 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dm Zisl
Date: 2015-04-18 07:20
Took Walter Grabner's new G11 (Grabner style) mouthpiece to the gig for the first time. I am smitten, Mr. Grabner did it again to me... When reading the blurb exuberant in dark chocolate and coffee-like metaphors on the WG's web-site, which was all to present the new line of his mouthpieces, I took it with the slight grain of salt (yeah, chocolate and sea salt... go great together as we now know), but I ordered one nevertheless because I have Mr. Grabner's mpcs on all my clarinets, from Eb to the bass, and they all max out sonic characteristics of the horns (and myself as a player). You should try one of the three (or, heck, all three of the three) versions of this new mouthpiece yourselves, all W.G.'s pieces come with a trial period anyway, nothing to lose, except $7 shipping each way. There is something very special about this piece, how dark and even, yet easy playable it is. I got a (very untypical) narcissistic attack, I just couldn't get enough of that sound, in all dynamics, all types of articulation. Yes, dark chocolate, freshly brewed coffee, whatever you like to compare it to... it is tactilely enjoyable. And it didn't go unnoticed by the fellow musicians either.
My setup today was: Walter Grabner G11 mouthpiece, Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic reed #4, Vandoren M/O silver-plated ligature, Selmer Privilege Bb clarinet.
http://www.clarinetxpress.com/Gstyle.html
DISCLAIMER: I am neither being paid nor provided with free or partially free equipment by Walter Grabner. This review is motivated exclusively by my free will and willing to share my playing experience with fellow musicians.
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2015-04-18 15:09
I have a G13* and like it very much as well.
I'd stop short of "dark chocolate and coffee", but it's a very flexible mouthpiece from which I'm able to get a lovely, rich and complex sound.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-04-18 16:51
I agree. I bought three of the G11s with a facing Walter slightly customized for me and they are terrific mouthpieces. One of the advantages of buying from a custom maker is that most will make adjustments to whatever they do as standard. Walter is very accommodating about taking a purchaser's needs into consideration.
Karl
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2015-04-18 21:22
Tried them out at clarinetfest. Fantastic mouthpieces. All of Walter's mouthpieces are. They seemed SLIGHTLY lower pitched than his other ones. Something about the interior baffle/chamber/stuff.....
I can't use them cause I tend to play low to begin with, and my band plays sharp. But my colleague plays high (uses a 66 or even 67 mm barrel) and it works fantastically for him.
Walter's an outstanding craftsman. One of a very few out there. I always recommend his stuff, and the people who try them on my recommendation always seem to say, "THANK YOU!"
I'm not saying they're "the one" for you, but I AM saying to put his stuff on the short list if you're interested in trying great quality mouthpieces.
Alexi
PS - No affiliation. Just a big fan of his stuff.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Dm Zisl
Date: 2015-04-19 02:22
@sfalexi "I can't use them cause I tend to play low to begin with, and my band plays sharp. But my colleague plays high (uses a 66 or even 67 mm barrel) and it works fantastically for him."
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How interesting! At the show I played yesterday, after the horn naturally warmed up, I had to pull the longer (66.5mm) barrel a millimeter to stay in tune with the piano.
"I always recommend his stuff, and the people who try them on my recommendation always seem to say, "THANK YOU!""
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Likewise. Hence my original post here. Walter's mouthpieces are known among many professionals, but it certainly won't hurt if a few more will discover his wonderful work for themselves.
@cxgreen48 "So who wants to explain what dark chocolate and coffee sound like?" I believe this stands for *dark* or *coating* (the ear with chocolate). This kind of description though makes me also think of the late Steve Jobs who wasn't describing Apple's new products other than by the adjective "magical." It's magic, period. And you know, with the actual pleasing result and trust in the manufacturer's reputation, I can relax a bit and buy into that kind of fairytale rhetoric.
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Author: William
Date: 2015-04-19 20:23
Walter Grabner is a supurb craftsman, and one of the "good guys" in our profession. I have been playing one of his bass clarinet mouthpieces for years and recently auditioned a G11 and a K11*, opting for the K model as I like a more resonant, perhaps "bright" sound. But I think if I had taken the time to get used to the G model, it would have suited me as well. He takes the time to "get it right" and is willing to go the extra mile for his customers. FWIW, my equipment: Concerto Bb, Buffet R13 A, Vandy lig (parallel rails) and Forestone Black Bamboo M & MH reeds. My bass is a Buffet 1193-2 low C that Lisa helped me pick out in Evanston.
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Author: Dm Zisl
Date: 2015-04-23 15:53
I played Richard Hawkins Standard mouthpiece for a few years and was pretty happy with it, going from Vandoren B45 / B45 Lyre / 11.6. Perhaps it's that my playing has improved since then, but to my ear, Grabner's pieces offer richer, more harmonically complex sound.
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