 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: ito
Date: 2010-03-04 05:21
Hi,i just purchased a 1970s boosey and hawkes imperial 926 clarinet but it did not come with any mouthpiece,i was told that a normal mouthpiece like vandoren are not suitable for this clarinet as it have a bore size of 14.9mm
What are some of the mouthpieces that have large bore that i can look out for,cannot wait to buy the mouthpiece and start playing on this clarinet..thanks for the advices.
Post Edited (2010-03-04 05:22)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2010-03-04 09:23
Ito,
You could contact Mike Lomax or any mouthpiece maker and ask if they will make you something with the right bore size. Please don't get confused. A wise bore clarinet is the 1010 model or Eaton Elite. The 926 is slightly smaller than the 1010 so can't really be considered as a wide bore.
The other option is to get any mouthpiece of your choosing and have it bored out to the 926 measurements. I'm unsure of your location but this can be done quite successfully here in London. I'm not sure whether it is as easily done in the US or elsewhere in the World.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-03-04 10:55
Peter Eaton makes mouthpieces with the correct bore, though they're expensive.
I'm pretty sure you can get something from Pillinger.
Luis Rossi makes large-bore instruments and has mouthpieces for them.
Steve Fox bores out Vandoren mouthpieces for his large-bore instruments.
Brian Ackerman makes duplicates of older large-bore mouthpieces.
See my posting at http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=318619&t=318590.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2010-03-04 11:12
Ken
there is quite a difference between a 926 bore and 1010 bore. Eaton Rlites are the wide bore the Internationals are the French bore.
Pillinger would definately be the person to contact. Contact me off line for his contact details.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cearnsh
Date: 2010-03-04 11:15
I use standard (e.g. Vandoren B45) mouthpieces without problems on my B&H Imperial 926s, so I'd recommend trying your 'normal' mouthpiece first. If you have tuning problems then it may be necessary to get a custom mouthpiece or have a standard one rebored.
Original 926 mouthpieces do come up quite frequently on 'that auction site'.
Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ito
Date: 2010-03-04 11:22
Hi,thanks for the input everyone,i am located in singapore whereby all this rebore work are not likely to happen and currently a student here,the clarinet did not come with even the original 926 mouthpiece,that why i am looking for some options to get..
anyone know whether the Pomarico Crystal Bb Clarinet Mouthpieces, Ruby M will be a good choice for my 14.9mm bore imperial 926?thanks so much as i am not very experienced with mouthpieces as singapore have very very small market for clarinet too..thanks in advance
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cearnsh
Date: 2010-03-04 11:43
Hi Ito - If you don't already have a clarinet and favourite mouthpiece & reed strength, your main challenge is going to be finding a mouthpiece & reed combination that works for you rather than the clarinet.
The Imperial 926 will probably be compatible with most standard French bore mouthpieces (Vandoren, Pomarico etc...). What will work for you is a different matter. Do you have a teacher or clarinet-playing friend who could give you advice about this?
For what it's worth, my experience is that a Vandoren B45 is not too different in playing characteristics from a B&H No.2 926 mouthpiece.
Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-03-04 11:58
The official specification of 926 bore size is 0.593" (15.06mm)
I have measured many over the years and typically found them about that size - 15.0 - 15.1 range
If yours measures 14.9 you probably have a slight swelling at the top end of the bore - try measuring at the centre section or the top part of the lower joint, or even the barrel, which should be parallel and same size.
In my experience you can "get away" with a vandoren mouthpiece, I often played mine with an A1 crystal which does tend to have a larger than standard french bore, but you may find some tuning problems in the altissimo.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ito
Date: 2010-03-04 12:30
Thanks for the input again,keep them coming in.
I have friends who play clarinet,but they are not experienced enough for larger bore clarinet like the boosey and hawkes sadly.that is why i am coming here to look for some experiences that you guys have,because one thing that i was told that the Pomarico Crystal Bb Clarinet Mouthpieces have been advertised to have a bigger bore)15.2mm.Who have experience with this mouthpiece on the boosey before?thanks so much once again,i will look for a vandoren B45 to try out...
Post Edited (2010-03-04 12:45)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John Peacock
Date: 2010-03-04 20:22
The first thing I'd say is that, whichever mouthpiece you use, don't expect too much of the tuning of an Imperial. When I've tried them, either with a 926 or a French mouthpiece, the scale is rather uneven by the standards of the best modern instruments.
Despite the nominal dimensions discussed above, my impression is that the a 926 mouthpiece internally is closer in size to a French one than it is to the huge 1010 mouthpieces. The difference is however still significant and (I think - don't have one to hand to check) that a smaller French mouthpiece will make the throat notes slightly sharp. In which case, one can in part compensate by pulling the barrel out. Alternatively, go for a Vandoren 13 series mouthpiece. At the risk of offending people who like those, when I try them (on a Buffet) they make the throat tones too flat - which may be what's needed here.
