Author: Max S-D
Date: 2021-08-13 23:31
I would also add that another mouthpiece worth checking out in this price range is Brad Behn's Prescott line, which is also a fully CNC machined mouthpiece. I am fascinated by the new wave of ground-up mouthpiece designs that popped up in the wake of Zinner shutting down operations, so I picked one of those up for Brad's introductory sale price as soon as they were available.
I got the Prescott in a Close facing because that was more in line with what I was using at the time I bought it, so it's not a fully apples to apples comparison with the Backun.
It has what feels to me like a perfectly balanced resistance and a great deal of clarity in the tone. I'd say the Prescott is around the level of darkness that seems to be the common expectation these days, but with more definition and less of what feels to me like a "pillowy" kind of darkness that I feel in the B40 and especially the Vocalise. All of these mouthpieces have good control, but the Prescott had a wider dynamic range, both at the louder end, where I didn't like the Vocalise, and at the pianissimo end, where the added clarity and definition kept the sound from getting overly fuzzy.
I was so enamored of the feel and sound of the mouthpiece that, not long after, I ordered a Behn Sono, which I've used consistently since. It's a bit brighter than the Prescott, which is my preference. Straight out of the box, though, the Prescott almost immediately unseated a very fine mouthpiece that cost well over twice as much and which I still think highly of. I still think the Prescott is my second choice of what I've got and what I would recommend to a student looking to upgrade from their first mouthpiece.
I think it's pretty clear that I preferred the Prescott to the Vocalise, but obviously it's all a matter of taste. At these prices, I think both are worth trying, even if you end up sending one (or both) back.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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