 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MSK
Date: 2011-07-04 18:11
I'm looking to replace the stock mouthpiece on a beginning student's plastic clarinet. From searching the archives, I keep seeing Hite Premiere and Fobes debut as good choices. Is there anything about the 2 mouthpieces that makes one or the other more suitable for a 10 y/o brand new beginner? (Besides price difference) I will be ordering online without a chance to try either. In any case, I don't know that I could play them and tell which one was best for my child as I am an experienced amateur, but no teacher.
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-07-04 19:21
I have heard absolutely nothing but positive reviews on the Fobes Debut. I think you should definitely give that one a try for the student. Clark is an amazing, MASTER mouthpiece craftsman that definitely knows what he's doing. He makes very well made professional mouthpieces as well. But, definitely give the debut a try. I honestly haven't tried either one, but Fobes keeps getting the nod by everyone recently.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-07-04 19:36
I have both the Hite and the Fobes student mouthpieces.
Either plays very well, nice tone, easy and all that. Either will make the player happy, as would Brad Behn's Ouverture, to extend the circle a bit. They're all in the same price ballpark. I am not sure I could tell one from the others after an hour of playing - they just work.
Personally I'd go for the Fobes or the Behn, simply because David isn't any longer among us and thus can't vouch for what is sold in his name.
Brad and Clark are very nice, friendly and easy-to-deal-with people, and offer excellent products and service.
--
Ben
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Author: Kontra
Date: 2011-07-04 22:33
I had the Hite for awhile, and when I moved to the Fobes, it improved my tone.
Fobes hands down.
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2011-07-04 23:26
Tom Ridenour also makes a nice student mouthpiece. It's the "Encore" Bb which is listed at $36.95. If it's anything like the rest of his stuff he sells this should also be worth trying out.
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Author: gwie
Date: 2011-07-05 00:06
All of my beginners start on the Fobes Debut. It's just a solid mouthpiece, works great with many different reeds, and the proper application of fundamentals in playing results in noticeable improvements in tone and articulation on it. They're very well made and extremely consistent.
For the price (~$30-$35), it's unbeatable.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2011-07-05 01:01
The Fobes is my choice. I have one in my case that I often play with students. I am often amazed at how well it plays. I have often said that I could easily play it at a gig since it plays so well.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-07-05 01:30
I've played both the Hite and the Fobes. Out of those two I prefer the Fobes. I will caution however that I did buy a bass clarinet version of the Fobes Debut that was unplayable so I won't go so far as to call it a "can't miss". The half dozen or so Bb Debuts I've played have been pretty good however and I keep one in my case as a backup / emergency mouthpiece.
Another mouthpiece to consider is the Gennusa Mezzo. A couple of players I know have them and like them a lot. I think the quality of most of the $30-$40 plastic mouthpieces coming from the "boutique" makers is really pretty amazing these days. I'd say you can almost definitely find one of them that will play to your liking.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2011-07-05 03:12
Since you are looking for a mouthpiece for your young daughter to begin on, if I were you, I would continue to focus on the Hite and Fobes. At least some of the other mouthpieces mentioned above would almost certainly work as well. However, I see no point in obsessing over which of several different makes is best in this case, because there is no clear answer and no convenient way for you to find it if there was. The truth is that any one of the makes identified so far is probably about as good as the next. They have all been designed specifically for beginners by top-notch mouthpiece craftsmen. With that in mind, I would focus on finding a mouthpiece that I was confident will work. I think you can be confident that either the Hite or the Fobes will work. Adding others into the mix at this point, IMO, is unnecessary complication.
