Author: Max S-D
Date: 2018-05-11 07:13
gavalanche20, I haven't played the X10E, but I do have the X10 and a B40 on trial right now. Though I've only played them for a few hours each, I like both quite a bit and find them to be very different in character. For me, the B40 is warm and smooth, but a bit unfocused unless I put in a very conscious effort to focus the sound quite a bit.
By comparison, the X10 has a lot more focus and what I might risk calling "ping" in the sound. I do feel like I need to try a bit harder to warm up the sound on that one.
The tip opening difference between the two is obviously quite different (1.12mm for the X10 and 1.19mm for the B40), so I am using a #3.5 V12 on the X10 and a #3 V12 on the B40, but I find the resistance between the two to be comparable with these reed combinations.
My main mouthpiece is a Fobes San Francisco (Zinner) with a CF facing, which I play with a #3.5+ or a #4 V12. I tried these two to experiment with more open mouthpieces and softer reeds, which has been transformative for my bass clarinet playing. Jury is still out on whether this is what I want on the clarinet, but I'm intrigued.
Neither of these mouthpieces has what I'd describe as "color" in the tone to the extent that the Fobes does when I'm playing well, but that "color" can easily become harshness or excessive edginess when I'm not careful. Lately, controlling that has felt like riding a bit of a razor's edge, mostly due to the fact that I'm not playing clarinet for 4+ hours a day anymore.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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