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Re: Behn Bass Clarinet Mouthpiece

Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2014-12-06 01:11

Hello Quinn the Eskimo from Washington. For years I have witnessed an amazing operation on Ebay. Your ability to purchase and sell instruments at fair prices and with a high degree of integrity is admirable. Thank you for your service to the music community.

I read your post as a fair warning to the music community that price does not a good instrument or gear make. Indeed I agree with you 100 percent. Years ago I purchased a wonderful Buffet R13 A clarinet from a clarinet friend in Washington for $1950 which I absolutely love. And a year before that I bought my R13 Bb clarinet from a friend for $1050 - both instruments I use on a daily basis in the OKC Phil and they have served me very well. I would urge everyone, prior to spending full retail to go on Ebay and have a look at what Quinn has up for auction prior to paying a lot of money. Because a smart buyer - one who knows exactly what to look for may well find a better instrument at a better price. And while Quinn offers good deals and a nice return policy, I don't think Ebay is a good place for amateurs. As the quality of an instrument must be assessed by a seasoned instrument picker - a person who plays the instrument at a high level and a person who is very experienced at selecting a good instrument.

My mouthpieces are very expensive because they cost a lot of money and resources of time to make. I invested my entire retirement as seed money to be able to make my dream - (with humility) to make the very best mouthpieces in the world. My vision wasn't meant to be cheap but rather, it was meant to be an all encompassing exploration of acoustics, history, innovation, creativity, and craftsmanship through an amalgam of cutting edge technology and artistic craftsmanship. My mouthpieces are something I am very proud of and while the price is high, it has to be - as it is an expensive venture.

Having said that, I have always tried to find a way to make a lower priced option as I am fully aware that such expensive mouthpieces are not for everyone. And to this desire I have explored and continue to go through exhaustive measures to make less expensive variants. I have bass mouthpieces made through a CNC process similar to my Vintage and Signature lines which are half the price, using synthetic materials which I am proud to say work very well on bass clarinet to my delight. And I have just this week, coming a CNC production run of clarinet mouthpieces to be designed as blanks for the general public to use as a source blank for their craft. They are made specifically to compete with the popular Zinner blank in both price and playability. But due to their CNC process - accuracy and consistency are extremely high, and players and mouthpiece refaces alike will enjoy the quality which comes from such a process. Additionally, since they play directly from the machine, a variant will be used as a finished mouthpiece for the general public. It is something directly made and designed to compete with the lower priced, mass produced market, and I hope it will end up giving folks like you who perhaps don't endorse the high sticker price of my top-shelf options an option which you may well endorse. Time will tell for sure, but please know that price has long been something I am aware about and I am eager to introduce these options in the weeks to come.

Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com

Post Edited (2014-12-06 01:17)

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