used in those mouthpieces. Based on this detailed analysis, he has designed and constructed a series of mouthpieces that have, in my view at least, some terrific properties.
I’ve recently tried three of his vintage mouthpieces; one was modeled after an excellent Henri Chedeville, another after a Charles Chedeville, and the third after a Kaspar mouthpiece. Each was made from the Chedeville hard rubber formula that Behn has rediscovered.
The most salient property of all three for me was an amazing resonance or “liveness,” which is apparently due to the composition of the rubber. I don’t mean “bright” or “thin” here. The sound has a certain presence about it. Behn says that he aims for a sound like Harold Wright’s, which is the one that I prefer as well. As all of you know, Wright’s sound was flexible, sweet, warm, woody when he wanted it, but always “present” to his audience, never muffled or covered. In my view, Behn’s mouthpieces achieve this better than those from any other maker that I’ve tried. Although I decided to purchase the Henri Chedeville model, either of the other two would have improved my playing. All three models had superb response in the altissimo. As an aside, I found the mouthpieces to be quite reed friendly, though a more vibrant reed (Zonda or Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic, about 3.5 to 4 strength) performs best for me.
Brad is great to work with during the trial phase; by asking a lot of questions he determines exactly what his potential customer truly wants. I really think his mouthpieces are worth a try. The one that I purchased has improved my own playing significantly and made it more fun and easier to make music.
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Author: donald
Date: 2006-04-18 05:37
for those of you who may be interested, i have reccently been able to "audition" two of Brad Behns Vintage mouthpieces- one from a Charles Chedeville inspired blank, and the other a "Kasparesque" mouthpiece.
Both of these mouthpieces were expertly finished with symetrical facings and relatively thin tip/side rails. In both cases i was very impressed by the even resistance and sound throughout the range, an incredible resonance (that was more evident to an audience in a big room- as noted by Ryan25 in the previous post). i live a short walk from the Philharmonia rehearsal hall, and both Brads mouthpieces were "play tested" in the hall(along with two or three others in my collection) to string players who were really impressed by the "ring" or "presence" in the sound.... and that it seemed very even throughout the range. The left hand lower reg had much more prescence, left hand upper reg had ring without being "hard", lower reg right hand had more "punch".
The "thin railed" facings were quite different from what i'm used to, and i found that when testing these mouthpieces the advice to use a new reed (in fact, in this case also a different strength) definately improved the result (although, for what it's worth, a friend of mine from the Sydney Symphony tried them both out- and used the same reed from his standard set up, an open facing about 1.2mm, and sounded great). One comment i often hear made in relation to mouthpieces with closer tip openings is that they can't play very loudly. With these two mouthpieces i was surprised at how effortlessly i could make a vibrant ringing tone at low dynamic levels, but also at how well the sound held its shape as i pushed it to extreme dynamic levels- with no feeling of "back pressure"
I had just performed the Mozart Req (on Clarinet, sorry) and had been annoyed in a few places that i'd had to push the sound too much to be heard over the orchestra. If i'd got these mouthpieces a week or two sooner, i'm sure that that wouldn't have been a problem as there is now an effortless "ring" in my sound that i haven't felt since i used a borrowed Chedeville for a recital many years ago. These are definately mouthpieces for the hall, not for playing to yourself in the practise room!
keep playing the good tunes
donald
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Author: Bnewbs
Date: 2006-04-18 05:56
Ryan25 wrote:
"or want your tone to have the magic that Harold Wright and Robert Marcellus had? Brads new rubber makes it possible for all of us."
I don't care what kind of rubber, or facing work or whatever a mouthpiece has, no mouthpiece will ever make me sound like, or near as good as Robert Marcellus. There is an insane amount of talent and dedication that very very few musicians will ever live up to. I'm sure its a great mp, but that is just rediculous to say.
"I promise all of you that they are worth every penny and will simply blow you away. Get ready to switch mouthpieces!"
If I had the money it would be possible, but there are still phenominal mouthpieces in the $200 range. I think I am set for years to come. And just think Alassandro Carbonare and Todd Levy blow away almost everyone on using $65 Vandorens.
Ben
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-04-18 13:48
Perhaps this is out of place because I have not tried the Behn Vintage or Backun mouthpieces but hope to have the time at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium to window shop several of the great mouthpiece makers of our time including these new additions. I would recommend to anyone that is shopping for a new mouthpiece that they attend the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium or ClarinetFest this summer in Atlanta if possible. The makers themselves - probably Behn, Backun, Redwine, Grabner, Lomax, Fobes, and perhaps Hill, Johnston, Smith, Hawkins, Pyne and maybe others of the elite current artisans will be there in person and can customize their art to your personal playing characteristics. Their experience can help select styles to send mail-order but face to face is a better option if possible. I am friends with many of these artisans and I respect each of them for their respective but different artistic talents and mouthpiece styles produced.
