 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: spelltag
Date: 2015-08-22 00:11
Hello!
I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm in the right place to be asking this question. I need some help with choosing a good mouthpiece, ligature, and reed.
I've been playing the Bb Clarinet for about 3 years but recently took a break for 1.5 years (graduated from high school and I couldn't get my hands on a new clarinet). Now I'm in uni and I'd like to start playing again casually
I have been looking at getting the Ridenour Lyrique 576bc Bb Clarinet as the reviews online and such seem good. I know it's always best to try instruments and mouthpieces for yourself but It's not much of an option for me I suppose.
With that said, I'm not sure if I should go for the mouthpiece made by Ridenour or venture to find something that works for me.
I am into very deep, rich, almost dark (but not muddy!) tones if that makes sense.
How could I find a good mouthpiece, ligature, and reed for my preference? I am also looking at Vandoren reeds but I'm not sure on whether 3 or 3 1/2 would be better.
All in all I'm on a tight budget I suppose (I'm a student), and I really don't want to spend more than 2000 for all of this. Obviously I'm not looking for something amazing or whatever you'd call it, but just something decent and nice and not something retched like the clarinets offered at my high school (out of tune Buffet B12s and really old Yamaha YCL-250s).
Thanks!
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2015-08-22 00:21
For mouthpieces you should just go to a local music store and see what they have. As for ligatures u could go with a standard rovner leather ligature. Play whatever strength Reed feels comfortable to you
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-08-22 01:04
spelltag wrote:
> I know it's
> always best to try instruments and mouthpieces for yourself but
> It's not much of an option for me I suppose.
>
You shouldn't throw out a line like this without explaining why it isn't an option.
> With that said, I'm not sure if I should go for the mouthpiece
> made by Ridenour or venture to find something that works for
> me.
>
Are you asking "How many of you like Tom Ridenour's mouthpieces?" That's the only answer you can possibly get to this question. If you mean to ask if there's an inherent advantage in using a mouthpiece made by the instrument maker, then the answer is generally "no." Tom's mouthpieces are better than most stock mouthpieces packaged with other instruments and many players like them, but they are certainly not everyone's choice.
> How could I find a good mouthpiece, ligature, and reed for my
> preference?
Best by trying mouthpieces, ligatures and reeds. If there are no stores near you, many online vendors have "on approval" policies or liberal return policies for items you don't like. If you order several items to compare them at home, many will waive any re-stocking fees if you buy one of them.
The ligature won't really make much difference to you for now - locke9342's suggestion of a Rovner ligature is as good as any - pick the least expensive one and play it for awhile. The reeds will depend on the mouthpiece you finally pick. Vandoren makes at this point 4 French-American models (Traditional, V.12, 56 Rue lepic and V21, so you might just pick one and go with the mouthpiece maker's recommended strength to begin with. You could start with the standard Traditional (thinner blank) Vandorens (they're the least expensive) until you've played for awhile and know more about what you want.
No one here can tell you what mouthpiece *you* would prefer, although you'll probably get lots of different opinions about what other posters prefer. The Vandoren mouthpiece line includes several old standbys. They're all playable, even if they aren't everyone's preference, but you need to match the reeds to the mouthpiece, not pick the strength in a vacuum.
> All in all I'm on a tight budget I suppose (I'm a student), and
> I really don't want to spend more than 2000 for all of this.
You can get a very serviceable setup for $2K or less (I'm assuming U.S. dollars - I don't know what the equivalent would be if you're talking Canadian currency). I would suggest that you don't completely eliminate a used 1st line instrument rather that a new intermediate one.
> Obviously I'm not looking for something amazing or whatever
> you'd call it, but just something decent and nice and not
> something retched like the clarinets offered at my high school
> (out of tune Buffet B12s and really old Yamaha YCL-250s).
These are entry level instruments that are meant for beginners in rental programs. It would be hard not to get something better with $2K if you stick with recognized, well-reputed manufacturers.
Karl
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-08-22 03:22
Since you're not far from Toronto, why not contact Taplin-Weir? I've never done business with them, but they have a good reputation. They may have a nice refurbished clarinet in your price range. They also sell mouthpieces and ligatures.
There's also a Long and McQuade store in Toronto. I don't know much about them, but I think they sell the Yamaha 650, a nice clarinet that should be in your price range.
Post Edited (2015-08-22 05:32)
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