Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2018-08-04 04:23
Kenton, I find your criticism of O-rings interesting. Perhaps if you contact Maxton, inform them of your concerns, they may well take time to help out. I know that I would want the opportunity to work with my client and "make it right"...obviously I want my client's utmost satisfaction, and I expect Maxton does as well.
And in reading your criticisms, it seems like your barrel's socket is too small for your Maxton mouthpiece design and smallest rings. Perhaps your barrel's socket is a bit smaller than typical - but nonetheless there should be a very EASY solution. You can lubricate your barrel's socket (not the tenon of your mouthpiece). This should allow for a very smooth gliding fit which should last at least a week without the need for additional lube. I personally lube my barrel every other week, and find that my O-ring fitted mouthpiece glides on and off with FAR greater ease, comfort, and security than with cork. If this isn't the case for you, perhaps you can ask Maxton for smaller rings?
I don't know what type of rings Maxton use however there are MANY different materials and hardnesses. Improperly selected rings can be more "sticky" and grip the barrel's socket in a way which frustrates. But the O-rings I use are designed specifically for highly abrasive conditions, wide thermal tolerances, and ease of glide. Additionally I offer rings of two different hardnesses and several different sizes to ensure optimum performance with a variety of barrel designs, neck sizes, and customer preferences. That said, my standard ring size (medium) is of medium hardness, and is preferred by the vast majority of my customers. While I have had a few customers order smaller rings, and only two customers require larger rings - I am glad to have these choices available - it is remarkable to me how accommodating a good quality O-ring can be!
I should also note that the size of the ring is crucial in providing the necessary balance of "squish" and security, all the while providing a proper air tight seal, and inviting the most effective energy transfer. I invested a great deal of time in researching not only the ideal type of material and hardness for my O-rings, but the best thickness to ensure I achieve my goals.
But also a perfectly milled tenon slot is crucial in achieving optimum performance. One can't expect perfect performance if the tenon is ovoid, warped, or of insufficient quality. O-rings don't hide inadequacies like cork. Cork will take up the slop if the tenon isn't perfect. I've seen molded mouthpieces, and plastic/molded mouthpieces with tenons which aren't perfectly round. In this case I would probably go with cork. But with a perfect tenon, the benefits of O-rings were so numerous that I simply had to do it. I would have been doing myself and my clientele a disservice if I stuck with cork!
Regarding your ligature and slippage. Indeed I too want a secure and slip-free ligature. I require it as I am an orchestral player and oftentimes only have a few short seconds to switch from Bb to A. And in that short moment of time, I can't have my reed shift. So I always crank my ligature tight enough to provide full confidence, but I also have very carefully selected a ligature for optimum resonance, response, and core - while fully cranked.
And this brings me to the conical body of mouthpieces - especially German design. Typically a French mouthpiece body is slightly angled (conical) and a German/Austrian design mouthpiece - more so. Well it is easy to imagine that the more conical the body structure of a mouthpiece, and the slacker the angle of the mouthpiece's table, the more likely the ligature will slip upwards. And this isn't good where a securely fitted reed is concerned. So the solution for these rather conically shaped mouthpieces is: 1. Carefully select your ligature. 2. Crank it tight. 3. Possibly use thin, slightly tacky mouthpiece patch material on the mouthpiece's body - which in turn increases the mouthpiece's circumference and adds grip for the ligature to remain secure. 4. Use a thicker reed. 5. CHANGE to a less conical mouthpiece - ha!
And yes a mouthpiece fitted with O-rings will feel different when you insert it into your barrel. It may snap (slightly) as each ring clicks into position. But this should be very quiet, and it shouldn't be annoying. I find it actually just the opposite. I feel it to be a sensual reward - a pleasant sonic and gratifying acknowledgement that my mouthpiece is secure, air tight, and ready for business. I make my Bb mouthpieces with three rings, so when I "feel" three gentle clicks, as I insert the tenon of my mouthpiece into my barrel socket, I am rewarded with the knowledge that my barrel is fully inserted into position. Have you ever played your clarinet to find your intonation wonky, to discover that your cork tenoned mouthpiece wasn't fully inserted? Each time that happened to me I was horrified, but perhaps not half as much as my colleagues - Ha! With three "O-ring clicks" I am ready to go - I don't need to look - I just play.
And finally a big issue with cork is that it compresses. Have you ever found your cork tenoned mouthpiece wobbly on one clarinet and tight on another? That's because the tighter fitting barrel squeezes the cork into submission. But after a while the cellular structure of the cork can't rebound fully and the cork remains compressed. And when that happens, it can't expand to make a tight wobble-free fit on the larger barrel. And most clarinetists sadly don't have the same fitting sockets on all of their barrels. So this issue is all too frequent. But O-rings don't have a cellular structure which will be compromised like that of cork. Proper O-rings have sufficient squish to accommodate a variety of socket sizes, but they just keep going - month after month.
My mouthpiece has the original O-rings from when I made it two seasons ago. They are still going strong, and I probably place this mouthpiece on and off of my clarinets a hundred times per day. I lube my barrels twice a month or so. It is that simple.
For me I see numerous disadvantages with cork, and many advantages with O-rings. I am a mouthpiece maker. I have made thousands of cork tenoned mouthpieces, and thousands of O-ring tenoned mouthpieces. I will never make a cork tenoned mouthpiece again.
Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com
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