 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2016-04-02 08:25
Again Clark Fobes doesn't fail to impress! Every product from him and every paper he's written have all been extraordinary!
So I bought the Clark Fobes 10K CF+ and it is honestly the most beautiful and capable mouthpiece I've ever played it. Here are the pros:
-Amazing intonation
-Amazing sound
-Every note pops
-Every note is resonant
-Lively phrasing
-Very snappy articulation response
Cons:
-None that I hear yet
This mouthpiece gives me everything I want. It has a bright (but not overly bright. Think Martin Frost Mark Nuccio kind of) and it projects like crazy! I like to say it's along the lines of D'Addario Reserves X0, but a more refined (less edge) and luxurious version of it. In other words D'Addario is nowhere near as good, but if you want a general idea.
I now have the D'Addario as my back up and the 10K as my main mouthpiece. My colleagues described my tone as:
-Tender
-Bright but warm
-Very good projection
-Clean
-Huge color palette
Which is exactly what I want.
This is so far the best mouthpiece I've ever played on it. I also bought the Hard Rubber Cocobolo and of course it was perfect, haha. Have you guys tried or heard anything about it?
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-04-02 09:38
I haven't tried the 10K yet, but I play a San Francisco CF and have been extremely happy with it.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-04-02 10:41
I also play a San Fransisco CF and it's superb. I bought it from a friend who didn't like it. His loss, my gain.
Tony F.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2016-04-02 18:11
That's a brand new model, issued in just the last few weeks. Fobes also has a 10K model for bass clarinet, also recently introduced.
Fobes has always made good mouthpieces that tune, articulate, and sound well. And they work well with close facings, appealing to players who still like something between 0.96 mm and 1.02 at the tip (though they also work with more open facings). I've seen several students overcome embouchure biting problems just by being made aware of them and switching to one of Fobes' models (if even just the lower price Debut or Nova).
A model that Fobes considers the culmination of his years of mouthpiece work should be very good indeed. When my budget allows, I may be headed Fobes' way. What reeds are you using with the Fobes 10K?
I see that Fobes is letting Wesley Rice fabricate the new 10K mouthpiece for him. Do you know if that means he is using something other than Zinner blanks for these? I didn't know Rice had that kind of hardware.
That rubber-lined cocobolo barrel should damp any unwanted brightness in the mouthpiece but retain the overall complexity of the overtone profile. Is that the result you get when you use it?
Post Edited (2016-04-03 01:24)
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2016-04-04 08:01
seabreeze wrote:
> That's a brand new model, issued in just the last few weeks.
> Fobes also has a 10K model for bass clarinet, also recently
> introduced.
>
> Fobes has always made good mouthpieces that tune, articulate,
> and sound well. And they work well with close facings,
> appealing to players who still like something between 0.96 mm
> and 1.02 at the tip (though they also work with more open
> facings). I've seen several students overcome embouchure
> biting problems just by being made aware of them and switching
> to one of Fobes' models (if even just the lower price Debut or
> Nova).
>
> A model that Fobes considers the culmination of his years of
> mouthpiece work should be very good indeed. When my budget
> allows, I may be headed Fobes' way. What reeds are you using
> with the Fobes 10K?
>
> I see that Fobes is letting Wesley Rice fabricate the new 10K
> mouthpiece for him. Do you know if that means he is using
> something other than Zinner blanks for these? I didn't know
> Rice had that kind of hardware.
>
> That rubber-lined cocobolo barrel should damp any unwanted
> brightness in the mouthpiece but retain the overall complexity
> of the overtone profile. Is that the result you get when you
> use it?
>
>
> Post Edited (2016-04-03 01:24)
I think I remember when talking to Mr. Fobes he said he uses the Zinner Blank with the 10K. I am also using the D'Addario Reserve Classic 3.5+ and I've tried the Morre reeds with them. Morre was way too bright for this mouthpiece.
When I use the Hard Rubber I feel like it does dampen it, but does exactly what you say it does "retain the overall complexity of the overtone profile." So in other words if someone is worried that it might dampen the set up to the point where it sounds dull don't worry, because it doesn't do that. When I play the Cocobolo it gives me a better "singing" quality to my playing. The answer in short hand: yes it does exactly what you described.
I remember when I first tried the mouthpiece it was overly bright and that it sounded... well.. bad. Once I finally adjusted my reeds and gave myself a week to get use to it it sounded phenomenal. All of my friends have been complimenting me and saying that the sound is quite amazing.
@Tony @maxopf
I have his San Francisco for my bass clarinet and it is the BEST mouthpiece I've ever played on the bass clarinet. I've tried the MOBA and Grabner which are great mouthpieces, but come nowhere near the SF.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-04-04 08:23
I was just in touch with Mr. Fobes the other day about purchasing a bass clarinet mouthpiece (he recommended the San Francisco CF since I play the soprano San Francisco CF facing.) Looking forward to trying it! I'm sure it will be amazing if it's anything like his soprano mouthpiece.
