 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mtpeterman
Date: 2011-02-17 17:41
I have asked a few bass clarinet folks this but have yet to get an answer. I am in the market for a good bass clarinet mouthpiece and I am trying to get an idea on what to look for.
Question #1 What mouthpiece?
I have recently moved from Bb soprano clarinet to the bass and on the soprano clarinet I play a Gillioti with a P facing. I am still getting my feet under me with the bass. It is going pretty well but I am having some issues with the lowest notes G, F#, F, E, and Eb wanting to jump to the next partial at times when articulating them from a dead rest. It isn't happening all of the time but enough to rattle my confidence.
I am playing right now on the generic mouthpiece that came with an olds student level bass and using 2 1/2 Vandoren reeds. I have tried all of the mouthpieces at my local music store (a grand total of 2!) There was a Yamaha C4 and a Vandoren B40. Neither one really jumped out at me though the notes above the break were somewhat clearer and easier to articulate with the B40.
Someone suggested I try a B46 or even the new B50. I have read that they are "jazz" mouthpieces. I am not going to be playing any jazz. Is there any other reason to try such an open mouthpiece besides getting the jazz color to the sound?
Question #2 How do synthetic reeds like those from Ligere sound?
I have noticed many on the market but have yet to hear any of them (that I know of) in use either in recordings or even demos.
I play mainly as accompaniment in church services during congregational music as well as a few numbers before and after the service. I am running into issues being ready to play when it is time to play because I am fumbling with my reeds so they don't get warped. There is almost an hour break from times of playing before and after the sermon. Would a synthetic reed sound good enough to try? If they do sound good it might be the answer to my issues.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-02-17 17:45
1) Fobes, Grabner, Garrett, maybe Pomarico.
2) Depends on the player and the mouthpiece.
3) My opinions are free and worth every cent. Your mileage may vary. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 to order. Subject to local laws and ordinances. All other caveats, disclaimers and hemming/hawing apply to responses 1) and 2), yada yada...........
Post Edited (2011-02-17 17:51)
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Author: William
Date: 2011-02-17 21:36
I play a Grabner BS_CX bass mouthpiece on my Buffet Prestige low C. I have had excellant playing results using Legere #3 reeds, but am currently playing some prototype Forestone bass reeds, unfortunately not yet available to the public. I havn't used cane reeds in years and have always gotten good comments from everyone regarding my "great" sound. No warping, always ready to play--and they last.
I also have a very good Pomarico "jazz" bass mouthpiece, but prefer the flexability of the Grabner. The term jazz is kind of misleading as the quality of sound is quite "legit". It's main characteristic is the ability to play loud with it.
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Author: Ed Lowry
Date: 2011-02-17 21:46
Legere reeds work great for me with two old mouthpieces (Charles Bay and Selmer C*) on a Selmer 37, tied with a leather ligature.
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Author: susieray
Date: 2011-02-17 22:45
If you are not looking to spend $200+ for a pro level mouthpiece, consider the Clark W. Fobes Debut bass clarinet mouthpiece. It is currently on sale at wwbw.com for only $45. You absolutely will not find a better bass mouthpiece in that price range.
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2011-02-18 00:21
I regularly try bass mouthpieces for students who are starting out on bass. Quality control of the popular commercial bass mpcs (Selmer and Vandoren) is all over the map. That said, an OK popular bass mpc comes along every once in a while.
However, regarding sound quality and articulation, I have not tried anything close to a Fobes bass mpc.
I hear good things about Walter Grabner's bass mpcs as well.
Regarding reeds, the Legeres sound better than cane, do not warp like cane, and last infinitely longer. I play bass regularly in my contemporary ensemble and in various orchestras. I have been using the same 2 Legeres for 4 years now (a soft 3 1/4 for crappy contemporary music and a 3 1/2 for orchestra).
The bass players in Canada's two top orchestras use Legere reeds on bass as well.
As one of those players put it, the larger the mouthpiece, the more a Legere makes sense (the less it sounds like a synthetic reed).
------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Aldrich
Clarinet Faculty - McGill University
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre de l'Opera de Montreal
Artistic Director - Jeffery Summer Concerts
Clarinet - Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-02-18 04:49
First thing I would recommend is to have a (very good) repairer check the instrument. If you have a specific problem with two different (but supposedly decent/good) mouthpieces then there's a chance the problem is not the mouthpiece.
No one can really say for sure any mouthpiece would play better than what you tried. I've tried some great mouthpieces from the ones usually recommended here and elsewhere and also some I didn't like at all. If you just order it's a gamble, you might get lucky. All the mouthpieces mentioned has the potential to be very good.
As far as Legere reeds, some people like them a lot so definitely worth trying if you can. I tried them for a while, but decided I didn't like them. Not because they are synthetic, I didn't like them just the same as some cane reeds I don't like too.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-02-18 05:04
Sounds like you may have leaking pads or in need of key adjustments. The lower register should pop out. It's the higher registers where players seem to run into problems which can surely be mouthpiece and or reed related.
I see that you are located somewhere in PA. How far are you from Philly? There's some excellent repairmen there.
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Author: davetrow
Date: 2011-02-18 05:25
I started playing bass clarinet about two years ago, and found the Fobes Nova MPC to be a good choice. About $100 vs. $45 for the Debut, but I can't say it's better, not having tried the Debut.
Today, as it happened, I tried a Fobes RR (on a Buffet 1193 I recently started playing--I don't own it, unfortunately), and didn't like it at all. Lots of volume, but difficult to control.
Dave Trowbridge
Boulder Creek, CA
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Author: mtpeterman
Date: 2011-02-20 03:50
Thank you for all of the replies. I will look into the Fobes mouthpieces and it can't hurt to try a synthetic reed. I read that they offer a 30 day money back gaurantee if not satisfied.
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