 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2018-11-12 12:25
As you probably know, the Playnick mouthpieces were renewed last spring. This is a quote from their Website, concerning their mouthpieces for wooden reeds:
* Weber op. 26 (formerly Solist M German)
* Brahms op. 114 (formerly PlayEasy B2 German)
* Verdi Traviata (formerly Solist M French)
* Puccini Tosca (formerly PlayEasy B2 French)
They also have a renewed series of the former Solist M and B2 for synthetic reeds called "Nommos".
Has anyone compared the renewed ones to the previous ones? Any differences in sound and/or tuning?
They have also introduced the new "Mouthpeace"-series. Anyone tried these, and what's your opinion about sound and tuning?
Post Edited (2018-11-12 13:34)
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2018-11-12 16:48
Kuckmieier has a new video that is more entertaining, if not much more informative, than his older ads (not sure this comes up for everyone, though): https://www.playnick.com/UPLOAD/MOUTHPIECE_YouTube.mp4. In the video it seems he plays the character role of saving the day by delivering his mouthpieces, complete with ligature, cap, and reed, to a variety of players of different levels in different settings.
A friend bought one of the Tosca models at last year's ICA but I'm not sure he detected any difference or new benefits from the "Waveline Technology"--a term that is never explained. Still,he likes it just as he liked the older Playeasy B2 (refaced to decrease the resistance a little).
Post Edited (2018-11-12 18:16)
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2018-11-12 20:08
I tried the new Nommus mouthpieces that use the their new synthetic reeds while I was at the ICA Convention in Belgium.
I talked to Nick Kuckmeir while I was trying them. He is quiet the passionate salesman. He also allowed me to take up them to my hotel room to try them in a more sane environment. The vendor booths at the conventions are a challenge to really hear anything.
My take-away was that these new seem to play well with their reeds. I did not try them with Legere or cane reeds however.
They are still pitched high as before (approx A=443). I think their primary market is for European players. I asked Nick if he could make a mouthpiece pitched lower i.e. A=440 for example. He said it was possible but didn't offer any further procedure to get this to happen.
I did talk to Karl Leister while I was their (we are long time friends) He felt the Brahms Op.114 was their best one.
One new twist is that their website does not seem allow for trials to be sent out as before. They suggest you travel to Austria to try the mouthpieces.
Maybe Inoledy in NYC will be selling them soon.
Cheers,
Robert
Maybe I missed something or the German version of the website says something different.
One point here is that I only tried the German style mouthpieces. I don't play on french system clarinets.
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Author: fernie121
Date: 2018-11-13 00:14
I read somewhere his Austrian mouthpiece could be adapted for French clarinets. I wonder if this is still the case for his newer models.
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2018-11-13 11:01
Fernie, I'm sure that is possible. On his Website he says:
"For special designs, mouthpieces for jazz clarinet or dance music, copies of facings or special materials such as wood, carbon or various synthetic materials - please contact our office."
Out of order, I think he can easily combine any of his own facings with different bore and tenon sizes.
The price may of course be higher than for the standard models.
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Author: Elifix
Date: 2018-11-14 08:11
@Fernie121,
Yes it is possible. I am using his Austrian mouthpiece on my R13s.
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2018-11-14 13:28
Elifix, which bore does your Austrian mouthpiece have (German, French or Austrian - or even in mm if you have measured it), and how is tuning on your R13's? Which facing do you have (Austrian B, A', A or some other)?
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Author: Elifix
Date: 2018-11-14 18:14
@Micke Isotalo
Sorry, I haven't done any exact measurements on the mouthpiece myself. The only thing I am pretty sure of is that it is Austrian bore the tenon adapted for French clarinet.
I am not sure about your set-up or if you tried before but... just two cents worth of opinion...
Just to be clear, I am using R13s with 66 /65mm barrel roughly from the golden era period I think...
The tuning is weird but yet better. Weird because of the larger bore, the whole clarinet will be pitch flatter (literally way lower than A=440Hz) but better intonation as the partials are more accurate. It is at the level where the low F will be tune when I fully remove the bell.
I can still survive in orchestras /ensembles but the consideration /stress from constantly reminding myself about keeping the pitch in check is getting on my nerves... It's not too far off but, I know its always slightly under...
