 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Carl L
Date: 2001-06-15 00:25
I see WWBW is selling Bay mouthpieces. Any imput on Bays out there? Thanks.
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Author: Tim2
Date: 2001-06-15 00:33
I have a Bay. With my R13, the sound I get is solid. Pitch is very stable, yet controllable. It was like nught and day for me getting the Bay. I don't know what the measurements are. I got it 25 years ago. I am told that my sound is quite good, that is the primary thing that people talk about of my playing. I think you would find it equally satisfying.
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Author: joevacc
Date: 2001-06-15 01:27
I have two Bay mouthpieces and they are certainly my best. Every once and a while I pull out some other mouthpieces and think this one or that one is nice - then put on my main Bay and put all the others away for a while. ;~) Try them out - all mouthpieces are not created equally! When buying any musical instruments or accessories, bring a roll of black tape with you and put it right over the logo - if you still like it - buy it. ;~)
Best,
-=[Joe Vacc]=-
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-15 02:25
Bay is great! I also have one that I play regularly. Charles Bay is a very nice man to work with as well. You could give him a call (just like you can Greg Smith) and he'll set you up with a great mouthpiece just for your personal specifications. You can email him at < cbay@baywoodwind.com > .
The woodwind and brasswind catalogue doesn't specify which mouthpiece they are carrying, so it would be good to ask for a catalogue from Mr. Bay. The one I got from him was $185.00 and he sent several to try.
The one I use is a Kaspar Cicero clone that is pretty old, but it is fantastic.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-06-15 03:24
I purchased one of Bay's "custom" mps in 1970 when he was still in Ithica, NY, on which he copied my Chicago Kaspar #14 facing. It continues to be one of my favorite mps for sound, response and projection, although it doesn't look new and shinny like it used to.
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Author: Carl L
Date: 2001-06-15 04:22
"...ask for a catalogue from Mr. Bay. The one I got from him cost $185..." Brenda, that's one expensive catalogue! Seriously, thanks, all, for the info!
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Author: SALT
Date: 2001-06-15 08:43
I believe the cost of $185 is referring to the mouthpiece not the catalogue
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Author: John
Date: 2001-06-15 14:17
I like my Bay m-o-m. It took some getting used to and a change in reed styles, but the sound and intonation is superior. I have a bit of a problem with the very highest range, altisimo G and above, but the reed makes a big difference there.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-15 14:21
Carl, obviously you realized I left out a word---the mouthpiece was $185.00. The catalogue was worth asking for because it's very informative with lots of information about mouthpieces, etc.
My Bay is turning colors because of its age, but it really sounds wonderful. In fact, it's beginning to turn kind of greenish--but not like the one we all looked at on eBay a few weeks ago. YUCK!!!!!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2001-06-15 14:59
I used to use a Bay for a long time, starting about 1978. I liked it, good projection, focus, etc. I later changed to something else and in the interim a student accidentally dropped the Bay and broke it. In those days the MO-M was about maybe a 105-107 tip. I don't know where Bay's measurements are currently, but about 10 years ago I called him to inquire about other mouthpieces. He told me that his concept had changed and that his MO-M was about a 120 tip, which for me was way too open. Look at the mouthpiece chart in the Woodwind or other catalogue, for comparison. I think that Bay makes great products. My only comments are that if you are using an old Bay, his new ones may be quite different, so be sure to inquire.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-15 19:13
I'd be *very* careful about buying a used mouthpiece on eBay. No photo can show whether it has been abused or has gotten worn.
A few years ago at one of the ClarinetFests, there was a panel of mouthpiece makers, including Charles Bay, Ralph Morgan, Tom Ridenour and Jim Pyne. I asked for each of them to estimate how long one of their mouthpieces could be expected to stay in prime condition with daily use . Each of them said ONLY ABOUT ONE YEAR. After that, it would need to be touched up. The beating of the reed against the rails and tip produces wear that's invisible to the naked eye and makes the mouthpiece less responsive and less reliable. Signs of wear are unreliable staccato the middle and upper clarion register and squeaks in the altissimo.
Your chances of getting a pristine mouthpiece on eBay are poor, even if the seller says "like new" or even "new" or "NOS" (new old stock). I wouldn't consider buying a mouthpiece on eBay without a commitment in writing from the seller that you can return it for any reason, or for no reason at all.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-06-15 20:33
With respect, I can't agree. I do think some mouthpieces warp like crazy (my older 2RV), but not all, and not all of them "inevitably." My Bettoney mpc. plays with all the stability of my new(er) Greg Smith.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-15 20:52
Ken, I've sold over 350 mouthpieces on eBay and always offer a money-back guarantee. Most of them were new Vandorens or Leblancs, but I've also sold a few used Bays and Smiths, Pynes and Hawkins and others. So, when you buy something from clarinetgrammy on eBay, you can count on getting your money back if it's not exactly like I advertised. Or, if you don't like it you can return it. Ask Bob Gardner---that's how we met. He bought a K10M that he hated and I offered his money back or a brand new Bay. He took the new Bay and is a very happy camper. In fact, he tells me he's still using it.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-15 20:54
Oh, let me quickly add this before everyone goes and bids on the K10M I'm running and returns it asking for new Bays--it was an unusual situation. I'd bought the Bay (an intermediate mouthpiece that retails for $100.00), for about 50.00 and Bob was really unhappy. So, I sent it out to him.
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Author: Nelson Heggen
Date: 2001-06-17 05:05
Mr. Bay is to blame for my continuing to play bass clarinet when it was otherwise contraindicated, and will probably be the object of a class action lawsuit by music lovers for that reason.... As a superannuated beginner on saxophones in a community big band in Houston, I was drafted by an evidently desperate director of a clarinet choir into attempting to play bass clarinet in the group. After a couple of months of weekly humiliation, I took the deficient horn to a local repair shop to trade it in on castanets. The proprietor tried to pawn off a used mouthpiece by this Bay character, and I pretended to go along to put him in a good humor for the trade. However, the previously belligerent instrument started making the sweetest sounds I had ever been able to elicit from anything. As Tim2 said, the difference was night and day, to say the least. For the last year or so the process of wrestling with my incompetence on bass clarinet and, God help me, other clarinets now, has been much more rewarding for the quality of the few Bay products I have picked up along the way. I have not tried to speak to him because of my extreme unworthiness, as Bill and Ted would say, but I hope to get up the nerve to say Hello in New Orleans at the I.C.A. convention. In short (too late now, I know), I can't say enough about how good this stuff is, at least from the perspective of a know-nothing hacker.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2001-06-17 18:46
I play a bass mpc. that I had Charlie Bay make to my specifications (.100" tip opening). Very nice playing piece and the wide tip produces a big sound.
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