 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2013-04-19 23:14
It had been over six years since I changed mouthpieces, and I was not satisfied that my horns were responding to articulation and playing well in the altissimo register.
I was able to play the mouthpieces in the Clarinet Studio at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA. The profs there have pooled some of their program development funds and collected about a dozen "pro-level" mouthpieces --a very worthwhile resource.
I spent a couple of hours with a dozen quite different mouthpieces, using matched ligatures reeds chosen for each one. With the choice down to two. The faculty listened to me playing on those and my old piece, and thought that the McClune SP model made a great improvement in my playing: quicker articulation and more facility in the altissimo, along with a pleasing sound
I should mention that this was a bit strange because the McClune had a thin tooth-rest patch, and sounded "tinny" (although I liked its responsiveness a whole lot). Evidently vibration transferring from my teeth to my hearing distorted the impression I was getting of its sound.
After the EWU sampling, I talked to David McClune and ordered three trial mouthpieces. From our telephone conversation, he suggested that I try two of the SPs and one of his DM (German-ish) models --all with 1.04-mm tip openings.
From those, I found one of the SPs and the DM to be exceptional; and after a few days swapping them during my practice sessions and getting feedback from my playing partners, I almost reluctantly selected the SP.
As a final check, my teacher tried them all. He immediately chose THE SP and the DM as being exceptional and nearly insisted that I buy them both so that I have a very friendly "spare" in case of a mouthpiece break.
If you are in the market, you might want to audition a couple of these. Dave McClune is easy to work with and his prices are quite reasonable.
Bob Phillips
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2013-04-20 03:57
I dig McClune. I use one on my contra. Typically I don't fuss over my gear much, but at a friend's insistence I tried one at last year's Fest. The difference was significant enough that nobody had to feed me the usual "yeah, you sound much darker and have better harmonics" that they do when trying to sell me on a new ligature or barrel.
Good mouthpiece.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-04-20 13:19
I've always stocked several of his MPs for my students to try. I totally agree with the writers assessment of Dave, he's very pleasant, easy to work with, priced reasonalbe and makes a high quality MP. He doesn't advertise like many others do but I think he's content with what he does. Everyone has to find the right fit for them in a MP and his are worth trying for sure.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: pplateau
Date: 2013-04-22 21:32
I have had two SP's and an SPE for several years and greatly appreciate both. David has tweaked one or two of these over the years to my great satisfaction also. I heartily recommend David. I can't see how there could be better results. I might have to try the DM !!!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2013-04-23 02:15
I say down with Dave McClune a few years back at the 2010 clarinetfest. Unfortunately, none of his mouthpieces hit the mark with me.
That being said, it was still obvious that he was good at his craft and his mouthpieces were well made and tailored. Just for some reason with ME, I couldn't find that ease of playing I was looking for. Guess my mouth wasn't made for mcclune mouthpieces. Good stuff though if it works for ya.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: donald
Date: 2013-04-23 08:17
On the advice of Dan Paprocki I tried out some McClune Bass clarinet mouthpieces in 2008, and loved them. Have been using a McClune as my primary bass mouthpiece. At Clarinetfest 2011 I selected an SP B flat mouthpiece and bought that to use as a backup to my Lomax A3. Over the last summer (December/Jan/Feb) I did a lot of outdoor practise, and warped my Lomax from playing in summer heat- so started using the McClune. It's a great mouthpiece- very even response. For a number of reasons I'll get a replacement A3 from Mike Lomax, but feel very lucky to have such a good option as my "back-up", in fact I don't like calling it that anymore- it's such an awesome mouthpiece.
dn
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Author: Hurstfarm
Date: 2013-04-23 22:53
Always comes back to personal preference in terms of sound, ease of blowing, articulation, intonation etc. After some heavy testing of a variety of Eb mouthpieces, against expectations I chose to buy 2: a Grabner for its all-round performance and "big clarinet" tone, but for me the McClune outclassed others for responsiveness, control and intonation in the altissimo. I took the view it was a worthwhile investment for those pieces that require the ears of a bat and nerves of steel to dispatch elegantly!
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