I have ordered one with Austrian dimensions + French bore + French tenon for testing since it is a hassle to keep raising my eyebrows... I will probably get in a week so can update here if you want to know more before ordering...
An expensive personal experiment but as a happy-go-lucky player, playnick was the only company whom was willing to do it for my crazy adventure! HAH!
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Author: Elifix
Date: 2018-11-16 18:23
I did try my "A" 65mm barrel on the Bb but, never seriously tested it under proper conditions /used a tuner to check how much. If I recall vaguely, it surely brought the pitch up from my ears but there are times that I still feel "low" on it if I keep a conscious mind.
Generally, I just simply used the 66 Bb Barrel and just worked it out from there.
Post Edited (2018-11-17 08:15)
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Author: Jarmo Hyvakko
Date: 2018-11-17 11:01
I am a bit angry to them, because they don't seem to have the B1 opening anymore (which I use)...
Jarmo Hyvakko, Principal Clarinet, Tampere Philharmonic, Finland
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Author: Anonymoose
Date: 2018-11-17 17:41
I emailed the company about the new Playeasy mouthpieces, and they gave me some useful information, though they haven't answered any new questions I sent them back in August. I'll share what they told me here.
I asked about the difference between the new and old Playeasy mouthpieces, and they mentioned that the old Playeasy B models are made for both cane and synthetic reeds, but because both cane and synthetic reeds have different "preconditions" for producing a sound, there were many variations between the same model mouthpieces.
The new line fixes that problem, I guess...
Now the B2 is divided into Puccini Tosca and Nommos B2.
Puccini has the same facing as the former B2, but adapted to play with cane. So it starts more freely and vibrates more easily, as cane reeds have more stability (I thought synthetics are more stable?)
The other mouthpiece is the Nommos B2 for synthetic reeds. This mouthpiece has more resistance.
They don't have a distributor in the US yet so they told me that I could order directly from them.
I asked about the B1, and they don't have a new B1 model because the original didn't sell well. They have old B1's in stock.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2018-11-17 21:37
The virtuoso soloist Istvan Kohan has made some videos and CD recordings using the Kuckmeier B1. Last I looked, Innoledy's near Lincoln Center in New York City was selling the B1 along with the B2 and B3. I wonder why Kuckmeier said they have no distributors in the US?
Post Edited (2021-01-21 03:01)
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2018-11-18 01:25
I also emailed them this week. Concerning the new model Weber op. 26 which is the successor of the former German Solist M they said that the facing is nearly the same. However, while the former Solist M was for both cane and synthetic reeds, the new Weber (cane) and Nommos M (synthetic) have differences in response and resistance - as also Anonymoose wrote above.
Also the bore has been adjusted. On my German Solist M I've measured the bottom end bore width to 14.85 mm but on the new Weber they say it's 15.10. They said that's since there is a general tendency to a wider bore in clarinets as well as mouthpieces. Otherwise, the most common end bore width on mouthpieces for German or Reform Boehm system clarinets seems still to be 15.0 mm.
So at least the aim is to tune better with larger bore clarinets - but experiences from those who have tried these would still be of interest.
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Author: Jarmo Hyvakko
Date: 2018-11-18 11:53
I have the feeling, that in barrels a larger bore tends to sharpen the short tube notes. Perhaps they try to do that with the mouthpiece?
Jarmo Hyvakko, Principal Clarinet, Tampere Philharmonic, Finland
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Author: Anonymoose
Date: 2018-11-18 17:35
Seabreeze,
Oops, I meant that the US distributor didn't have the new mouthpiece line yet. Innoledy has the old Playeasy mouthpieces, not the renewed line. Back in august when I was in contact with them they mentioned that they have to fill up stock of their retailers so the US distributor doesn't have them yet, and so they suggested I could order directly from them.
Does anyone know if the new playeasy mouthpieces will be in the US soon?
Post Edited (2018-11-18 17:37)
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Author: Jordan Selburn
Date: 2018-11-19 05:30
As another data point, I'm currently in Japan - the Yamaha store here has the older versions in stock, including the B1 if I recall correctly. I tried the B2 on a CSG and thought it was OK but nothing that made me reach for my wallet (usually a very slippery and well-trod path . . . ).
