 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarsax
Date: 2023-12-12 22:07
Hello friends,
has anyone already tried the new Vandoren BD6 HD mouthpiece?
https://vandoren.fr/en/new-high-density-ebonite/
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-12-13 08:28
In hopes this doesn't sound off topic
If there is some validity to a unique sound for this material, shouldn't Vandoren make it available (at very least in limited quantities) in most of their most popular models: M13, 5RV, BD5, M15?
And for those who've seen it, felt it, tried it, would you say it is comparable to the Zinner heavy hard rubber mouthpieces (I believe they were a rusty orange color)?
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2023-12-13 20:09
Just looking at the latest quarterly magazine of the Clarinet Saxophone Society of Great Britain (CASS GB), and there's an ad for the new Vandoren HD ebonite. It doesn't associate the ebonite with the BD6 or any particular mouthpiece. Says 'Reinforce the natural acoustic qualities of our standard ebonite'. So VD are probably going to segment their mouthpiece offer into Standard and HD lines.
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Author: Clarsax
Date: 2023-12-13 20:33
The only Vandoren I use sometimes is a B40 serie 13 (prof 88)
I could buy the HD version if they do
Post Edited (2023-12-13 20:35)
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Author: JohnP
Date: 2023-12-13 23:51
On the Vandoren website it says the BD6 is the first mouthpiece available in HD ebonite, implying that others will follow.
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2023-12-14 00:04
I was thinking the same as Clarasax. If they do a version of my favourite VD mpc in HD, I too might buy one. Just shows, VD did their market research. Good move on their part. If you have a range of mpc with fairly steady sales, how do you bring in more money with doubling the number of mpc you make. Though they've had success with the BD range, they made a mistake, so it seems, with the CL range. The HD move must be a better bet. However, the HD has to make a significant difference for this to work.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2023-12-14 01:14
As it relates to this mouthpiece and its 121.5 (1/100 mm) opening: quite the gap as mouthpieces go, I like what Mark Nuzzio has to say about reeds: a seemingly unrelated or only tangential topic:
He says to play on the softest reeds that don't compromise your artistry.
So I do. Clarinet is hard enough, both technically and physically, so this player finds himself using 3.0 strength Vandoren or Vandoren equivalent on a Vandoren M15 mouthpiece: considered a very closed mouthpiece given its long facing and 103.5 tip opening. My ability to still hit ![[C7]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c7.gif) isn't usually affected (for the 3 times a year I need to hit this note) so why play harder reeds?
Along these lines, I have little wiggle room to come down on reed strength to compensate for the substantially wider mouthpiece tip opening of this new offering. I tried some of the other Black Diamond offerings with smaller tip openings and had to work harder for no gains.
So while I'm interested in this so called high density ebonite, there is no way a mouthpiece material is going to get me to where I want to be if its tip opening is as large as this.
Of course, that's just me. YMMV.
Post Edited (2023-12-14 01:56)
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Author: Clarsax
Date: 2023-12-14 01:45
I tried several Vandoren mouthpieces over the years and always found the B40 to be the best for my taste. The last one I tried was a BD5 but I didn't like it, so no more BD's for me
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Author: frenchbow44
Date: 2023-12-15 05:59
I tried it a few weeks ago. They had it in BD4, BD5, and BD6. It seems like they'll be adding more to the HD line, but don't quote me.
It was definitely heavier than comparable standard BD5 and BD4 models. Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the Zinner heavy hard rubber mouthpieces, so I can't make a comparison. I'd say I preferred it slightly more than my BD5, (the BD5 HD that I tried) but it wasn't substantial enough for me to want to make a switch. I would say the BD6 projected more and had a more focused sound. I believe the Vandoren show room has them to try.
Overall they seem promising, but nothing I am jumping to switch over to.
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Author: Patrick
Date: 2023-12-16 06:03
I’m going next Friday to the LA studio to try them out. Vandoren does innovate and I am sure they are reacting to the market and what people want. I was a huge fan of the master series mouthpieces, but they discontinued that line and went another direction with the black diamond.
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Author: Patrick
Date: 2023-12-23 21:39
Quick update. Tried the HD mouthpieces out. If you were not a fan of the Black Diamond mouthpieces, then the HD might be worth trying out. I always found them limiting in projection for myself. This new rubber makes it much easier to play on. That is my opinion of course.
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2023-12-27 13:39
I have tried a BD6. The new material is quite impressive. Unfortunately the facing is too open for me. I am used to play a BD5.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2023-12-29 16:21
Jeoen: I wonder why they don't use this new material on all of their mouthpieces; even if it mean an added price.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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