I believe that attempts at recreating original rubber formulations and new mouthpiece design and manufacturing techniques may produce a different type of resonance, tonal characteristics, and ease of use to a mouthpiece but the inner dimensions, table, rails and facing are the critical factors in mouthpiece performance and where the mouthpiece artisan's talent and experience comes to fore. No one style, rubber used, or precision manufacturing will be best for everyone because of the noted differences in individual players native architecture and compendium of playing experience and style as well as the variables of the clarinet and barrel used. Also, no one will be able to create a mouthpiece that will reproduce the tone of the past master players because they were individuals and had individual tones produced by their own architecture and hardware. Make up your own mind about what is best for you!
L. Omar Henderson
P.S. The list or artisans is not inclusive but just the ones that I have seen at past OK and ClarinetFests performing their "magic".
Post Edited (2006-04-18 21:26)
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2006-04-18 14:57
I can add my kudos for Brad as a person and an artisan. He's such a gentleman and so nice to work with. If you read my thread about the Kaspar Cicero that he rescued for me, you'll know my feelings about his work. The mouthpiece I thought was headed to the garbage is now a concert-ready mouthpiece with a lot of life left in it.
I haven't saved up enough pennies to afford one of his new ones, but I'm sure they're excellent from what I've experienced with his reface and repair skills. And, it is expensive to research and develop an exact copy of the old Chedevilles. That's bound to be part of the expense.
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Author: jcfasanar
Date: 2006-04-19 14:37
I have the C. Chedeville model purchased recently from Brad and i can say its the best mouthpiece ever played (and, i have played many mouthpieces)
And Brad is a great person and his service is perfect (2 mouthpieces to try, shipped to Spain for me in a few days)
I love you Brad !
***Spanish power***
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Author: Llewsrac
Date: 2006-04-19 16:44
Follow-up:
Two months have past since my original posting.
Many hours of rehearsals logged on the three vintage mouthpieces I purchased. I continue to enjoy playing these mouthpieces over the originals they were copied from. The quality of sound simply gets better and better the more these mouthpieces are played.
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Author: doublej
Date: 2006-05-10 14:50
hello
I also have just prchased a Behn vintage model mouthpiece. He couldn't be any nicer with helping you to find a mouthpiece that is correct for you. Like many of the previous posters have stated, I too compared the models of brad's to original kaspars and ch. chedeville models. The behn mouthpieces were by far better for me. Not only did I think that the sound was better but the feel was exceptional. I ended up buying a "kaspar" model. I was quite thrilled with the sound of them up close and then I made a recording and was thrilled to find that everything i was hearing up close was projecting and then some. I personally don't like to "work" very hard to project and what i found with the mouthpiece I purchased(and all the others for that matter) was that I could get a very warm and centered mf or F withouth having to expend all my energy. Which is great because in those situations were fff is needed you can get there and have a dynamic contrast without the sound distorting. One other side note with the mouthpieces, I found that I could play a much softer reed and still get the sound i was after which makes playing even more comfortable.
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Author: teniralc
Date: 2006-05-11 01:48
William- Absolutely agree. The price is OUTRAGEOUS-- especially considering the price of most all other hand crafted mouthpieces don't exceed 300 dollars. I'd absolutely consider one if the price was more reasonable. I don't know many aspiring musicians who have money like that floating around. I wish I did!
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-05-11 01:55
teniralc wrote:
> The price is OUTRAGEOUS--
We've recently had a number of VERY long threads about this very subject, so please, let's keep this one on track.
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Author: doublej
Date: 2006-05-11 10:09
Hello again,
Yes the price is high. However, I recently auditioned some other parts for the clarinet that were more expensive than these mouthpieces and they made very little auditory difference. Upon playing the mouthpiece which I chose for my mother, who has no musical training, she was delighted. I think that very few pieces of equipment have the ability to portray a more improved sound to someone who simply listens for recreation and for me that is something very important and a good guide to what is worth purchasing. Just keep in mind also that a drawer full of $100-200 mouthpieces that are not ideal to your sound concept is not cheaper to spending more on one mouthpiece and being happy which was definately the case for me.
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Author: Shawn Buck
Date: 2006-06-24 15:24
It's not likely that I'll say anything that hasn't already been said about mouthpieces in general, and Brad Behn's new Vintage in particular.
