 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-06-20 04:04
What do they all mean, my godmother said she'd would buy me the mouthpiece of my choice for making such a high chair in All state, and I wanted to get a Greg smith one. So what have your experiences wiith them been like which do you consider the best?What is the tone quality like?
Thanks for your time!
Sara
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-06-20 11:39
Sara,
If you're going to work with Gregory Smith then it's best to email him and let him know what you're looking for. The different mouthpiece styles (styles based upon the old Chedeville and Kaspar mouthpieces) produce different timbres, and the different facings are made to help and match your expectations and setup. Gregory (and most other makers) will work with you and send your a few mouthpieces "on approval". You keep the one you like most & send the others back.
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-20 15:19
Borbeck (one of the late Frank Kaspar's students) can be contacted by snail mail and by phone. If only I had the money to buy and compare my Borbeck 13 pro grade mouthpiece to a Greg Smith mouthpiece of similar proportions. I believe both of these mouthpiece makers and all of the custom mouthpiece makers for that matter produce an absolutely superb product. Especially in the pro grade, these products can be very expensive compared to off the shelf mouthpieces, but in my opinion, they are worth absolutely every penny. Either way, whatever mouthpiece you choose to get from a custom maker, you should be extremely pleased with the easier control and overall playability, and especially with the tone produced by it. I know I am with my Borbeck mouthpiece.
Finally, I have to tip my hat to your grandmother for rewarding your hard work. Earning your seat with your current clarinet set up is a real feather in your cap, big time. Your performance and tone should only get better with lots of focused practice and with your family's encouragement. Tossing in a fantastic mouthpiece as a reward is just the cherry on top of the icing of the cake right now. And what a sweet one it is. Enjoy!
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-06-20 15:46
Actually Paul, Its my Godmother, she figures that since I bought my festival with my money, she thinks I needs a great mouthpiece to go with it, and I agree I just haven't really thought about using something other than my B45 befoe now, I just don't like the tone anymore, but Idon't really have the cash to try out all these different mouthpieces I would rather just get a really great one that will last we oh about the rest of my life, or ar least until I'm out of college or med school. Which would be better to go for the Kasper or the chedville, whats the difference in the sounds?
Sara
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-06-20 16:30
Sara--contact G. Smith (a super guy) he will be more then willing to help you. He has a kasper (type mouthpiece) that you can buy on a trial basis. He will probable send you a couple of mp to try and then you send back the one/ones you don't want and he will refund your money.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-06-20 17:45
Sara - order them both!!!!! Try them out!!! There is no "better" or "worse", just "different".
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-20 19:49
Please accept my sincere apologies for the incorrect reference. Sounds like your godmother is someone very special who genuinely cares about you and your growth in music. Believe me, that kind of support and encouragement is absolutely priceless.
I concur with Mark C. here. If you can, order a couple of mouthpieces from several makers and send back the ones you don't want. Just beware. All of them will be very good and chances are very high that you will want to keep more than you or your godmother could possibly afford. Expect a good pro grade custom made mouthpiece to cost around $200 (US). That's right, $200 apiece. Like I said before, they are not cheap, but I believe you get your money's worth. I know I have.
As an aside, if you consider the pro grade Borbeck 13, it plays and feels very much like the Vandoren B45, especially on a Buffet Festival. How would I know that? Because that's my current set-up right now. I personally stepped up from the B45 to the pro grade Borbeck 13. My horn is a Buffet Festival with Borbeck 13 pro grade mouthpiece and Vandoren V-12 2.5 or customized 3.0 reeds, or Legere equivalents (with an ordinary metal ligature). I have to admit that the Legere 2.5 reed sounded pretty good on the Borbeck 13 mouthpiece last night. It's still amazing how good that Borbeck mouthpiece makes my horn sound. I may still be a rank novice for technical skill, but the tone I produce from my horn now is absolutely fantastic. I'm definitely no Richard Stolzman, but the tone I produce now reminds me of his. Not bad for a mere adult novice, eh?