A while back, Mr. Fobes sent me a "prototype" of one of the hard rubber lined cocobolo barrels, before he had officially released them, since for some reason my A clarinet barrel had cracked. I used it for a long time, but at Tanglewood last summer the professor and I agreed that it dampened the sound too much (with my setup, etc) compared to the fully cocobolo wood barrel I had for my Bb clarinet. It's possible that later iterations of these barrels were much better though. I'm actually currently using Moennig barrels on both clarinets; if I have the money in the future I may invest in some grenadilla Fobes barrels, but I'm pretty happy with the Fobes mouthpiece/Moennig barrel combination.
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2016-04-05 05:52
maxopf wrote:
> I was just in touch with Mr. Fobes the other day about
> purchasing a bass clarinet mouthpiece (he recommended the San
> Francisco CF since I play the soprano San Francisco CF facing.)
> Looking forward to trying it! I'm sure it will be amazing if
> it's anything like his soprano mouthpiece.
>
> A while back, Mr. Fobes sent me a "prototype" of one of the
> hard rubber lined cocobolo barrels, before he had officially
> released them, since for some reason my A clarinet barrel had
> cracked. I used it for a long time, but at Tanglewood last
> summer the professor and I agreed that it dampened the sound
> too much (with my setup, etc) compared to the fully cocobolo
> wood barrel I had for my Bb clarinet. It's possible that later
> iterations of these barrels were much better though. I'm
> actually currently using Moennig barrels on both clarinets; if
> I have the money in the future I may invest in some grenadilla
> Fobes barrels, but I'm pretty happy with the Fobes
> mouthpiece/Moennig barrel combination.
I remember trying the Moenning barrel and loved it, but my previous teacher actually liked the Chadash better. I did also, but overall I actually like the Hard Rubber Fobes. Yeah I can see that it could dampen the sound, but that hasn't really happened to me. I have the grenadilla also and it was great, but I felt like it was nowhere near as good as the cocobolo. Though that's just me.
You said you were at Tanglewood? So you studied with Kai-Yun Lu?
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-04-05 06:36
No, I studied with Professor Ethan Sloane and Danbi Cho at the 2-week clarinet workshop. It was a great experience!
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2016-04-07 09:42
I've played a Fobes barrel for quite a few years on my Bb clarinet and played a San Francisco RR Facing Bass Clarinet mouthpiece for about 9 years until my current infatuation with the Vandoren B50 began last year.
I've also been playing on a San Francisco CF soprano clarinet mouthpiece for the better part of the last year and have been completely happy with it. I tried it along with the CWF and the CF+ and choosing between those three was was very difficult. The CWF is gorgeous and dark and the CF+ has a sweet and flexible tone, but I am absolutely in love with the focus, clarity and tone color of the CF.
On top of all of that, every time I've reached out to Clark with questions, he's been quick to respond with honest helpful advice.
If I find myself in an orchestra again, I'm going to take that as an excuse to pick up a Fobes barrel for my A clarinet!
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2016-04-07 20:22
Max S-D wrote:
> I've played a Fobes barrel for quite a few years on my Bb
> clarinet and played a San Francisco RR Facing Bass Clarinet
> mouthpiece for about 9 years until my current infatuation with
> the Vandoren B50 began last year.
>
> I've also been playing on a San Francisco CF soprano clarinet
> mouthpiece for the better part of the last year and have been
> completely happy with it. I tried it along with the CWF and the
> CF+ and choosing between those three was was very difficult.
> The CWF is gorgeous and dark and the CF+ has a sweet and
> flexible tone, but I am absolutely in love with the focus,
> clarity and tone color of the CF.
>
> On top of all of that, every time I've reached out to Clark
> with questions, he's been quick to respond with honest helpful
> advice.
>
> If I find myself in an orchestra again, I'm going to take that
> as an excuse to pick up a Fobes barrel for my A clarinet!
Mr. Fobes is very easy to talk to and such a nice person and he's very knowledgeable. I've been loving the SF bass clarinet. I've also thought about trying the CWF, but that was before the 10K. From what you've described I feel like they're different mouthpieces.
@max
Very cool! I heard Ethan Sloane is retiring though. From BU at least.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-04-07 21:55
I used to play a CWF and I really liked it. Mine seemed to wear out after a couple of years, probably because I didn't know anything about taking care of mouthpieces back then. I think I prefer the CF though.
And yes, Ethan Sloane is retiring from BU, I found out after I auditioned there. I have no idea if he's still doing Tanglewood though. The website seems to indicate that he still is.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-04-08 03:38
Just received the San Francisco CF bass clarinet mouthpiece in the mail today and it's amazing. I don't own a bass clarinet at this point, so I'm often borrowing bass clarinets with mediocre stock mouthpieces. This mouthpiece is lightyears ahead in terms of sound and response. Looking forward to playing it at my youth orchestra's concert this weekend (playing bass clarinet for Holst's The Planets.)
Post Edited (2016-04-08 03:42)
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Author: Edward G
Date: 2016-06-19 05:23
If I used to play on the M30lyre and was thinking of changing to a Fobes mouthpiece which range should I go for?
I like the tone lf the M30lyre but felt that its a tad inresponsive. I had to close the gap to achieve the tone that I liked. Does that mean I should go for a mouthpiece with a closer gap?
