 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-10-10 15:23
For those of you who are fans of Robert Borbeck mouthpieces (as I am), just a quick note to say that he is alive and well, living in Las Vegas and still producing his beautiful custom clarinet mouthpieces.
I recently contacted him to duplicate a custom mouthpiece I purchased from him about 30 years ago, and I'm happy to say that it plays even better than my original.
Robert Borbeck is yet another one of our fine custom mouthpiece makers, having studied and worked along side many of the great artisans of the past (Kaspar, Matson, etc...)
He does not have a web site and prefers speaking directly with clarinetists to determine their needs.
Contact info can be found here:
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Equipment/MBL/Mouthpiece.html
BTW - as has been written in other postings:
"The Borbeck mps you will find in the commonly available catalogs (such as WW/BW, Weiner, etc.) list the student grade mp (and the student grade price) only. You have to work with Mr. Borbeck directly to get the pro grade mps."
...GBK
Disclaimer - No association with Mr. Borbeck and I happily paid full retail price.
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Author: DougR
Date: 2009-10-11 13:37
thanks for the info, GBK. I've been playing on one I got direct from him in 1993 or so, an 11, and have been thinking I ought to get another like it as a backup, since it's my only "using" mouthpiece and everything else I've got in the drawer is miscellaneous Vandoren garbage that sounded good in the tryout room, and awful once I got them home (which is what prompted me to order from Borbeck in the first place).
Was he able to reference your old one, either thru records or memory? Was the new one "right" the first time, or did you have to send it back for tweaks? And, if you don't mind, what descriptors did you use to explain what you were looking for (how you wanted the new mp to differ from the old one, overall qualities you were looking for, etc.)?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-10-11 14:26
Robert Borbeck still works with customers the old fashioned way - no website, no email, and (I assume) no credit cards.
I seriously doubt that he has kept records of any sort relating to your individual past mouthpiece.
However, what he does have is an amazing knack for remembering the type of facing you previously had, by asking you important question about your old mouthpiece.
By talking to him directly he will get a sense of what tonal qualities you are looking for, the type of playing you do and the equipment/reed set-up you are currently using.
The mouthpiece he made for me was an exact clone of my original but with better projection, response and deeper tonal qualities.
He is very "old school" in the way he deals with his customers - wanting to make sure you are absolutely satisfied and taking a big interest in your feedback.
BTW- our numerous conversations about his intimate knowledge of clarinetistists and mouthpiece makers of the past was amazing - just like having your own personal clarinet history book .
That part of the experience was indeed priceless.
...GBK
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Author: William
Date: 2009-10-11 16:50
I note on various info sites that Robert studied with Frank Kaspar, as did many other current mpc makers. And like many of them, I wonder if he also uses the Zinner blank for his current professional products??
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2009-10-11 17:08
When I met Guy Dangain some years ago (Orchestre de Paris) I was amazed to learn that he played on a Borbeck mouthpiece. Never thought I'd see an eminent French clarinetist play on a Yankee 'piece. (Although many French flutists play on US made instruments).
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-10-11 22:23
William wrote:
> I note on various info sites that Robert studied
> with Frank Kaspar, as did many other current mpc makers.
> And like many of them, I wonder if he also uses
> the Zinner blank for his current professional products??
Yes
...GBK
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-10-11 22:33
I had loaner Eb clarinet for awhile and several mouthpieces in the case to choose from. All the mouthpieces were fairly new and in good shape except for an old Borbeck that had a good chip knocked out of the tip. The chip was still floating around in the case and on a lark I decided to glue it back into place. After a few weeks of MUCH experimentation and panic attacks I fell back on the "restored" Borbeck only to find that it not only played, but played rings around the other mouthpieces.
After a successful concert I swore the next time I'd go back to Eb it would be with a Borbeck.
Thanks GBK.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Kalakos
Date: 2009-10-12 23:17
I am glad to hear he is well and still making beautiful mouthpieces. I discovered his mouthpieces some 20 or more years ago at the House of Woodwinds in Oakland, California, and I have bought a couple of more directly from him over the years. I must have 6 of them now, and my favorites are his #16. I also have a couple of his #14 mouthpieces. Why so many? Because @%$# happens, and I don't want to have an accident and not have a backup. Redundancy is the name of the game!! :-)
I do love his work, and it was a pleasure talking with him, even though it's been about 8 years now. I love his mouthpieces!