I've been playing on Kaspars (Cicero and Chicago), Cheds., and Lelandais for twenty years. They are all are wonderful mouthpieces--everyone agrees. Now, I'm using a Behn Vintage, Henri Chedeville model. It's as good or better than anything I own. To my ear, it has the same "ring" in the sound, and works well with my reeds.
It seems logical to conclude that the material used to manufacture a mpc. blank is tremendously important. (I would go so far as to say that even the density is critical.) Brad claims to have gone to great lengths to duplicate the same material for his Vintage blanks as that found in an old H. Chedeville. I'm not a scientist, but I have no reason to doubt him. The first thing I did (even before playing) when I got my Behn Vintage was smell it. It smelled like all of my old hard rubber mouthpieces--you know that sort of toxic smell. I've been told that's the odor of oxidizing sulphur. (One of my own personal tests--take it for what it's worth)
As far as interior dimensions and facings--Brad makes no claims of duplication. He has taken what he feels are the best ideas from what I would imagine are a variety of great Classic mouthpieces. This seems to be a reasonable approach. No one would deny that even the "great" mouthpieces can often benefit from the alterations of a great craftsman--the late Everette Matson certainly a perfect example. To his credit, Brad is also a remarkable clarinetist. Seems like a perfect mix--artist/craftsman. Personally, I have found that my Behn Vintage helped to correct some out-of-tune 12ths (often a problem on Kaspars).
Finally--and this is entirely my own story--I have always struggled to maintain the same sound quality (tongue position, vowel sound, air speed) between my throat tones and the first 5th above. That sudden change between the shortest to the longest air column always seems to disturb my sound. For me, it's usually easy to achieve the ideal feel/focus when playing throat tones. I want that same feel/focus in that 5th just over the break. My Behn Vintage gives me that. (That was a huge factor for me.)
As far as cost--be thankful you don't play violin. Try the Vintage. If you like it, you'll find the money.
Post Edited (2006-06-24 21:33)
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Author: Chetclarinet
Date: 2006-06-24 17:15
I would also like to complement Brad on his fine vintage mouthpieces! I recently purchased an H. Chedeville Copy and it is a gem! The sound is very focused and easily projects in large ensembles . It is also the best mouthpiece I have ever played in terms of dymamic control and speed of articulation. This great H. Chedeville model is equal to, if not better than my best original Kaspar and Chedeville mouthpieces in many areas! Bravo Brad!
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-06-24 22:13
I chimed in on this one before. ShawnBuck makes the point that these mouthpieces should be compared to themselves rather than a preconceived notion of the characteristics of H. Ched, C. Ched, or Kaspar. To this I heartily agree.
Chetclarinet is a well-respected pro who knows a good mouthpiece when he plays it. His endorsement is certainly a fine stamp of approval.
BUT...there are other fine makers out there, and you may find others to your liking. Some are denisons of this bulletin board.
One thing that seems very different between makers is the width of the rails and tip. Brad's are on the thinner side, while other producers like thicker ones. That is just one factor. I shudder to imaginge a math formula that encompasses all the nuances of mouthpiece acoustics.
And then you have to find a good reed........and practise!
.
.
.
.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2006-06-25 17:01
Yes, I would have to say chetclarinet has played more real Kaspars than anyone I know. So, Kudos again ,BRAD!!!
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Author: kdennyclarinet
Date: 2006-07-04 14:32
FYI
Brad has moved to a town just north of Boulder, Colorado. If you are in the area, you can set up an appointment with him and have the freedom to try several mouthpieces without worrying with shippings costs.
K. Denny
BME, MM, DMA
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Author: Martha
Date: 2006-07-06 10:43
Well, for $650, they better be next to golden. Personally, I think that it's best to stick with a less expensive mouthpiece and make it your own.
p.s. plus $32.50 if you return one, and who knows which one will work best for you so if you try three and get nothing you like......ouch!
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2006-07-06 13:23
I really feel prices as high as that for a material blank thats worth less than 30 dollars is pushing it quite a bit. With gas prices on the rise and other costs most working day clarinet players would be hard pressed to spend 650 dollars US a mouthpiece when you have the bills coming in month to month.
David Dow
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-07-06 13:51
D Dow wrote:
> I really feel prices as high as that for a material blank
> thats worth less than 30 dollars is pushing it quite a bit.
We've gone down this path before and I really don't want to go down this path again. Value is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to artistry.
