 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: robert60640
Date: 2010-10-10 12:30
As I was doing some research about Legere reeds I came across this gentleman who makes mouthpieces in Austria:
http://www.playnick.at
I'm especially intrigued by what appears to be a mouthpiece for alto clarinet that uses a B-flat soprano profile enabling one to use B-flat soprano reeds.
In any case, I'm wondering what anyone might know about these products from Austria.
Thank you!
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Author: srattle
Date: 2010-10-10 12:38
A lot of people in Berlin seem to be using Kückmeiers products.
I don't have any experience with his Boehm line, I don't know anyone who uses them, and I haven't tried any myself.
I have, however, heard very good things about his German system mouthpieces, and the people I know who play them sound wonderful. I have tried once one of his german mouthpieces with a legere (which I believe he matches together, also editing the reed to make a perfect fit) and I was quite surprised at how it plays.
I would not go on my own personal experience though, as the mouthpiece was from Wenzel Fuchs, and is a completely different way of playing than my own (much more open, and more resistant)
I think these products could be very interesting, and are definitely worth a try! I know many very happy customers. (also keep in mind that the German rubber mouthpiece market is quite new, and most people are basing their change on plastic wurlitzer blanks, so I think there is still quite some exploring to be done in this relatively open mouthpiece market)
Sacha
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Author: clarinet60
Date: 2013-04-13 11:41
I just picked up a mouthpiece by Nick - (PlayNick) model B2 at the Musikmesse show in Frankfurt and was quite surprised at how well this piece plays, even compared to my vintage Cheds, Kaspars, etc.. It's unique in that it is free blowing yet it has a very warm controlled sound, which is usually something I only get from a more resistant piece. It has rather wide rails, and the way Nick explained it to me, the tip is more open than you would expect, but it plays like a very closed piece... He did say that he makes these from rod rubber, rather than molded blanks. I'm not certain how he does this, but he said it's got to do with the curve of the facing and how steep it is in certain areas (at least that's my understanding of what he said). Regardless, it articulates extremely well, is very, very even throughout the registers, and you don't have to work too hard to control the sound, especially in the upper registers. He said that it is 100% machine made, yet it plays better that most of my hand faced pieces. I like it very much...congratulations Nick! (BTW, evidently they're using his pieces in the Berlin, Vienna, Leipzig, and Amersterdam orchestras...
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Author: clarinetfixer
Date: 2013-04-13 13:32
I tried them. They were nice. The response and ease of playing was great. I was not able to project as I wished in orchestra in band, but this was just my experience. I believe Steve Cohen at Northwestern is playing Nick's mouthpiece. The B2. I also heard that Pasqual Fortezza in NY has played them at various times with the orchestra.
B
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Author: EBC
Date: 2013-04-13 14:02
To the OP: you should check out http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=372868&t=370706.
If you don't have time, my review was:
"I just tested a sample of 6 "French" PlayEasy mouthpieces. After (very little, in fact) agonizing debate, I chose one of the two B2 models I had been sent. This is a very worthy mouthpiece, providing an incredibly rich tone colour, vibrant staccato, reed flexibility and a general ease of sound production that I have never found before. Intonation is no better than on any of my other regularly-played mouthpieces (Vandoren M13lyre and Rico Reserve X0), but no worse either. The only potential drawback is the almost invariably warm and rich tone colour (it takes effort to produce the kind of big, pure sound that soars over an orchestra). Still, especially for classical and early romantic repertoire, this mouthpiece delivers.
(It should be noted that each mouthpiece was very different from the next, and, for me, only one of the other 5 could compare. Consistency wouldn't seem (from my very limited experience) to be a strong point, but they are, after all, hand-finished mouthpieces.)"
I stand by this review several months later, now. I should also add that with a little bit of practice and adjusting to the mouthpiece, it IS easy to produce a big, pure orchestral sound.
As for people playing the mouthpieces: I live in Montreal, and was first introduced to them through Jean-François Normand, a freelancer and clarinet teacher at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal. At McGill University where I study, three other students bought a mouthpiece each from the selection of six I received in January, and my teacher, when he tested the mouthpieces, was favorably impressed, although he didn't buy one (as he'd just retired, and felt that 50-100 mouthpieces was probably enough for one lifetime). Also, I can add that Pascual Martinez Forteza definitely plays on these mouthpieces, as cited on the playnick website.
Eric
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Author: alexispianokeys
Date: 2014-11-29 17:03
I also know about Spyros Mourikis.greek worldwide known solist. (I'm right now waiting for my 4 b2s samples)
buffet rc prestige green line
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-02 22:30
You may be better served holding on to the higher pitched mouthpieces which work better for your twelfths.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: KSL
Date: 2016-06-11 19:56
I purchased a Kuckmeier Solist M mouthpiece Through Innoledy in NYC about a year ago. I have Buffet clarinets (1971) and use a Rovner VersaX ligature. I have tried many different mouthpieces over the years including Vandoren, G. Smith, Grabner and Hawkins, but the Solist M has worked best for me. I use Vandoren Rue LePic reeds 3 1/2 strength. The mouthpiece gives a nice round, dark sound, great for late 18th century and 19th century classics. The Vandoren reeds are very poorly balanced and require a lot of adjustment for optimum performance. With the ATG system, I can usually get 7 out of ten to work well.
Recently I tried the Legere Signature reed and was pleasantly surprised. I find the Legere strength 3 1/4 just right. Sound and articulation are as good if not better than the best Vandoren reeds. Response in the altissimo is excellent. The two reeds I purchase are basically identical.
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