 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: William
Date: 2009-02-26 15:22
I have been seriously playing the clarinet (sax & flute) for over 53 yrs and have always been careful of my equipement, especially the mouthpieces and cannot ever recall damaging or breaking one--EVER. But last weekend, during a BJSO concert, while picking up a piece of dropped music, I inadvertantly jammed the tip of my vintage Chicago Kaspar mouthpiece into the metal base of my music stand--and for a brief moment of terror, my whole playing career literally flashed before me. Fortunately, the reed suffered the brunt of the blow and the mouthpiece was sparred--but my point is, no matter how experianced you are, PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. Disaster is always just a careless moment away. I was lucky this time.....and my hope is that all of your valuable equipement is always safe as well. Play well and always take care..............
Post Edited (2009-02-26 17:10)
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2009-02-26 17:45
William, wow, 53 years and no serious damage! I've been playing less than a year, and I've already knocked over my clarinet twice. Luckily, no serious damage to either the clarinet or the MP.
I was fortunate, I know that, so I am vowing to be more careful in the future.
CarlT
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-02-26 19:12
Sometimes accidents can work in your favor.... ![[up]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley24.gif)
I got started in the fine art of woodwind repair as a schoolkid when I dropped my plastic Vito clarinet and it broke at the center tenon. I was too scared to tell my parents so I glued it back together. Somehow that fix held up for the next couple of years until I switched to bass clarinet, but the incident cured me of any reluctance I may have had to work on my own horns.
Still, I wouldn't recommend doing anything like that. Heed William's advice.
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Author: blazian
Date: 2009-02-26 20:32
Two years ago (my HS freshman year) I decided to be reckless with my clarinet. NEVER AGAIN! I was mimicking the colorguard with their rifles and flags so I tossed my clarinet (a metal one) in the air. Of course I can't catch, which is why I'm in band, so my 5RVL went into the ground. Somehow it actually survived somewhat, but my reed didn't.
I've had friends break their mouthpieces randomly but stupidly like throwing their clarinet to someone who can't catch (who, incidentally, is also in band) or kicking their clarinet over when reaching for something far away.
You know what mouthpieces are pretty indestructible? The Vito II series. The beak is twice as thick as normal!
- Martin
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-02-26 20:46
blazian wrote:
> You know what mouthpieces are pretty indestructible? The Vito
> II series. The beak is twice as thick as normal!
It doesn't even come close to the indestructability of the Rico Graftonite mouthpiece.
They were Made from Graftonite™ - a graphite/rubber compound.
They should have left the graphite in the pencils. ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Thick rails, thick tip, very resistant blowing, badly designed facings (the A7 had a tip opening of 1.40 and a facing length of 20mm), raised reed table, thin sound - nothing good whatsoever about them, except that they were (sadly) indestructable and impossible to reface.
When first marketed in 1986, these mouthpieces were given out by the thousands - free to band directors, most of whom immediately threw them in the trash.
...GBK
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-02-26 20:50
But, GBK, what's lead got to do with Graftonite??
Bob Draznik
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-02-26 20:59
BobD wrote:
> But, GBK, what's lead got to do with Graftonite??
Thanks for the correction.
...GBK
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Author: senior
Date: 2009-02-26 21:18
Never damaged my clarinet or mouthpiece but my 80 pound dog with a very powerfull tail lauched my alto sax off it's stand. Knocked a guard loose and dented the sax. A very talented tech fixed it with magic and damage cannot be seen. Now the only stand I use is the case the sax came in.
Post Edited (2009-02-27 16:24)
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-02-26 23:31
GBK,
FYI, the Rico Royal Graftonite M5 and M7 tenor MPs are really hot. Very sought after in the sax world; I use it for shows if my Dukoff D7 is too much.
I play a Rico Royal B5 tenor MP as my legit MP; it is really great. Go figger! I have not had the pleasure of trying one of the clarinet MPs.
HRL
PS William in 55 years of playing I have only dropped a MP once and the tip broke; the year as about 1955. A Bilhardt Tenor in clear plastic; it played very well. One does not forget these things.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-02-27 02:44
Yep, in 1973, I had my only mishap with a mouthpiece, unfortunately it resulted in a chipped and useless O'Brien crystal mouthpiece. I have been much more careful since those days, especially when really nice mouthpieces cost upwards of $200.
Jeff
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Author: DougR
Date: 2009-02-27 12:50
One of the guys I studied with (a pit pro in NYC) once devoted a few minutes of my lesson to mouthpiece survival theory: mainly, the mouthpiece is ALWAYS covered, with a reed & ligature in place, unless you're playing it; if it's not ON the instrument, it's always in a safe, flat, stable place where it can't roll or drop (e.g., NOT your lap); you handle it always as if it were a priceless Faberge egg; and, when you're securing your instrument when it's not being played, you first secure the mouthpiece, separately, where no harm can befall it. The thrust of all of this being that the mouthpiece is really much more valuable (or fragile, if you prefer) than the actual clarinet.
It's kind of an over-elaboration, perhaps, but I've treated my mouthpiece as by far the more valuable component between clarinet and mouthpiece, and I've been lucky so far. (Luck, as we all know, can change on a dime, but hopefully a careful mouthpiece handling protocol can minimize those "oh sh*t" moments and loss of something completely irreplaceable.)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-02-27 17:01
My "experience" is nearly the same as Jeff A's, a good O'Brien glass, about 1/3 of the lay broken off. I kept the "remains" in vague hopes of rebuilding, and as reminder to"be careful", but now have some 4-5 playable Bbs, one alto and 2 bass glasses, and have had no close calls [lately]. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-02-27 17:13
Back in high school we were lined up in the hallway to go onstage...two guys were clowning around and knocked my clarinet out of my hands: Kaspar Ann Arbor tip down into the floor.
The outcome was not remarkable.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-02-27 17:18
As far as crystal mouthpieces are concerned, sometimes bad things happen if even you're careful. About a month ago I was twisting my refaced Pomarico crystal bass clarinet mouthpiece out of the neck in order to clean it, and it snapped at the juncture of the tenon and the body of the mouthpiece. Best mouthpiece I ever had, gone. I'm still trying to make one of my other mouthpieces (hard rubber) work as well, but am not there yet. And I wasn't being careless. Glass or crystal can have hidden internal voids or crack-like flaws, and being brittle materials to begin with, can fracture unexpectedly at just about any time if an applied load happens to be in the right (or should I say 'wrong') direction.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-02-28 12:54
My closest calls have come courtesy of Ms. Shadow Cat, now 22 years old, still in good health and an experienced veteran in the art of sneaking up on innocent mousepieces. I don't dare leave a mouthpiece or a clarinet loose where she can get her teeth and paws on it. I've caught her happily batting a mouthpiece down the (carpeted, thank goodness) stairs, among other things. A guest had a close call with a violin bow recently, too. When people hear her age, they assume she's really as inert as she looks when thet perceive her as a lump under the covers of the bed, where she often retreats during cold winter days, but her loose-instrument-detecting radar never sleeps.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: jsc
Date: 2009-02-28 22:25
I have had close calls, maybe no more than 10 in 25 years but have never had a chip or break. My wife does use my old E-11 at the jr. high she teaches at and came home with the 5RV, that got me through college, with a broken tip. Also, a student of mine showed me the sax mp that his dog chewed up. Yuck.
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