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-06-21 01:52
Borbeck? I've never heard of them, why would you get a mouthpiece that cost four times as much but pays the same as a B45. You said you use V12 2.5, then maybe thats what I need to change as well, I use V12 3.5, they sound stiffy, What the web site for borbeck mouthpiece, or is there one? i still don't know if a handmade mouthpiece is worth the investment, I mean my private teacher has the same setup I have and he sounds beyond incredible, what will they do for my sound?
Sara
Ps: yes my gosmother tries to encourage my music as much as she can, but she travels a lot as a motivational speaker so she doesn't get to see me preform a lot, only like once a year.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-06-21 03:06
Sara wrote:
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Borbeck? I've never heard of them, why would you get a mouthpiece that cost four times as much but pays the same as a B45.
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Sara, Borbeck is another hand-made mouthpiece, pretty well known. Paul said it played and felt like a B45, not sounded like a B45. The playing and feel has a lot to do with shape and resistance; if someone is comfortable with the feel of a B45 but is looking for a different tone, then possibly this would be a mouthpiece to consider.
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Author: Carrie
Date: 2000-06-21 03:31
Is the feel of the mouthpiece just how it sits your mouth or is it, how easy it plays; I really don't know a lot about mouthpiece talk, i just bought what my clrinet teachers told me the first one said a 5RV and the second a B45 and now the third said what plays best. I'm completely on my own. Sorry this might be a stupid question to you, I'm still tryig to learn all that I can.
Sara
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-06-21 03:35
Opps sorry my friend used my computer because she wanted to post something and i didn't realize that she changed the name!
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-21 18:59
Mark C is correct. Transferring from the B45 to the Borbeck 13 was a breeze. However, the tone produced by the custom made pro grade Borbeck 13 is phenominal. Yep, it's very expensive. Yep, it sounds fantastic.
Why pay that much for just a mouthpiece? Why pay a fortune for a very good pro grade horn? Pure performance. Just like driving a fancy Porsche sports car versus your ordinay Chevy. Both will get you around town, but if you have the cash, the Porsche is lots more fun. The Borbeck 13 mouthpiece makes my good horn sound fantastic, the altissimo is no longer a torture (for me or my family hearing it), and it is easier to push air through. Expensive? Sure. A very long term investment? Absolutely. Worth it? To me, worth absolutely every penny.
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Author: Christina
Date: 2000-06-22 20:17
I was given an old crystal mouthpiece recently which plays beautifully, but i would like to have a normal mouthpiece as a back up (the other mouthpieces i have had just don't cut it) I'm afraid also to use the crystal one all the time cuz i'm afraid of breaking it! =) So i was wondering if anyone has an opinion about the Morgan hand-crafted mouthpiece, and if it would be worth investing in. I had a morgan school model, and it was ok but i have grown out of it, or if i should invest in something of a higher quality? Thankz, Christina
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-06-23 03:25
I'm seriously considering a Chedville, but i have no idea which one what would sound the best with a BG super relevation and I usually use V12 3.5 but I can change. Oh I generally like a strong, liguidy, and flowing sound. Should I just pick one of the 3, b'c I'd rather not spend 175 bucks buying something outta luck. Thanks!
Sara
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-06-23 11:43
Sara wrote:
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I'm seriously considering a Chedville, but i have no idea which one what would sound the best with a BG super relevation and I usually use V12 3.5 but I can change.
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Sara, if you're talking about Gregory Smith's mouthpieces, please take my advice and contact Gregory Smith personally! He knows more about his mouthpieces that we do and is very approachable.
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Author: Nicole Y.
Date: 2000-06-23 17:08
Sara,
What everyone is trying to say is that G. Smith would probably let you play test both of them if you contact him. Most sellers allow you to test play merchandise for a certain amount of time and send what you don't like back and let you pay for the one you keep.
Nicole Y.
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