Author: A Brady
Date: 2010-06-17 15:18
A few months ago, I purchased one of Brad Behn's mouthpieces, his Vintage B model, inspired by the Kaspar design.
Brad was extremely easy to work with, sending me a large number of mouthpieces to try in various styles, including some of his Signature models, with very innovative design changes.
I found virtually all of the mouthpieces to be among the most reed friendly I had ever tried, and extremely responsive. I settled on his Kaspar design as I have been exclusively playing on a Chicago Kaspar which Brad tweaked/cleaned up for me a while back, which is turning out to be the best mouthpiece I have ever played (I recently finished a run of Porgy and Bess in Hartford, playing this Chicago Kaspar, along with my new custom barrels from Les Nicholas [optimized for my instrument and mouthpiece], and was extremely pleased with the results, receiving many compliments from my colleagues in the superb orchestra.)
Playing the Behn yesterday, I realized again how resonant and focused this mouthpiece is, and that it is easier to match reeds to the Behn than the Kaspar. The pitch is somewhat lower on this B model (as compared to the Kaspar), which, along with the resistance, is the main reason I chose it from Brad's other models, many of which played higher in pitch (an advantage in many playing situations, cold halls, 442, etc.) Many of the other models are very freeblowing, working well with lighter reeds and less intense air pressure, and I have been very focused in recent years on playing with minimal bite pressure, to produce as flexible and beautiful sound as possible without forcing, and Brad's designs definitely embody that concept.
All in all, a very worthwhile experience and purchase, and Brad is a very generous and knowledgable person to deal with, and his refacing work is second to none in my opinion.
AB
AB
Post Edited (2010-06-17 16:06)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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