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Re: Copies of Kaspar Cicero mouthpiece?

Author: zhangray4
Date: 2017-07-18 19:41

Bob Bernardo, also the USA distributor of the Steuer reeds who posts on here regularly, is making these mouthpieces called "Vintage 1940 Cicero" mouthpieces. His goal is to not only recreate the Kaspar and Chediville mouthpiece at a lower cost but also to improve them. By improving them, he does not mean to boast that he is better than the other mouthpiece makers. He is modifying it slightly so that it fits better with the modern-day clarinet. He has been creating mouthpieces since 1984, and continually improves them to get as close to perfection as possible.

I happen to have one of these, and I've played on it for about half a month. I was actually going to just comment on how these mouthpieces sound, but since you brought it up, I will give my thoughts on Bob's "Vintage 1940 Cicero" mouthpiece.

First off, Bob was a very pleasant person to work with. He first sent me a sample of the mouthpiece, and after I told him that I felt it sounded a little too bright and also felt a little too resistant, he asked me to ship the mouthpiece back to him, while he started to work on a new mouthpiece for me to suit my needs. He did this without hesitation, and he promised to make me satisfied.

I got the final version, which had a tip opening of 113 since it is what I am used to playing on with my other mouthpieces. As soon as I got it, I played on it for about an hour, switching between different reeds and trying my old mouthpieces as well. Well it wasn't hard to realize that there was a significant improvement in sound. I am able to get a warmer and rounder sound, the type of sound that has been in my head all the time but fail to produce on the clarinet. It doesn't mean you get a darker sound; you still get a sound that can project when playing in a large band/orchestra, and it sounds "alive," so to speak. But the best way for me to describe it is that it removes some of the"edginess" off of the sound and evens it out a lot. Not to mention that it was smooth through the entire range of the clarinet. Previously my altissimo range was too bright while the throat tones sounded airy and muffled. Now my altissimo range notes come out rounder and warmer, and the thorat tones are pure and clean.

If you like the sound of the old Chedevilles and Kaspars, I think you should talk to Bob. He is an extremely friendly guy to work with, and will give you the type of sound you want from your mouthpiece. Its cheaper than getting an antique mouthpiece, and you get to be friends with a very knowledgeable man that can help "customize" your mouthpiece to fit your style.

I mean you lose nothing by trying out the mouthpiece, but you might miss out if you don't try it out. Why not contact Bob and ask for a sample?