 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DanzClarinerd
Date: 2012-04-11 02:08
I have been looking around for a new mouthpiece and i am stuck.
I play on a Vandoren M13 Lyre and I am looking for a mouthpiece which will be a bit more free blowing. I have looked into the Pomarico Jazz* and i was almost sold but i noticed that the tip opening for the Lyre was 1.02mm and the Jazz* was 1.39. Will the difference in tip openings make a big difference? will I tend to bite more if I use the Jazz*?
I am also looking into the Pomarico Sapphire which has a t.o. of 1.15mm will that be easier to transition to? Will the sapphire have the same timbre of the jazz*? the jazz* is described as having a bigger chamber than the others, will the jazz timbre be lost with the sapphire?
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Author: mvjohnso
Date: 2012-04-11 02:38
If you want something free blowing then crystal is NOT the way to go. They can sound free-blowing but they won't feel free-blowing. That is not to say that they aren't good mouthpieces, they just always feel constricted (at least the ones that I've tried). They sound good but IMO they are a bit monotonal and lack versatility. And, to the concern of tip openings the more open the tip, generally the more free blowing. But the size of the chamber (my guess to why they aren't free-blowing) is also a factor along with length of the tip opening. This the Vandoren mouthpiece chart. I would not recommend going strait from a 1.02 (M13) to a wopping 1.39. For me that difference is a whole reed size. I play on an M30 and find it to be very open, though I have learned that the factor that seems to matter most with me is a long facing. I would go to Sam Ash (there are quite a few in SoCal) and see if they don't let you try out some of the vandorens to get a better idea about facing length and tip openings. I'd try the M15 (about the same tip opening longer facing), the B45 (big tip opening and same facing *I used this for marching band because it has a BIG sound, just not the most controlled or appealing sound IMO), and the M30 (slightly larger tip opening and facing *very flexible can switch from classical to jazz w/o any adjustments). If you really want try the 5JB if they have one (they don't always have em) and those are just ridiculous (I own one and its a lot of fun but its rarely beneficial for jazz, and completely useless for anything else *takes my reed strength down a whole size and a quarter). Even if you don't go with these you can get a good idea about what factors matter to you. Happy hunting.
Post Edited (2012-04-11 02:46)
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Author: Wes
Date: 2012-04-11 06:29
You might even consider the Selmer C85 mouthpieces also. I bought one that was very free blowing. I actually use an old unavailable mouthpiece for everything which does everything.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-04-11 12:53
The most free blowing Pomarico I have run across is their wooden 1L. I don't know if the 'L' version is available through an American distributor or not. Of course if you don't think the 13Lyre is free blowing, then we might be talking two different things.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-04-11 13:39
Stock crystal Pomaricos unfortunately are provided with a factory facing that tends to make them stuffy and very resistant. Their internal design (baffle, bore, window, sidewalls) is usually quite good, though. So they can be nice mouthpieces and relatively free-blowing if properly refaced; but they are not particularly easy to reface because of the material used. I have been refacing and playing them for years on a variety of clarinets (and even saxes), so am all too familiar with these characteristics.
You may get one that blows freely right out of the box, but I'll bet you'd have to try dozens of samples to find one.
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Author: Randall
Date: 2012-04-11 13:46
Here's a suggestion, and you can't beat the price. I've played the Woodwind K series, and they are excellent.
http://www.muncywinds.com/index.php/clarinet/mouthpieces/bb-clarinet/woodwind-co/woodwind-k-series-bb-clarinet-mouthpieces.html
I have an older RIA crystal mouthpiece for my Eb, and I have to agree that while the tone is very clear, it's one dimensional. I use a Pomarico ebony #3, and that's a superb piece.
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