 The Clarinet BBoard
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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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Author: TianL
Date: 2010-06-18 19:28
AB - I also tried some Behn Vintage recently, and guess what, i also picked his B model
i've tried pretty much all mouthpiece brands in markets today and I'll have to say that this is definitely my favorite one. I'd highly recommend anyone to try them.
And if you do decide to try them, make sure you try all four models, as they are all quite different from each other.
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Author: salzo
Date: 2010-06-18 19:51
I have not had the chance to try Brads vintage models, but he refaced a couple of mouthpieces for me- I cant believe how great they sound, feel, etc. I have a very difficult time finding mouthpieces that I like. I have been playing on a Gigliotti P and M13 for years. Always "liked" them, but felt there were characteristic s with both mouthpieces that I wish were different (Gigliotti doesnt have enough high in the tones, the M13 had too much, and not as easy to play). I told Brad what I was playing on, what I liked and disliked about them. The mouthpieces that he refaced for me are exactly what I was looking for. The only "problem" that I am having is figuring out which one I prefer. In the past I always kept a spare that was definately not as good as my primary. I cant figure out which is the spare, and which is the primary.
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Author: Chetclarinet
Date: 2010-06-19 12:14
I love Brads's new bass clarinet mouthpiece! It plays beautifully in all registers, has great projection and is extremely responsive on my Selmer 37. The sound has a dark, vintage quality with excellent intonation. It is as good or better than my vintage Kaspar bass mouthpieces!
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2010-06-19 17:21
I'm playing on a vintage Selmer bass mpc. that Brad customized for me a couple of years ago; I just played it an hour ago in a practice session and it is, in a word, outstanding, the best bass mpc. I have had. I will have to try his Behn Vintage bass piece at some point.
AB
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Author: William
Date: 2010-06-19 17:29
Is Brads new bass mpc based upon the Zinner blank or are they customized Selmers?? I only ask this as I also have a customized Selmer C* that is outstanding.
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