 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: vollkommen
Date: 2006-08-17 04:22
Does anybody know of a good mouthpiece for a BBb contrabass clarinet for a reasonable price (under $500)? I've read about some but haven't been able to find much real information besides specs on them. Some real life experience with them is what I'm looking for. Thanks.
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2006-08-17 04:39
On my Leblanc Bb contra I've played various mouthpieces: stock Leblanc, Selmer C*, Woodwind, and Fobes. They are all pretty good, however I find Walter Grabner's works the best for me at the moment. It's priced well under $500 and worth a try.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-08-17 05:28
I don't play contrabass, but a great jazz bass/contrabass clarinetist told me he uses the Fobes and think it is the best.
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2006-08-17 11:14
selmer d
leblanc stock mouthpiece
on straight leblanc contrabass
( the leblanc is slightly better ! )
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-08-17 14:38
The old Leblanc mouthpieces for the BBb contra were quite wide and used a Vandoren contra reed. Those are the best mouthpieces for the BBb instrument, giving more volume and more distinct pitch on the low notes.
However, about 20 years ago they switched to a narrower model, the same width as their Eb contra mouthpieces. A Leblanc rep told me that they got too many complaints from women that they couldn't wrap their lips around the wider model.
As far as I know, all BBb contra mouthpieces available today are in the narrow style, which work best for me with Vandoren bass sax reeds.
Clark Fobes makes a hand-finished acrylic BBb contra mouthpiece in his Debut line for only $89. Presumably it's the same design as his San Francisco model, which goes for around $300.
Almost all contras come from school system surplus, and the mouthpieces are battered and nearly unplayable. If you got a wide mouthpiece with the instrument, take it to a refacer and to find out if it can be restored. I have one, and it works beautifully on my Leblanc paperclip BBb.
Avoid Selmer mouthpieces unless you're prepared to have extensive work done on the facing and the baffle. They're made of good rubber, but almost all are extremely uneven. Selmer's machinery is badly worn and out of adjustment. They make and sell so few contra mouthpieces that they can't recover the cost of repairing the machinery.
Almost all contra reeds are warped down the middle. I think this is because the bark on top keeps them from swelling upward. You get a huge improvement by sanding the bottoms flat. This means you need to start with stiff reeds. I buy the hardest available. By the time I finish working on them, they're about right.
Reeds should be fairly soft -- just hard enough to avoid a flapping sound on the low notes.
Contras get out of adjustment with the slightest abuse. Handle it like a baby. A sax shop should be able to seat the large pads on metal rims and adjust the long rods. The pads are held in with screws, like flute pads, so I took mine to a flute technician, who used semi-circular slips of paper to get the seating perfect.
You need to forget your soprano clarinet embouchure ideas. Relax and let everything vibrate. If notes don't speak, especially in the high register, bunch up your chin and drop your jaw down and back, making a bassoonist's "Andy Gump" embouchure.
The instrument vibrates enough to scramble your brains. IMHO, you should always play double lip.
Have fun. Contra is a blast to play. Even if you're playing only at mf, it supports the rest of the ensemble and binds it together.
Ken Shaw
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-08-17 14:42
The Fobes contra mouthpieces I've tried have been excellent. Certain stock mouthpieces, particular the Selmer C* and Bundy 3, can be made to play well but need a good refacing to do so. I've never tried a Grabner so can't comment. The Leblanc mouthpieces I've tried have need extensive refacing plus interior modification in order to play well.
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Author: boydooo
Date: 2010-03-18 23:56
Has anyone done a direct comparison of the Forbes and Grabner contrabass mouthpieces?
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2010-03-19 00:32
Hello Boydoo
I compared them side by side and people listening, as well as myself, preferred the Grabner. I occasionally play on a paperclip Leblanc model that the school owns. I also use Legere reeds when I play it since I often double and switch back and forth with bass. This also avoids the 'warp' issue that was said earlier. No one seems to notice a different from cane to legere except the fact that I avoid the squeaks when making quick switches.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2010-03-19 04:54
I would also try the Fobes. Clark does fantastic work and has a special touch when it comes to the lower clarinets.
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Author: boydooo
Date: 2010-03-20 23:23
Has anyone tried Pillinger mouthpieces? www.pillingermouthpieces.co.uk
Have had this from them:
I can offer you the following facings. The number (e.g.170) indicates the tip opening in mms and x (e.g.x31) indicates the length of the curve profile in mms.
170 x 31
180 x 33.5
210 x 35
235 x 30
255 x 31
260 x 33.5
1.70mms equals approx 68thou and 2.60mm about 100thou.
As you are more used to a bari facing of 130thou, you may want something wider than 2.60mm - let me know if you do and I will see what I can dig out for you.
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