 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chad
Date: 2015-05-23 16:30
Attachment: Reggy Kell.jpg (47k)
Attachment: Reggy Kell profile.jpg (30k)
Attachment: Reggy Kell face.jpg (45k)
Hi there,
I've been playing off and on for about 25 years and have been using the same mouthpeice for the last 20 of those. About two weeks ago disaster struck and the tip of my mouthpiece snapped. I was really quite surprised at how upset this made me. You really don't know what you've got till it's gone :-(
I've tried using a couple of replacements but it's just nothing like the same.
It was only when I began looking for a replacement that it became clear I've been uinknowingly using quite a rare breed of mp all these years: a Reginald Kell 1010 (3).
I've kind of came to terms with the fact I'll probably never find an actual replacement, but was wondering if the forum could offer advice on the closest possible replacement in terms of lay, etc. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to the specifics of mp design for obvious reasons (using same one for two decades).
I've attached a couple of pictures and can supply more (and specific measurements) if required. Any help at all would be gratefully received.
Long time lurker, first time poster and hoping for some help.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2015-05-23 18:01
From your mouthpiece choice I presume you are playing a B & H 1010. If this is the case then the two makers that I would consider are Ed Pillinger at:
http://www.pillingermouthpieces.co.uk
Or Peter Eaton at:
www.eatonclarinets.com
They are both specialists in the care and feeding of 1010 clarinets. I have a Pillinger mouthpiece on my 1010 and it is superb. Intonation is spot on.
Tony F.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-05-23 18:09
Yep, those are your sources. And the #3 mouthpiece is the more open of the three standard facings Boosey put out.
I think though you may be pleasantly surprised at the results you get from the new mouthpieces. Clarinet mouthpiece production has come a long way (particularly of late) and quality and consistency are SOOOO much better than when your mouthpiece was produced (only saying that a good mouthpiece was much harder to find back then......yours I'm sure was one of them).
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Chad
Date: 2015-05-23 18:19
@WhitePlainsDave
Indeed! It was reading that very post and the '1010' which tipped me over into registering and looking for advice!
@Tony F
Many thanks for the links! Hadn't heard of these and will investigate.
@Paul Aviles
I'm sure you are correct. Hopefully in a small while I'll be looking at this as a step forward rather than the step back it feels like at the moment.
Thanks to all for the replies!
Post Edited (2015-05-23 18:20)
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Author: 4accord
Date: 2015-05-25 08:25
Bummer to lose your long-loved mpc. But I'm gonna hope this will lead to even better, I'd recommend you visit the Vandoren website and just look at their many models and their specs. I am just back into clarinets after many years away, and I bought several respected brand mouthpieces only to find that, to my surprise, the one that suits me best is the Selmer HS* - same as I was using in 1969! I don't think there's an easy answer to your question except to try a few and see what fits you best - also, of course, each mouthpiece has its own preference for reed strength, so let the mouthpiece dictate that rather than any former favorites. Bonne chance!
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2015-05-25 09:46
4accord,
The fact that Chad is playing a 1010 clarinet somewhat limits his choice of mouthpieces to a specialist 1010 mouthpiece maker. I'm pretty sure that Vandoren don't have anything in their range that suits large-bore instruments such as the 1010 that wouldn't give him tuning issues. I've tried my 1010 with several pieces from Vandoren and several other French-style small bore instruments and the only one that tunes well is one that I heavily modified. Most French style mouthpieces have a conical bore and the 1010 requires a cylindrical bore. Also the 1010 mouthpiece is slightly shorter than the standard Vd offering.
Tony F.
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Author: ebonite
Date: 2015-05-25 12:28
Chad,
You actually have a wider choice than just the 1010 specialist mouthpiece makers.
In fact, you could use any mouthpiece as long as it has been reamed out to work with the 1010 clarinet.
If you find a French bore mouthpiece that sounds good, you can send it to Howarths to get it adapted for the 1010. The tuning will be all over the place before it's reamed out, but at least you can see if you like the sound before committing to getting it done. Once it's reamed out, it will tune just like any other 1010 mouthpiece.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-05-25 16:06
I don't know if I necessarily agree with that. I've heard that before, but lately I am more skeptical of it being the best solution.
Boosey 1010 mouthpieces ARE shorter than standard French bore (conical bore) mouthpieces. This part of the architecture has more influence on the pitches in the altissimo. Though I have never executed this reaming and cannot say what the result is on a 1010, I have compared German mouthpieces to French mouthpieces. The internal dimensions where closer than I'd thought and actually different than I'd thought. Though you can "make it work," there was more of an effort to reconcile the altissimo using the 'longer' German mouthpiece on a French clarinet.