Thanks for the information GBK!
John
Kalakos
Kalakos Music
http://www.TAdelphia.com
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2009-10-13 01:30
I also had him duplicate a mouthpiece for me. The dog ate the first one. Mr. Borbeck said, "I'll bet that was a poodle." No, it wasn't a poodle, it was a German Shepherd and luckily it didn't eat the whole clarinet. I got the new mouthpiece at that time for about $90.00, and he said he'd like to make another m.p. for me out of a different material which I would like better, which would be $200, but I did not have the money at that time, I'm still using the $90 one. I'm glad he is okay and all. Yes, we did have our conversation on the telephone, and I had bought the original mouthpiece at the House of Woodwinds too. Of about five that I tried that day, it was by far the best one of the lot.
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2009-10-13 01:37
GBK,
Thanks for the info. Back in the 70's (dating myself now), I got a hold of a Borbeck from my teacher, who was with the CSO. Borbeck had sent him a bunch to try, and they were going around the clarinet section of the CSO at the time (would have been Clark Brody, Walter Wollwage, George Weber, and......can't remember - Stowell maybe?). I was lucky enough to be allowed to purchase one, and I happily played it for 5-7 years. I broke it in college during a lesson 1 week before my senior recital. I played the recital on my teachers Kaspar, but I'm not sure I've ever played a mouthpiece I loved as much as that Borbeck. I was aware that you could get some Borbeck models from some stores, but I knew they weren't the "real" Borbecks. Christmas is coming - I just might have to get a hold of him for a new Christmas present- thanks again for the info!
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Author: Kalakos
Date: 2009-10-13 08:25
Your comment about the mpc as a Christmas present reminded me that the last one I got from him was for my birthday as a present. My wife said, phone him and get another #16. I remember also that he told me he had the plastic version and the hard rubber, and my wife told me to get the more expensive one. It's still my favorite, but all of my Borbeck #16's are really sweet mouthpieces!
John
Kalakos
Kalakos Music
http://www.TAdelphia.com
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Author: David Niethamer
Date: 2009-10-14 01:40
I won the Richmond Symphony job in 1979 playing on a Borbeck.
David
niethamer@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/index.html
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Author: donald
Date: 2020-02-10 01:43
I've just come in to possession of a number of old Borbeck mouthpieces (age unknown). They appear to be made from the same mouthpiece blank as the Kaspar Cicero mouthpieces I own, does anyone have any knowledge about this? I haven't had a chance to measure them all, but I took one of them to work today, it measures at 34 22 12 6 1.15mm using Morgan system, and plays very well with a V12 3. Definitely a keeper!
dn
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-02-10 02:16
Larry: Guy Dangain actually played with the Orchestre National de France. He also played a Charles Bay mouthpiece for quite a while.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2020-02-10 04:02
Donald,
You are very lucky to get these Borbeck. I have two #16s and love them. One I got from a good friend in a trade and the other I ordered directly from Borbeck (phone call, send a check,...).
I have several nice Stowell Wells Schneider B2s which are quite good as well. I kind of think (without taking any measurements) that the Borbeck and SWS pieces probably play similar to a Casper. Has anyone play tested this?
HRL
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2020-02-10 08:27
Gary Gray (of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra) said in an interview that he had played a Borbeck 11 mouthpiece refaced by Everett Matson for the previous 15 years and was still playing it at the time of the interview. One former student of Robert Marcellus said that Marcellus often recommended Borbeck mouthpieces as the closest model you could get to a good Cicero Kaspar. Many of the older Borbecks are made on Chedeville blanks, just as many Kaspars were.
Post Edited (2020-03-24 02:37)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-02-11 01:46
You are correct Seabreeze!
Another great mouthpiece refacer is Jim Kanter. Some of his played better than the Cheds and Kaspars.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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