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Re: New Rico mouthpiece.

Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2012-07-24 11:58

Same disclaimer as above.

I have often said that if there was one good mouthpiece for every player there would be only one but the difference in physical attributes, setup, playing style, and concept of a personal sound support a large number of manufacturers and custom makers of mouthpieces each offering several styles. Are recreations of old Chedeville mouthpieces and blanks better than any other mouthpieces ?? - this is up to the individual to decide. I admit that I am biased because I like to play them and manufacture them to satisfy a demand for Chedeville rod rubber recreation mouthpieces for others. If you take a poll I suggest that there are many, many orchestral and professional players that play original, Chedeville style or Chedeville blank mouthpieces. A majority or minority - who knows?

Many players under 50 and their teachers have never heard of Chedeville or mouthpieces made from Chedeville blanks by makers such as the Kapars, Bay, etc. If desirability, price, and demand from a segment of the clarinet community is any indication of worth then these mouthpieces are indeed much appriciated. Most of the top custom mouthpiece makers also offer their rendition of Chedeville architecture in their custom mothpieces often named "Chedeville Style".

All (except a few) mouthpieces today are molded from a different formulation and vulcanization conditions than used traditionally to make rod rubber in the Chedeville style. A few of us have taken the time, effort, and expense to recreate rubber which is similar to the old Chedeville rod rubber used to make mouthpieces in the 20's and 30's. Of course the rubber is not the same as originally made but a snapshot of the well aged and has similar acoustical properties of Chedeville rubber as it exists in mouthpieces from the era.

This rubber is different both physically and acoustically from molded rubber used to make mouthpieces today. Formulation and vulcanizing techniques used to make Chedeville rubber recreations are also different than those used today to make commercial rod rubber stock. Is it better? IMO recreation of Chedeville rod rubber can be used to make mouthpieces that have a different IMO tonal quality than molded mouthpieces and mouthpieces machined from commercially available rod rubber today. Some say that they appreciate the tone produced by these mouthpieces. I think that I am entitled to this opinion that the tonal quality is desirable for me and may be appreciated by many other players too.

I have also said that I believe that architecture trumps any contribution by the material of a mouthpiece. Some segment of the community believes that the architecture of the old Chedeville designs produces mouthpieces that are superior for them. Some also believe that the contribution of the material (Chedeville rod rubber) also contributes to the tonal qualities that they desire in a Chedeville style mouthpiece.

The CNC machining process is a hugely more expensive than molding mouthpieces. In the best conditions it can produce more reproducible mouthpieces than molding although some hand finishing is necessary in both types. If Rico wants to manufacture CNC machined mouthpieces from commercially available rod rubber that is their choice but the business model does not make sense to me from an expense and selling price point aspect. That too is their business. Even if their mouthpieces are CNCed offshore the price of the rod rubber, machine time, finishing time and expense, and marketing and advertising (from my experience) would seem to dictate a very slim profit margin for their product.

My question was and is - why pursue this business model if there is a proven demand for Chedeville style mouthpieces and especially those made from a recreation of the original Chedeville rubber? That of course is their decision. Perhaps they want to produce a new wave of mouthpieces to wow and woo the marketplace?

So, even qualified by a lot of IMO (in my opinion) statements to indicate my obvious bias, I have never stated categorically that Chedeville TM mouthpieces are the best.

L. Omar Henderson
www.ChedevilleMP.com

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New Rico mouthpiece. new

Phurster

2012-07-22 12:02