Finally, remember Jack Brymer's anecdote about himself and Roy Jowitt: they played well in tune together, but were grotesquely out of tune when they swapped instruments. So the mouthpiece has to be consistent with the clarinet in one direction, and with your mouth in the other. Until you've tried a range of French options, I wouldn't go to the trouble of having a 926 recreated, since you've no idea if it will suit you.
Post Edited (2010-03-04 21:36)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2010-03-04 21:05
A French bore mouthpiece will sit better on a 926 if it is slightly bored out. Not to the 101 measurements but just to make the chamber a little bigger. This should suit the tuning. Remember most clarinets play better in tune when they are pulled out slightly at the barrel.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mrn
Date: 2010-03-04 21:17
I used to play on a Leblanc Dynamique, which has about the same bore size (14.986 mm). I got good results with a Gigliotti P34. You might try one of those. I think they are modeled after older mouthpieces from when American clarinetists frequently used somewhat larger-bore instruments than today. (i.e., pre-R13 days)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2010-03-04 23:21
I play on a set of 1960s 926s, and I use an M30 (not 13-series). Yes, I have found that the throat tones sit sharp, but a barrel pulled out approximately 2mm and using an appropriate tuning ring will help compensate. When playing mezzoforte or above, I rarely have difficulty with the intonation.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill Patry
Date: 2010-03-05 00:02
I have a Luis Rossi wide bore, but it's 15.2 mm. I just had Brad Behn rebore and reface the Rossi mouthpiece that came with it as well as a Kaspar Ann Arbor. He lengthened the Rossi, adding some focus and improved the blow through. He closed it from a 120 to a 111 tip. The Kaspar had a 116 tip; he rebore it and closed the tip at 110. It plays with lots of focus and resonance.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ito
Date: 2010-03-05 05:59
I have place order for a pomarico crystal ruby mellow mouthpiece,hope that it will suit my clarinet and my playing..
I am not able to try out alot of mouthpieces here in singapore thus i cannot really get to a local music store to test out the famous mouthpieces,i have test morgan,vandoren and mr clark fobes cicero mouthpiece..but there are intonations problems thus i came here to actually seek some help about what mouthpieces might be able to suit the clarinet well..thanks for the input,keep them coming but i just ordered the pomarico to try them out as i heard that a large chamber mouthpiece might be able to suit..so no harm trying it out i guess..
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ito
Date: 2010-03-05 06:58
Curinfinwe ,may i ask about the M30 mouthpiece,is this mouthpiece quite new in the market?as i have found out from my local music store and they told me they have the new M30..is there an older version or something to the M30 mouthpiece and also if there is,the differences between the two..thanks everyone.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clancy
Date: 2010-03-05 08:55
There is some debate in the UK as to what the correct 926 mpc bore dimensions were - the quality control at Boosey & Hawkes was very poor in that department so you see quite a lot of variation between 926 mouthpieces.
Generally speaking the 926 exit bore is quite large - Ive seen pieces measuring between 15.15 - 15.35mm. It is large at the top as well but a conical bore.
We must remember that the 1010 bore is 15.24mm and straight, parallel for the most part while the 926 is conical.
From my experience there are very few if any commercially made pieces that will cater to a 926 clarinet properly. Some say one of the Selmer mouthpiece models has a bore similar to that, I have not experienced that.
Another option would be for you to have your favourite mouthpiece sent to someone like Jon Steward at Howarth to ream it to the proper dimensions. That should work fine. Many of my personal 1010 mpcs started life as small bore pieces - boring them out works very well.
If it were me I would go down the road of having a piece reamed out as the Boosey 926 mouthpieces are so inconsistent and vary so much that you would need to have most anything adjusted first by a mouthpiece craftsman to make it playable - there are very very few people who know how to refurbish Boosey mouthpieces in a way that is faithful to the original style.
Hope that helps
R Wodkowski
www.ramonwodkowski.com
Post Edited (2010-03-05 08:56)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-03-05 13:16
I have found that many mouthpieces fit well with my 926 - B46, Buffet C crown, Selmer HS* for instance. They all work much better than the 926 mouthpiece. I am thinking of having that refaced....... Of course the 926 itself needs skilled work to improve many of its inherent intonation problems but that done it is a fine horn for many needs.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2010-03-05 13:28
I bought my M30 last May; as far as I know it's just a regular M30.
And Chris Moffatt, does the 926 mouthpiece you have have better intonation than the other mouthpieces you mentioned or is it just not as good as a mouthpiece? I also have a 926 mouthpiece, and I don't like it at all, but I may have it refaced at some point.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