Just an educated guess, but I'd say stick with the Pilinger and Eaton options. You already are well adapted to the "Boosey" mouthpiece. There's no reason to throw out the baby with the bath water (since those are fine mouthpieces).
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2015-05-25 17:21
Ebonite wrote:
"If you find a French bore mouthpiece that sounds good, you can send it to Howarths to get it adapted for the 1010. The tuning will be all over the place before it's reamed out, but at least you can see if you like the sound before committing to getting it done. Once it's reamed out, it will tune just like any other 1010 mouthpiece."
I've actually done this exercise myself with a "Steel Ebonite" mouthpiece, although I did the reaming myself. After reaming it still played very flat, so I removed 3mm from the tenon and moved the tenon shoulder back a like amount. Then it played in tune and the overall tuning was good, with the barrel pulled about 1mm.
This was a fairly complicated operation, and not one I would suggest unless it was done by someone who had the equipment and skills necessary. When it was reamed there was a bit of cleaning up to do in the chamber, which I did with a Dremel.
Even after all this, when I had the chance to buy a used Pillinger piece I jumped at it, and it plays better than the Steel Ebonite.
Tony F.
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2015-05-25 18:33
Although I agree it's time to move on, that looks fixable. It's hard to trust a glued repair, but I've known of instances where players have had just such a break glued. I played for a while on an old Riffault of uncertain pedigree and had a fair bit of success before I noticed the hairline where it had been glued. I stopped using it soon after because of the mental image of that piece popping out during a concert, but it still plays as well as ever.
Yours is a good lesson for all clarinetists; no matter how good your starter is, you need a bullpen. No mouthpiece lasts forever, although I suppose if it lasts long enough it's the same thing as forever. But you can't trust to luck.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-05-25 20:34
And that's a whole different topic. If we get gaga over some super expensive (I can only afford one of these in a lifetime) mouthpiece or one that is old and rare (a working original Chedeville) or both, then we limit ourselves quite substantially when things go wrong.
I have fully sold myself on the Vandoren (or ESM) contemporary mouthpieces simply for that reason. Now if for some reason these companies no longer provide a facing I like (10 year from now) or the quality changes, I will be off finding some other AFFORDABLE and REPLACEABLE mouthpiece.
Remember, Ricardo Morales keeps a copy of his current mouthpiece in his case at all times.......not a bad idea.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2015-05-26 01:51
No photo was supplied of how badly broken the tip of the Kell mouthpiece actually is. I recently sent an old RVS (Robert Von Soligen) mouthpiece to Brad Behn that was broken at the tip, and he superbly replaced the tip and made the piece playable again. Before giving up on the Kell piece, you might forward a photo or two of it to Behn for him to have a look at. He can tell you if the restoration/repair can be done and give you an estimate of the charges.
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Author: tylerleecutts
Date: 2015-05-26 02:38
I would seek out Ramon Wodkowski for this repair. The absolute best and well familiar with rare pieces.
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Author: Chad
Date: 2015-05-26 19:44
Oh wow, this has grown a bit :-)
Many thanks to all for the comments, hugely appreciated. As mentioned before, as I've been lucky enough to have been using the same mp for so long, I'm feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and complexities involved in the humble mp. I knew it was complicated to a degree but good Lord there's a lot to digest! All fascinating stuff which is actually leading me to want to try ALL the mouthpieces (wallet permitting ;-) )
I'll still be exploring possible replacement/repair options (have already been in touch with Ramon Wodkowski) but just having posted on the forum about this feels like a bit of a weight has been lifted, and all of a sudden I'm thinking of trying something a bit, well, new.
While it's nice to be 'different', I've been thinking along the same lines of @Paul Aviles (20:34). A replacement/repair would be great but how long will that last? And it could be a lot of money just to stand still? Time passes and (some) things improve. Who's to say a new mp won't improve my sound? You never know until you try. So I think I'll be pursuing the Pillinger/Eaton option as my main way forward, with a side order of possible replacement/repair.
Time to bring myself, if not kicking and screaming, then at least yawning and blinking into the wide modern world.
(And if the Pillinger/Eaton option ends up sounding good you better believe I'll be buying a back-up)
Once again huge thanks to all for all the advice and information!!
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-05-26 20:38
Ditto on quality and consistency of MPs. Everyone is doing a better job nowadays, partially because we demand it.
Tom
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