Seniors of the clarinet world please help me out. This is my 5th year playing clarient:x
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2016-06-19 09:33
@max
Sorry didn't see your post! Yes it is an amazing mouthpiece! Definitely different than the other mouthpieces on the market. Lot more overtones and it just sounds GRAND. I absolutely love the mouthpiece and it's well worth the investment. The SF actually makes me sound good, haha!
Also, yeah I heard he retired and that Kai Yun and Ryan Yure might be taking his place, however I think it's official. I know Kai Yun is already teaching there and Ryan Yure was talking to the BU music department about adding a bass clarinet major to BU. Which would be great! I think Ethan Sloane might still teach at Tanglewood. Not really sure to be honest.
@EdwardG
Yeah send him an email, but it's better to call him.
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Author: blueclarinet
Date: 2016-06-29 02:34
The new blanks are machined by Rice from rod rubber, and, according to Clark, have a slightly different baffle which gives them more "snap".
I found an older Fobes on ebay, and refaced it to my needs, and am using it now. These go beautifully with a very closed facing.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-29 06:21
Something that's not entirely clear from Clark Fobes's website: Are just the 10K blanks computer-machined, or is the facing machined too? I know he creates the facings on all of his San Francisco mouthpieces by hand; I visited him once and watched him make a mouthpiece. It seems like maybe the 10K facing is machined though.
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2016-06-30 01:28
The 10K "blank" is Manufactured for Clark by Wes Rice, to Clark's specifications, made from German Hard-Rubber bar stock. So, instead of depending on Zinner or other type blanks, Clark now has his very own designed blanks to start with. Every 10K is then meticulously hand reamed/faced/finished by Clark himself. They are true masterpieces!
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-30 05:05
Ok, that's what I was wondering about. His website made it sound like the whole mouthpiece (facing and all) was machined, but that would be different from his usual practice of hand-finishing the facing.
Definitely want to try one as soon as I can!
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Author: Bill Burnham ★2017
Date: 2016-08-30 17:31
I normally use a Vandoren 5RV Lyre and was introduced to the Clark Fobes mouthpieces at the ClarinetFest at U of Kansas. I got both a 2L and a CF+ 10K from him. The 2L works great with my existing reeds and I use the CF+ (equivalent to the regular 5RV) for reeds with good cane, but a little too hard for the 2L. Both are great and very free-blowing. Good ringing sound and the "ping" of the articulation is great.
My question is this. Can a mouthpiece be too free-blowing?
I haven't played the 2L yet in the orchestra setting (season starts in a couple of weeks), but in the practice room it seems -- for lack of a better term -- loud. I can tame it and play pianissimo, but not quite as softly as with my 5RV Lyre or my Kaspar 11. When I play my 5RV Lyre or Kaspar 11 after playing the 2L, they feel stuffy and I have to play them for a half hour or so before the sound opens up.
Any other disadvantages of a too-free-blowing mouthpiece?
Bill
Post Edited (2016-08-30 17:37)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-08-30 18:58
Bill Burnham wrote:
>
> My question is this. Can a mouthpiece be too free-blowing?
>
For whom? The absolute answer to your question is, no. But a mouthpiece can certainly be too free-blowing for a specific player whose style of playing, whose tone production technique doesn't work well with it.
Clark's mouthpieces are, IMO, very free-blowing and that's attractive to many players.
> Any other disadvantages of a too-free-blowing mouthpiece?
>
One thing that can happen is that pitch becomes more flexible, requiring more conscious control of the player. I find some mouthpieces with more resistance play in tune almost no matter what I do. With Clark's mouthpieces, including the 10K I recently bought, I feel that the level of embouchure firmness needed is more critical, especially above D6. The trade off for me is a beautifully rich, full tone with lots of core and energy.
Karl
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Author: Bill Burnham ★2017
Date: 2016-08-30 19:41
Thanks, Karl. I'll get out my tuner and do some comparisons on that issue.
So far, I agree with your assessment of the sound from two 10K mouthpieces. I do notice as well that notes in the D6 and up range actually have less edge to them, sounding more like the notes just below them. This seemed counter-intuitive that they would sound rounder and sweeter, since louder usually means more edge, such as with one of those "buzz-saw" reed you run into sometimes.
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2016-09-05 15:39
Recently I have switched all my main mouthpieces and my barrel to Fobes within a few months and it has been an amazing experience for me. His RR bass mp gives a big robust sound, and I also use his 2L Bb mp and grenadilla barrel. They give me much better tone, control and ease throughout the register than any Vandoren I've tried. Overall I am very happy with Clark Fobes' products.
Josh
Post Edited (2016-10-21 05:47)
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Author: Ed
Date: 2016-09-06 04:38
I would say the opposite. I have always have found Clark's mouthpieces to be more flexible and give me a wider range of tone colors than Vandorens. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2016-09-08 11:58
Ed, what facing do you play on?
What I meant is that on Clark's mouthpieces it is not so easy for me to bend notes or do the 'wailing' effect' often found in Klezmer music. But do note that I play on his closer facings, and yes, my mileage may vary.
Josh
Post Edited (2016-09-08 13:24)
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