 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: giuseppe
Date: 2007-07-25 19:06
Dear u.s clarinettists,
i am an italian clarinettist and i was on the point to buy a very expensive belcanto pyne thinking that it might be the mouthpiece of the life, when i discovered that exists a more expensive one, the backun. By the way i never played none of them and living in europe i dont have the chance to try them out.
Probably you know more about them. Which one do you think is better?
do you know any u.s. clarinet shop that does a fair trial mouthpiece policy?
thanks to everybody!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2007-07-25 20:21
Price does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with quality or applicability to your playing style.
There are MANY successful players using mouthpieces which cost far less than (for example) the Backun.
As a first step, contact some of the custom makers, discuss yours wants and needs to see if they offer something which might appeal to you...GBK
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Author: giuseppe
Date: 2007-07-25 20:37
Hi GBK, thanks for your answer.
I agree 100% with what you say. If money would be just enough to be a top clarinettist also Bill Gates or Berlusconi could be good!
But it is also true that as an instrumentist you want always the best of the best for your material, even if might help to improve only of a thiny 0.01%.
By the way the the question is still: what do you think about Pyne Belcanto and Backun? which one do you prefer?
Thanks... Giuseppe
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Author: bufclar
Date: 2007-07-25 20:41
"By the way the the question is still: what do you think about Pyne Belcanto and Backun? which one do you prefer?"
Neither
I think they are both overpriced and I think you can get similar results from other less expensive pieces.
Post Edited (2007-07-25 20:47)
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2007-07-25 20:50
The work of Walter Grabner of clarinetexpress is an exemplar of the field.
Any mouthpiece purchase of this sort should have a trial period included, if shipping outside of your country.
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Author: bufclar
Date: 2007-07-25 20:57
"The work of Walter Grabner of clarinetexpress is an exemplar of the field"
If you say so.
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Author: Danny Boy
Date: 2007-07-25 21:11
I've tried both...used a Pyne mouthpiece ad barrel for years before switching to a Lomax A4 and my Buffet's stock barrel.
I've also tried the Backuns, nice enough, wasn't willing to pay out for one at the time.
Have also tried hundreds of other mouthpieces and barrels...this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question.
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Author: donald
Date: 2007-07-25 21:20
As you are in Europe- try out some of the Viotto mouthpieces, these are very similar to the Backun/Morales in tone quality
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2007-07-25 22:31
Viotto, Backun, Grabner, and myself use Zinner blanks - either from the "A" mould or the "E" mould. Zinner only manufactures the two.
The tone chamber on all are relatively identical for all practical purposes, hence the similarity in tonal qualities amongst those that use the Zinner blank/material. The Zinner blank is the constant.
Each maker, including myself, modify these same blanks in different ways to achieve different results - but basically the similarity one hears is due to the constancy of the unique style of the Zinner blank.
IMO, the Pyne mouthpieces have always lacked a certain amount of color. Hence the quote from Morales that playing the Backun mouthpiece was something akin to "suddenly realizing all of the colors of the rainbow". It all depends on where one has been and is going to. That kind of description, by it's very nature, is a relative one.
Gregory Smith
http://www.gregory-smith.com
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Author: William
Date: 2007-07-25 23:00
I have two Gregory Smith mouthpieces (Chedeville 1*and Kaspar Cicero #11 models) and both have well focused sounds with excellant (if not exceptional) response in all registers on my clarinets. They are, IMHO, the best custom mouthpieces available from anyone--and they are affordable. He is accessable (give him a call and you don't get automated menu of options--he answers the phone) and he will work with you until your mouthpiece is right for you. Check out his website for more info.
Post Edited (2007-07-25 23:03)
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Author: ZCClarinet
Date: 2007-07-25 23:26
I have a Zinner blank of Clark Forbes (which I got at a clarinetfest a long time ago) and Pyne (which my previous teacher and another student ordered a few to try out so we ended up with many for all of us to try) in my collection, each of which I used for about 6 months before moving on.
I'm now using a (relatively) cheap Vandoren M13 (since almost a year ago now) which I got at a music store which had many in stock. I'm using this because it consistently gives me a generic tone on every reed with minimal adjustments, since I'm focusing on other aspects of my playing at the moment. I will revisit the others in my collection when I'm really focusing on detailed tone development.
For all 3 mouthpieces, I had access to at least 8 of the exact same model and lots of time to pick the one that worked best for me and my set-up (due to the various ways I mentioned above). I strongly encourage you to do the same no matter which one you pick, since this can be a large chunk of money.
In all cases I found great variation from mouthpiece to mouthpiece. If I had not gone in on the plan for the Pynes, I would not have gotten the one I did end up purchasing, since it was not one of the 3 which were sent to me, but one of the ones which was sent to my teacher.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-07-26 00:21
This is always such a difficult question to answer, as it is SO personal. It would be like posing the question "What is the best fruit?" You will get lots of opinions based on lots of personal taste, but there is no right answer.
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Author: bcl1dso
Date: 2007-07-26 00:47
If you are looking for the most expensive mouthpiece, than the Brad Behn Vintage Collection are even more expensive than the Morales. However, A pyne that is only $300 could be just as good if not better than a $650 Behn. Just get something you are happy with and stick with it.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-07-26 00:53
Schewenk and Seggelke in Germany do good work, I think. I once played and examined one of their mouthpieces that a friend had- top quality!
they are also much closer to you.
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2007-07-26 01:25
Speaking of the differences, does anyone know what material/blanks the Pyne mouthpieces are made out of?
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2007-07-26 03:26
Pyne blanks are made from the mould at J. J. Babbitt of Indiana per Pyne's own design.
Gregory Smith
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2007-07-26 14:30
Price alone, obviously, doesn't determine the quality of a mouthpiece. Whether a particular mouthpiece works best for you is also a personal thing and not neccessarily related to quality. The mouthpiece that is best for you will be the one that "fits" your physiology, and also "fits"your personal concept of what a mouthpiece will feel like and sound like.
If you were going to run a marathon, would you choose the most expensive pair of running shoes without trying them on, or would you try on different brands and sizes until you found the pair that felt best for you.
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Author: katie_netie
Date: 2007-07-26 15:04
I agree with the statements that the most expensive is not necessarily the best. I also agree that what is said to be the best will not necessarily work with you. My first 'real' mouthpiece was a VanDoren M13 and I've been playing on it for about 3 and a half years. My teacher at the time told me they were affordable and would make a big improvement. The guy at the store (a big music store, so he probably was a guitar player or something) told me everyone gets B45 and that's what I should get. I tried it and it did NOTHING for me.. was exactly like my stock mouthpiece that game with the Buffe B12 I was playing on at the time. When I tried the M13 for the first time it was like a whole world of tone colour possibilities opened to me... I was exstatic and went right home to play for hours...
Now I'm looking in to getting a new mouthpiece, preferably a hand-made one, but think that finding a nice maker who is going to think about your needs is the most important aspect. They will make YOUR mouthpiece... not just what works for everyone else....
But as a student who knows what it's like living on a budget... don't just jump to thinking the best is the most expensive...
Katie
Yamaha Custom SEV, Vandoren M13, Vandoren Optimum Ligature
Buffet E11 Eb Clarinet, Vandoren leather ligature and B44 mouthpiece
Going into second year university for music
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