 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mark Reader
Date: 2000-11-30 23:09
I am somewhat ignorant of how to shop for a mouthpiece for a Bb clarinet. I saw an enormous selection on 123music.com but did not know where to start. I have a Buffet Bb clarinet that must be almost 30 years old. I'm not sure what model it is.
My questions are as follows:
First - is there that much difference between mouthpieces?
Second - what brands are "top notch"?
Third - what are the specifications (material, opening size) that I should look at? Fourth - is this something you can buy over the net or should I do this in person. And fifth - if you recommend trying mouthpieces out in person, where do you recommend going (say between Washington, D.C. and New York City).
Thanks in advance!
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-12-01 02:20
BIG QUESTION . . . HUGE!!!!!
Mark, what you've seen is like the tip of an iceberg. How much do you want to spend? $30? $250? $500? You can buy mp's today that cost more than your Buffet did 30 yrs ago.
What kind of player are you? Is this going to be for your fun, for an upcoming student, or for your new soloist career?
Realistically, you can get some very nice beginner mp's for 25-30 dollars (check sneezy sponsors - their mp's are said to be very good). Spending about 60 bucks will move you into Vandorens - a huge maker of mp's and probably the most widely distributed. They are well respected, but never prized possessions. Lot's of high school and college students play them. Then there are a bunch of smaller mp manufacturers that charge $100-250 for mp's that have varying amounts of individualized attention given to them. Most any player in the world could be satisfied with mp's in this category. Above $250 you're mainly talking about famous mp's that are no longer made - supply/demand/mystique takes over and the price soars.
Judging from your post, I think you need to try some of these varieties out. Be aware that your reed has to change along with your mp, so have everything from a 2 1/2 to a 4 (minimum) with you at tryouts. Materials and opening size? Find something you like that fits your budget and don't worry about it. My only suggestion here would be to check out the mp chart at the Woodwind and Brasswind web site to see what openings are currently available and avoid both extremes. Don't forget the sneezy sponsors - they offer a range of mp's from beginner to professional. If you have questions about their products, email them! They are real people. I've never been able to contact Mr. Vandoren, but these guys I can reach.
Good Luck
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-12-01 04:09
Any reply might be better than nothing. IMHO.
Difference exits mainly in the hand scraping after hard rubber is themo-plasticized.
Diffects are obviously observed on the table flatness.
Some manufacturers adopt assimmetrical tip design such as Marcelus model. However, symmetrical tip design is usually favored.
Top-notch mass manufacturers: Vandoren and Selmer. Forget Buffet. They have no mouthpiece manufacturing speciality. I excluded hand-made mouthpieces.
(I recommend Selmer C85-115 or more open C85-120. Selmer is improving in quality in these several years.)
You can buy mouthpieces via internet: ex. http://www.wwandbw.com/
They have a huge shop in NY state(not NY city).
Tip opening comparison table is availabel at http://www.intlmusicalsuppliers.com/
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2000-12-01 04:32
Most places will let you try a few mp on a trail basis. They charge around $3 for a return. This will give you a week or more to try them and pick the one that you like.
happy shopping
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-12-01 06:01
What works good for me may not work for you at all. Different horn, different chops, different lig, different reed brand and strength. These are factors you have to work with to find the magic combo for you. It takes some experimenting that can be fun and also very frustrating. I tend to lean more to the hand faced MPs now in lieu of the mass produced models. Even if it has the same specs and cam from the same blanks. Hand craftmanship and pride is something you just don't see coming from mass production "cookie cutters".
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Author: Larry
Date: 2000-12-01 15:52
You can try a variety of mouthpieces at Woodwind&Brasswind on West 23rd Street in New York City. They have good amount of mass-produced quality mouthpieces (Selmer and Vandoren) as well as custom-made ones (Ridenour, Hite, etc.) They'll let you try any mouthpiece in their practice rooms, which also have tuners.
Other places in New York City to try mouthpieces would be Robertos (on West 46th Street) and Rod Baltimore's (on West 48th Street). Sam Ash and Manny's (also on West 48th Street) also carrries fair stock and let you try them out.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-12-01 19:04
In New York City, WW&BW is the place to go. It's attractive, has tryout rooms and a knowledgeable clarinet person. Roberto's has some nice stuff, but it's the size of a closet and always jammed. Manny's has a middling selection, but the staff don't know and don't care. Sam Ash has a larger selection, no better staff, and the most obnoxious security system this side of Sing Sing. Rod Baltimore is huge, dingy and old fashioned, with mostly used stuff.
Far better to order a Fobes Debut, Hite Premier or other startup mouthpiece by mail from one of the artist makers. WW&BW may have some in stock. They're way better than any of the machine made ones (Selmer, Vandoren). If you're desperate and hard up, the plastic Yamaha stock mouthpiece, about $20, is not bad.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Anji
Date: 2000-12-01 23:43
For what it's worth, I had a very good experience with Dave Spiegelthal and his refinishing efforts. He's listed on the Bulletin board, just click the underlined blue name and you'll be directed.
I'm going to simplify my thoughts:
The hard rubber ones have more potential (don't ask me why).
The hand makers, like Fobes, Smith and company make REALLY good products.
I have a few, including a Gigliotti, that were not new when I bought them. I'm still sorting out my choices. The Vandoren products are machine made, some good, others not so good. I "tweaked" an M13 and it is my standard.
I would recommend you get the catalog from International musical suppliers for a pretty complete diagram of your choices.
Choose something in the middle of the pack, with neither too open nor too closed a tip face.
See if you can try several (use the mouthpiece patches as directed, so you can return the extras for credit).
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-12-04 07:18
Over here, in France, the Vandoren B45 is considered the standard open-faced mouthpiece, and the RV5 is the most commonly used closed-faced one. Both are excellent, in my opinion, but the variation is wide even in the same model, so you do have to try several.
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