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mouthpiece facings

Author: Pam L
Date: 1999-03-20 12:47

I've been playing for over 20 years off and on (lately it's been more off, unfortunately) and have been perfectly happy with my Giggliotti mouthpieces. However, as I'm sure everyone is, I'm open to new improvements - always searching for the magic reed, a magic mouthpiece, etc. I've seen some discussions here about the meaning of the different facing numbers, so I understand that it involves differences in the gap between the reed and the mouthpiece tip. Can someone please provide me with information about how the sound differs with the different facings? Thanks!

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RE: mouthpiece facings

Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-20 13:27

Pam L wrote:
-------------------------------
Can someone please provide me with information about how the sound differs with the different facings? Thanks!
---
I'm not going to answer this directly for one reason - the 'ole "it depends" gets in the way.

There are a number of things that affect how a mouthpiece works and sounds, and tip opening is only one part of the facing. A short list of factors:
Tip openings
Side rail width & length
Side rail curve
Tip rail width & length
Tip rail curve
Length & width of the table.
Parallel or "lyre" side rails
Symmetry of side/tip rails
Chamber volume
Chamber shape
Exit bore size

Two mouthpieces measuring exactly the same for rails could sound very different - the chanber influences the sound in a drastic way. That's why we're always saying "try it out" on the Board. There are some general tendencies (large tip opening -> soft reed, small tip opening -> hard reed), but that's only for general guidance. The curve on the rails can change the reed requirements ...

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RE: mouthpiece facings

Author: Pam L
Date: 1999-03-22 00:45

Thanks for info, Mark. This helps explain why I prefer pretty hard reeds (usually 3.5 - 4 or more) on my Gigliotti 2's.

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