 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-06-15 12:31
What reeds work for you on old Selmer mouthpieces like the HS*? Never had much success with Vandoren Traditional or V12. Any players here that have a good working setup?
Post Edited (2016-06-15 12:31)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-06-15 14:56
Every HS* I've tried has been too stuffy for me.
Selmer used to supply one with every new Selmer clarinet. Ralph Morgan told me that the facing was applied with a diamond tip that left the rails looking dull, but played well. Selmer U.S.A. decided the rails should be shiny and had an unskilled worker polish the facing with crocus cloth, ruining the mouthpiece. This is one of his more likely stories. If anyone has an un-altered HS* with the diamond tip marks showing, please chime in.
Ken Shaw
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2016-06-15 18:19
In the 1950s and 60s when people in the U.S. actually played these old Selmer HS* peices, they often first sent them to Everett Matson to be refaced and revoiced. Unless instructed otherwise, Matson would usually fit them out with a slightly more open tip (about 1.02 mm) and a less resistant overall facing curve, and remodel the baffle and chamber just enough to improve responsiveness and decrease the stuffiness. He did thousands of jobs on these Selmers for symphony players and their students. I still recall my first teacher saying "Nobody can play on these Selmers until Matson fixes them."
If you really want to play on a Selmer HS* (by the way, they have gone out of production), your best bet is to find someone who trained with Matson and can modify the mouthpiece to play well. Tim Wright, who posts to this board under the pen name RefacerMan is one such mouthpiece tech. He can be reached through www.linkedin.com.
Many players in the 50s and 60s used Vandoren traditional reeds in #4 and #5 strengths on the Matson/Selmer HS*. But those #5s were not as stiff as today's #5s. I would try a #3.5 Vandoren V21 on them today.
Post Edited (2016-06-16 00:43)
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Author: Bill
Date: 2016-06-15 22:22
The Selmer HS* you think of as "old" is what I call "new," as I play the previous versions of it (referred to as "oval" and "table" Selmers, from before the 1960s). I would agree with seabreeze that a VD traditional reed would probably be best.
I was in a music store in Crystal City, VA, in the early 1990s going through a box of their second-hand Selmer HS* mouthpieces and I noticed some were marked with a much higher price than others. I asked the owner why that was so, and he said "Those are ones Kaspar refaced."
I should have sprung for the $50.00.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2016-06-15 23:55
Eh, I use a LaVoz medium-hard reed and Bonade Inverted ligature on my vintage HS*.
In my opinion, these Selmers aren't worth bothering with unless you are playing a clarinet with low inherent blowing resistance. On, say, a Bundy 1400 or one of the Pruefer Silver Throat variants, they can play quite nicely. When I tried the HS* on my Ridenour RCP-576BC and Backun Alpha, it was as though I had a swab stuck in the instrument--the setup was nearly unplayable. I imagine that it would be quite the same on a typical R13 or Yamaha YCL-650.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-06-16 02:26
For me, the Selmer HS*and HS** play quite well on Boosey and Hawkes instruments but I find them more resistant on Buffet R13's and Leblanc LL's.
Tony F.
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-06-16 12:03
Thanks you all so far,
Yesterday I played some more on it. Btw, it is an Oval HS*. This Oval certainly plays better than later non-Ovals that I have tried.
I play it on Selmer Centered Tone clarinets. Quite a good combination with a nice 'ring' to the sound. Really something different than a Vandoren mouthpiece and a better match with the Centered Tone clarinets IMO.
The best reeds I could find were Vandoren Traditional #3 and #3.5.
I will try the V21 later.
However, it feels a bit restrictive, and I guess opening the tip would be a good idea. Or finding an Oval HS**... if I am lucky :-)
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Author: Bill
Date: 2016-06-16 19:14
Jeroen wrote:
> Thanks you all so far,
>
> Yesterday I played some more on it. Btw, it is an Oval HS*.
> This Oval certainly plays better than later non-Ovals that I
> have tried.
>
> I play it on Selmer Centered Tone clarinets. Quite a good
> combination with a nice 'ring' to the sound.
Well, then, that's a perfect match. I sent one of my oval HS* to Vytas Krass and another to Terry Guidetti. Yes, I found both to be difficult to play with the original facing.
Intonation is nearly perfect on a CT with those oval mpcs!!!! And the sound is nice.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2016-06-16 21:56
I agree with Bill, the oval HS* is a perfect match to the Selmer CT, but only if you get the mouthpieces worked on by good refacers, as he did. By the way, there is an oval Selmer HS** (probably too open as it stands) for sale as we speak, on the famous American web auction site.
Post Edited (2016-06-16 21:58)
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-06-17 13:47
Thanks. I will contact a refacer. Vytas Krass seems experienced. His website shows a nice HS* for sale btw. But Tim Wright and Terry Guidetti were also mentioned. I really have no idea what differences I can expect with those different refacers?
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Author: Ed
Date: 2016-06-18 07:15
Tim worked with Matson, who used to do a fantastic job on the Selmer blanks. I would see what he could do for you.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2016-06-19 04:05
Terry Guidetti also studied with Matson.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-06-22 16:29
Well, just ordered an Oval HS* mouthpieces at the Vytas Krass store. (And also an older HS* for my Selmer Radio Improved). The Oval one has the Everett Matson facing. I can't wait to try them...
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Author: jthole
Date: 2016-06-22 23:15
Hi Jeroen,
Not really related (I play a Selmer c* btw ;-) ), but since I do not believe that one can PM here, I have to hijack your thread ... are you aware of a Dutch (language) clarinet forum, by chance? Of course I know the saxforum, but there are hardly clarinet players there, it seems.
Thanks!
Btw, my Selmer C* works great with Legere Signature and European Cut reeds.
Post Edited (2016-06-22 23:16)
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-06-22 23:27
You can PM someone if he/she has his/her email adress not hided in the profile.
There is no Dutch clarinet forum anymore afaik.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2016-06-28 02:02
Jeroen,
How do you like your Krass oval HS* mouthpiece? I have a couple with the Matsen facing.
Bill.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-06-28 06:39
I have a Selmer C* that was unplayable when new. Everett Matson reworked it into an excellent player. He completely remade the table and lay, narrowed the rails and carved out the baffle.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-06-28 11:02
Bill wrote:
> How do you like your Krass oval HS* mouthpiece? I have a couple with the Matsen facing.
It has not arrived yet. When I have played it I will post my experiences here.
Jeroen
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-07-04 13:22
Well, the Oval HS* arrived in very good condition with the Vytas Krass Everett Matson facing. It plays very well with Vandoren Traditional 3.5 and Vandoren V21 3.5 reeds. Intonation and articulation are superb. It 'feels' a lot better than the standard HS* but still a bit closer than I prefer. Stronger reeds would be an option with this facing but didn't work out for me yet.
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