Jordan
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Author: EricBlack
Date: 2021-01-20 19:44
Sorry to bring back a dead thread, but I thought it was better to post it here for the convenience of future searches. I have been slowly reviewing the mouthpieces in the revised Playnick lineup. Last month I tackled the Nommos B2 and I have just finished my review of the Verdi Traviata:
https://youtu.be/m7phc5m04x8
Next on the plate is the Puccini Tosca! If anyone has any questions about any of these mouthpieces, please let me know and I will do my best to answer them!
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2021-01-22 22:06
Nice review of the Traviata mouthpiece Eric.
I've played Kuckmeir mouthpiece off and on for about 8 years having used the Solist M and Playeasy B2.
Recently I've been using the Playnick Brahms on my reform-boehm Leitner & Krause clarinets with a lot of success. I was also using the Tosca mouthpiece on my french system clarinet when I had it. I think his current line of mouthpieces are a real improvement over his previous models in terms of resistance, articulation, intonation and overall ease of playing. I'm not a paid endorsement for him either.
One things I have been doing when using the new models is that they seem to work really well with Steuer Exculsive reeds. I tried all of the Vandoren models, D'addarrio, Danzi, Leuthner and AW reeds. Like anything regarding mouthpieces and reeds, it's different for everyone.
Keep up the great work on videos Eric!
Cheers,
Robert
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Author: EricBlack
Date: 2021-01-23 05:45
Thanks Robert, I’m glad you enjoyed the review! Im glad to hear from someone with significantly more experience playing these mouthpieces that they have improved across the board between this and the previous generation. That was my general impression, but my experience with the PlayEasy line was limited to a trial period several years ago with two copy’s of the B2 during a period of time when I was playing Yamaha CSGs. There’s too many variables there to be able to make a fair and accurate comparison.
Thank you for sharing about the Steur Exclusive reeds, I will keep those in mind for the future! I’m working on my Puccini Tosca review now and I will post it (relatively) soon!
Best,
Eric
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Author: rvazquez
Date: 2021-03-04 19:13
Hello everyone:
I'm curious if anyone has yet tried the Playnick KV622.
https://playnick.at/en/product/kv622-mozart/
I have only played one mouthpiece during the last 39 years -- Otmar Hammerschmidt model 246 with 0 facing. I am feeling a little adventurous... :-)
I emailed Nick and he says that the KV622 is very similar to the Hammerschmidt and I'm a bit curious.
Thanks,
Ron
---------------------
Ronald V. Vazquez
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Author: farabout
Date: 2021-09-13 19:07
Eric, could you please clarify Verdi's facing length:
- Per your video review it has a long lay
- Per Silverstein's website it has a "shorter facing length" (https://www.silversteinworks.com/product/playnick-bb-mouthpiece/)
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Author: EricBlack
Date: 2021-09-13 19:29
farabout wrote:
> Eric, could you please clarify Verdi's facing length:
>
> - Per your video review it has a long lay
> - Per Silverstein's website it has a "shorter facing length"
> (https://www.silversteinworks.com/product/playnick-bb-mouthpiece/)
Sure, no problem! I actually noticed this during my research for the video, so I opted to take my information directly from the source. On PlayNick's website https://playnick.at/en/product/verdi-traviata/ they list the facing under additional information as:
Facing
1,28mm, long
Additionally in this video: https://youtu.be/PT028iVzgyE Nick Kuckmeier talks about how the Verdi mouthpiece has, "a bit more open facing, but it has also a longer facing." This is around 17:30ish mark; you should note, the conversation begins by comparing the Verdi Traviata to the Puccini Tosca mouthpiece, but as he moves away from the comparison he begins to talk about the benefits of how the Verdi's longer facing impacts reed choice and the way you approach playing it. It's a very informative video and I definitely recommend giving it a watch!
Post Edited (2021-09-13 19:30)
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Author: EricBlack
Date: 2021-09-13 20:22
No problem, thanks for watching and asking the question! Hopefully it clears up some confusion for others in the future as well!
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The Clarinet Pages
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