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Re: B40 Lyre 13 vs Traditional

Author: NBeaty
Date: 2017-11-10 00:22

J.J.: Regarding the finishing surface of dadarios and mouthpieces in general, I don't think the slight rough surface is necessarily bad. There is actually a benefit to having a roughness to the internal surface (as long as it's consistent). Brad Behn's explanation comparing it to the roughness of shark skin that allows them to slip through the water faster is as good an explanation of this phenomenon as I've seen. When I reface dadarios, I do change the internal surface a bit, although it's more due to cleaning up after baffle adjustments and keeping a consistent texture/aesthetics than anything to do with performance.

There are plenty of fantastic players using Reserves, but the better way to look at it is to note the incredible quantity of players who would otherwise have bought a Vandoren. They're also a wonderful canvas for refacing (I received a text yesterday in response to the last one I refaced which read, " *4 letter word*, this one is nice!!!").

The 13 series Vandorens usually are slightly longer, although the difference in the chamber is more significant (especially in the effect on sound/feel). I've played plenty of Vandorens over the years of a variety of models in both 13 series and standard. Back when I used vandorens (before I started refacing mouthpieces), I had plenty of them refaced by a variety of people (Behn, Tim Wright, McClune, and others) and had at least one M13 Lyre shortened by 1 mm. I remember that 1) it didn't ruin the mouthpiece and 2) it didn't change anything in a significant way.

I agree with Bob to the extent that the 13 series plays lower than ideal and there are better mouthpieces out there. Although with a mm shorter barrel on most instruments is sufficient to bring the pitch up.

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