The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MaroonAlto
Date: 2007-10-06 02:32
Ok,
Hite
Grabner
Portnoy
Selmer D
Fobes
Anybody has experience with these pieces? Can attest to what they do and/or don't do for you? Preferences?
I'm hoping for a piece that will allow for a looser than normal embouchure.
Thanks!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-10-06 03:22
I have a Hite that is great. Excellent response and very reed friendly. It is a few years old. I don't know how the current ones are now that David has passed on.
Anything by Clark Fobes is top notch. Grabner's mouthpieces are very good. I would think that these would definitely be a step above any of the stock mouthpieces.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2007-10-06 04:47
I tried a Selmer alto clarinet mouthpiece which I think was a D. It was very good (on a Selmer alto clarinet). Fobes is very good for bass clarinet but I don't know for alto (I imagine they're about the same).
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2007-10-06 13:24
After trying many "stock" alto cl mps, I found ONE "quite good", named Olympia. Having been very pleased with refaced [by D S] GG [older Pomarico] bass cl mps, I E-M'd Riccardo at Pom, Italy and ordered a Pom A C mp #3, mellow, with which I have been Very pleased on my Sel-Paris [B series]. Most of my comm band playing is in the staff and below, so I use 2 1/2, or clipped 2, LaVoz A Sax reeds, and am pleased with their sound/response characteristics. Perhaps Dave S or the [above] mp makers can recommend facings which are similar. There may be some info in the MouthpieceWork [Yahoo Group] archives. Try many , good luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2007-10-07 13:08
Don, what reeds do you use with the mouthpiece that was refaced by DS? My experience with a mouthpiece refaced by DS is that it needs very hard reeds, at least 4 or 4.5.
Thanks.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2007-10-07 14:06
Hi CB - My primary Alto cl mp is my Pomarico, with their #3 mellow facing [AFAIK, not measured by me or D S]. Dave has refaced 2 Bundy #3 alto mps for me as backup, haven't dropped a glass for a long time ! We discussed facings then, so I presume them to be very close to Pom's , they play that way to me with LaVoz and some 2 1/2 VD's. For my Bass cl, I am blessed with 2 GG's, refaced by DS, [and am very careful!] and here use Rico Royals/Symmetricut and others in the 2-3 range, back sanded before use, so they are slightly softer. I have Cordier reed trimmers for sop, alto and tenor/bass so I can correct "over-softness". At times, playing in the upper clarion or [less] in the altissimo, I may select a VD 3, and work a bit harder, guess I'm just a lazy old-cat. Hope this long-winded reply helps, it "sounds" as if your facings demand harder reeds. Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2007-10-07 15:59
Right now I've tried a number of mouthpieces on both alto and Leblanc basset horn. For the $$, the Hite works very well. Nice big sound and clear in all octaves. On this I use Gonzalez sax reeds (#3) or Van Doren alto clarinet reeds (also#3) with a Van Doren Optimum ligature. The Rovner ligature is also good with this setup.
Two of the pricier mouthpieces, the Grabner and Behn, have some better projection, especially in the long B, which tends to be a weak note on the altos I've tried. Same reed and ligature. Will alternate between these on a given piece tyo get the maximum number of pretty notes.
Eefer guy
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-10-07 18:48
I found Vandoren Alto sax reeds to work well with the Hite, and if memory serves, I believe he even used to recommend this set up with his mouthpieces.
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