 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill
Date: 2019-10-19 21:13
Attachment: FAU 10610.jpg (1820k)
I have FAU serial number 10610 (German system), which I assume was made in either the late 1940s or 1950s. Photo attached.
I just had it beautifully restored and am getting to know it (I am still learning German system). My Vandoren "D2" German mouthpiece does *not* play in tune with it. Fortunately (sort of) for me, I have an old German mouthpiece that came with another old German clarinet. No markings on this latter mouthpiece (whatsoever).
The story would end happily here, except this old mouthpiece is super long (which I would expect) and super *open*. I would think it might be super long and super *close*, but just the opposite is true. I didn't measure the tip opening (too technical for me), but one can see with the naked eye the distance between the reed tip and tip rail. Wow. I don't think it was refaced. Looks original.
Would really appreciate advice about getting a German mouthpiece that will play in tune with an old FAU. Or advice on altering a mouthpiece to get this result. Or any advice, really. LOL.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-10-19 21:45
Hey Bill,
That's a gorgeous horn! I know from fellow Boarders that because it lacks the Oehler mechanism it is technically not an Oehler system. We learn a lot from each other.
I did not have luck with the Vandorens on my '84 Wurlitzer either. You may have to wait for a reply from one who knows for sure how specific the mouthpiece needs to be. However, I would experiment with a Wurlitzer M3+ if you don't hear otherwise. Buy that off Thomann and use a Vandoren Classic White Master 2 1/5. My favorite German mouthpiece.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2019-10-20 00:14
Bill, I sent an email to you. Since then I have heard that many of the older Uebel German system clarinets (from 1980 and earlier) may have come with a "Lebii" mouthpiece, and if you search on Google for Lebii clarinet mouthpieces, you may find some old ones for sale. Some of the older Uebels also came with Uebel wood mouthpieces that bear serial numbers. These are harder to find but from time to time they turn up. Oddly, Google seems to list these and the Lebii more often than the famous auction site does.
In more modern times Ernst Schreiber, Michelstadt (ESM) has made mouthpieces that go with Uebels. They may have somebody there who can tell you what mouthpiece to look for to match your Uebel (serial number and year made).
Try contacting Petra Karner at esm-karner@aon.at for starters.
Note: Posters to this list later corrected the spelling of the mouthpiece name to read "Lebu" (with two dots--a dieresis mark--over the u) rather than "Lebii."
Post Edited (2019-10-22 19:01)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-10-20 04:32
Bill wrote:
"Would really appreciate advice about getting a German mouthpiece that will play in tune with an old FAU. Or advice on altering a mouthpiece to get this result. Or any advice, really. LOL."
Hi Bill,
You may try searching German 'site' - instead of ".com" type ".de".
Or maybe German Amazon- "Amazon.de".
One MP here: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07FKQQXQP/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=klarinette+mundst%C3%BCck+uebel&qid=1571530972&sr=8-2
You would search for "klarinette mundstück".
Amazon allow you to choose language, and if you use google chrome it offers to translate pages.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2019-10-22 06:38
FYI, the mouthpieces that often came with the old Uebel clarinets are marked "Lebu" ("Uebel" backwards, sort of), not "Lebii".
Bill, if you would like it refaced to something different, let me know. I've got several German mouthpieces (including one like yours) I've refaced to something more like a "French" facing, and use them regularly with both Oehler and Boehm clarinets.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2019-10-22 18:47
Thanks for the spelling correction. The worn or faded Lebu logos must just give the appearance of spelling out "Lebii."
Post Edited (2019-10-22 20:10)
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Author: kerryklari
Date: 2021-09-29 14:32
Bill: I wonder what the ultimate outcome of your mouthpiece quest was if you don't mind my asking. I have recently bought a fairly old Adler, not sure how old (I can't see anything online about Adler serial numbers, I might just ask them) and it too has a Lebü mouthpiece. It's ok but it's a bit on the worn side and I will consider replacing it at some stage. It's also quite narrow which means none of my ligatures really fit very well. It came with a Zinner basic metal one that's clearly not original, but even fully tightened it's on the loose side, and nothing else I have will hold the reed properly at all. I do have some chords and I think I'm simply going to have to work on learning to tie the reed on for the time being.
My Lebü has a number 24 and letters D.R.G.M. stamped on it, I have no idea what they refer to. The whole mouthpiece is shorter than a Yamaha M3D so not what I would call super-long, so probably not the same model as you have.
Many thanks - Paul
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2021-09-29 16:55
Attachment: 0AE4448A-848A-4C69-A48B-80FC8E7325B8.jpeg (1109k)
I recently acquired a German system Fritz Wurlitzer clarinet from around 1940 and it came with one of the old wooden Uebel mouthpieces mentioned above. I was disappointed to find my favorite Wurlitzer mouthpiece would not fit, however I learned after some measuring that the Uebel mouthpiece had almost the exact dimensions of a French mouthpiece. This is strange because it was German in every other respect with groves for a string ligature and a long close facing. Knowing that I threw on a B45 and it played very well in tune up and down the scale.
Given this I would suggest anyone struggling to find a mouthpiece for these older German clarinets try some French mouthpieces.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2021-09-30 00:51
Some of the older Uebels came with mouthpieces marked Lebu (with two dots over the u) that with age appear to be "ii." So a Lebii mouthpiece is really a worn Lebu that probably originally came with a Uebel clarinet and was designed to play well on that instrument.
The possibly good news is that the famous online auction site now has a "Vintage
Lebii for clarinet" mouthpiece for sale. Check it out!
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Author: m1964
Date: 2021-09-30 00:57
Bill wrote:
"I have FAU serial number 10610 (German system), which I assume was made in either the late 1940s or 1950s."
Does it say where is was made?
The logo looks very similar to the ones on clarinets made in East Germany, in 60-80th.
FAU manufactured french (Boehm) system clarinets in East Germany - it would say "Made in DDR".
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Author: kerryklari
Date: 2021-09-30 18:09
jdbassplayer: thanks for the info - tried a French mouthpiece and it does indeed fit
seabreeze: likewise, thanks for that - I have checked it out and although it's probably a waste of money I have in fact bought it; it looks in better condition than the one I have and it might be slightly different as there seem to have been variations in them. It might be useful to have a spare - it's a bit daft but it feels a bit more "authentic" than sticking a B45 on it, even if I end up falling back on that option.
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2021-09-30 22:16
Attachment: IMG_2072.jpg (417k)
According to the souces: Hans deNijs, well known here in this forum , and Dr. Enrico Weller:
http://forum.museum-markneukirchen.de/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3610&p=13765&hilit=Seriennummern+f%C3%83%C2%BCr+Uebel+Klarinetten#p13765
the serial number of this F.A. Uebel- clarinet indicates that it was made before 1943 (the time frame given by my own instruments is: #8642 from 1936 and #11313 from about 1950). The F.A.Uebel clarinets made from 1936 to 1963 (ca.#6000 to #17800) are still highly esteemed. After F.A.'s death in 1963 and, not much later, nationalization, quality rapidly deteriorized.
My own F.A. Uebels came with their original mouthpieces, one hard rubber, the others wood, signed: „F. ARTHUR UEBEL MARKNEUKICHEN“.
The „LEBÜ“ brand was used by G.Rudolf Uebel, nephew and successor of F.A., still in GDR times till about 1980.
Post Edited (2021-09-30 22:21)
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