I have play-tested both the Hite and the Fobes. Others may disagree with this assessment, but I find the Hite very slightly less resistant than the Fobes. For this reason, for my own use, I would prefer the Fobes. But I am not a 10-year-old beginner. When my daughter started clarinet lessons about the same age, I gave her a Hite because I felt it would be ever so slightly easier for her to start on. After about a year, when her embouchure and air support had developed, I let her try a Fobes which, as I suspected, she then preferred. I could do this easily because I happened to have both. FWIW, I think my daughter would have been fine had she started on the Fobes. I also think she would have been fine had she continued, at least for awhile, on the Hite. But, if I were only going to buy one mouthpiece and wanted it to work in the beginning and carry my daughter for potentially several years, it would be the Fobes.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-07-05 04:13
Both are fine. For some people one might be better than the other, which one depends on the player (and possibly the specific mouthpieces). For some people one might not be better than the other. Clarinet mouthpiece by both of those companies that I've tried seemed very similar. However tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I have both Fobes Debut and Hite Premiere is a huge difference. The Hite is much more open, the tone and response are different. I prefer the Hite by far but would choose the Fobes for a beginner for easier response. I'm not sure if it's just the way these mouthpiece are for saxophones or they are not too consistent so this can happen with clarinet mouthpieces too. I haven't tried enough of them for the same instrument to know.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2011-07-05 07:04
While I don't have a Fobes Debut or Hite Premiere for Bb clarinet, I do have a Gennusa Mezzo and a Ridenour Encore on hand which retail for about the same as a Fobes Debut.
Between the Encore and the Mezzo, I prefer the Mezzo. It's a free-blowing mouthpiece and the facing is very well done--I find it remarkably easy to transition between the registers, altissimo is a breeze, and it works with just about any reed I've tried with it. The sound is slightly covered and very rich in overtones. On the big-bore clarinets that I play, the Gennusa really projects well. For playing big band, adult standards, and jazz in outdoors settings with my knock-about outdoors clarinet, the Mezzo gets the job done with ease.
Another feature of the Mezzo is that it's available in A=440 and A=442 versions.
The Encore is no slouch, either. The Encore is made from a blend of hard rubber and plastic and delivers a dark, very focused sound. I especially appreciate the remarkable tuning accuracy delivered by the Encore. I find that the Encore is somewhat fussy about reeds. With a good reed and good technique, the Encore can deliver a rich, complex, classical clarinet tone.
Between the two, I'd choose the Mezzo for the beginner. The Mezzo plays with such ease and with such reed-friendliness that a beginner would get good results more dependably.
Both the Encore and Mezzo are better players than many professional mouthpieces costing many times more. There is no excuse for anyone these days to have a crummy mouthpiece when the Encore and Mezzo can both be had for about US$30 each.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2011-07-05 09:59
I've used the Hite and found it to be an excellent choice for a beginner. Nothing much wrong with it for an intermediate player, either. Don't discount the Yamaha 4c if you can find one at the right price.
Tony F.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2011-07-05 13:58
I tried the Hite b/c of the rave reviews it got but it didnt work out for me. I curently use a Vandoren 5RV Lyre. Am curious to try a Fobes and a Genussa.
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2011-07-05 14:50
Clarnibass commented about the Debut tenor sax mouthpiece. I've never tried one and know little about it, but I can say that the alto sax version is outstanding. I often use one myself, and I encourage sax students to get it.
I let a friend who is a sax specialist try it, and he was very impressed.
I don't know much about the Hite and the other mouthpieces mentioned, but I also have younger clarinet students use the Debut with great results.
Post Edited (2011-07-05 14:51)
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Author: LJBraaten
Date: 2011-07-05 16:06
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread with a related question: does anyone have any comments or experience with introducing the Vandoren B45 to a relative beginner? (Let's say second year beginner.)
LJ
Laurie (he/him)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-07-05 16:30
LJBraaten wrote:
> I hope I'm not hijacking this thread with a related question:
> does anyone have any comments or experience with introducing
> the Vandoren B45 to a relative beginner? (Let's say second year
> beginner.)
>
> LJ
>
Some people like them and I've seen a number of school band directors recommend them. They seem to be one of those mouthpieces that you either like or hate. Personally I think many of the mouthpieces mentioned previously in this thread play better while costing less than half of what the B45 does.
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