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Author: dtclarinet ★2017
Date: 2006-10-02 15:19
For 2 decades I've been searching for the ultimate mouthpiece. I quickly learned that the old ones have the best sound. But they were hard to come by and often had limitations or faults from age and too many refacings.
When I heard about Brad Behn's new vintage line, I was skeptical. I had heard this claim before. Brad was patient and understanding in working with me. I really wanted to find a great mouthpiece, not just another good one to add to my pile.
After 20 years, I have finally replaced the old Chedeville Lelandais I could never beat with any new mouthpiece.
The material of the Vintage vibrates with incredible richness. A soft reed now offers the full sound I used to get only with a harder one. The bore and facing relfect the precision and craftmanship of an artist. It took me awhile to trust these mouthpiece, since I had compensated for them in my playing for so many years. But Brad's patience and my persistence has paid off.
I have chosen the C blank as my favorite (so far). I find it gives me the long, round "oooo" I have been searching for in the core of the sound.
Congratulations Brad. And thank you.
David
David Thomas
Principal Clarinetist
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Blog- TheBuzzingReed.com
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-10-20 11:08
[The posting below, from Johnny Ng, now put into the correct thread - GBK ]
-------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
I had recently purchased a vintage collections of clarinet mouthpiece (Model B) from Bradfore Behn. I must say is that, It is a great clarinet mouthpiece I have ever had. It sounds very focus.warm and easy to play. It produces a very rare beauty of the clarinet sound like the late Robert Marcellus. I had tried many clarinet mouthpieces from the past 25 years, Non of them I can say they are really great although some of them are really good. But now I have one from Brad's company, I must say it is really great and good.
I am very sure that Brad is a great master of the clarinet mouthpieces. He knows the clarinet mouthpiece inside out. I totally agreed with him that the 1930's rubber is the best rubber to make clarinet mouthpieces.
His craftsmanship is very refine and creative. Certainly he is now the one of the very best clarinet mouthpiece maker named after Chedeville and Kaspar.
Johnny Ng
Former Clarinetist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Clarinet and Saxophone Teacher of the United World College
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Author: Bluenoser
Date: 2007-04-18 00:26
I have been using one of Brad's "C" line for about 6 months.
I can honestly say that it has made a big difference for me.
I don't have to work nearly as hard to get the sound that I want. I find that the corners of my mouth tuck in almost automatically and I don't bite. There is an extra ring in the sound that I never had before. I find them VERY reed friendly even on bad reed days. I use Vandoren V12 #4's. I have way more endurance on this mouthpiece and it has a very relaxed sound and feel.
Brad's service was superb.
I have been a professional clarinet player for over 20 years and I have certainly been successful with my stock VanDoren 5RV lyre. I'm not someone who switches a lot and I had been using the 5RV lyre mouthpieces for 25 years. I was never interested in anything else until a friend let me try his Kaspar. Wow. I just didn't know what I was missing. Instead of trying to hunt down old mouthpieces, I contacted Brad. As it turns out, the mouthpiece that works the best for me was one of his more "Chedeville" models. I bought two of them, but not at the same time. I managed to pick out the same mouthpiece "blindly" when Brad sent some to a friend of mine. Obviously I've reached a point where I know what I want.
I know they are expensive. That is why I would recommend getting your sound REALLY together first and then seeing if one of Brad's mouthpieces would give it that extra "ping". All his mouthpieces are well made but you have to make sure you know what you want before you start experimenting with this kind of money. A great mouthpiece won't make up for hard work but it will make it easier to do the work. I find as I age I need a bit of extra help. This mouthpiece enables me to get a great sound without as much work.
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Author: pabstboy
Date: 2007-04-18 02:53
I purchased one of Brad's Vintage models about 7 months ago. The Model A. It is a great mouthpiece and very reed friendly. It has really made a difference in my sound. For those of you who think $650 is a little high try one of his Artist models. $175 I think. I have one that Carmine Campione picked out for me at the Atlanta Fest last summer. It is also a superb mouthpiece.
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Author: Overtones1
Date: 2021-01-12 07:10
William I think Brad's prices are more than fair. You're not just buying a mouthpiece. You're also paying for the years and years of study, research, trial and error, practice, not to mention the thought and innovation that has gone into them, as well as business outlay. If they're too pricey for you, you can always choose a cheaper model, a different brand or learn the trade yourself. Either way, after the time and research Brad has put into what he does, I think his pieces are worth every cent and he shouldn't have to drop his price so everyone can afford one. If need be, save for one, but remember you're paying for years of work, not just a mouthpiece.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2021-01-13 05:36
Maybe it is time for that old chestnut "Silver Threads Among the Gold"
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