 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: JustBored
Date: 2025-10-05 23:10
My favorite Vandoren mouthpieces have been discontinued. I liked the B46 and the Masters mouthpieces, but they are no longer available. What is the reason for this?
Post Edited (2025-10-05 23:11)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2025-10-06 00:29
Business
You cannot market every possible option all the time. So the options that sell in the smallest numbers get eliminated. I liked the Masters as well, though the distinctive shape of the mouthpiece working only with the Vandoren ligatures pretty much guaranteed their failure.
……….Paul Aviles
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2025-10-06 01:20
Yeah, I used the V360 for 25 years then discontinued. So now 25 years on the 5RV, which is very similar (keep the old V360 as my spare).
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book-- Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: JustBored
Date: 2025-10-06 01:28
I have 2 Masters mouthpieces but won't be able to continue playing on this model once I have to replace them because it is not available anymore. I asked Vandoren and they said it was discontinued but not the reason why. For this model with this novel shape, I have found the Luyben plastic ligature to work pretty well on it because it is very flexible. It is actually the only ligature not made by Vandoren that works with this mouthpiece.
I don't get why the B46 was also discontinued. It was an excellent mouthpiece.
I think these mouthpieces should be available to player who want to use it.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2025-10-06 06:17
It's a very easy reason: they didn't sell enough of them compared to other mouthpieces.
Vandoren currently has over 50 different clarinet mouthpieces when you consider their traditional, profile 88, 13-series, and BD series mouthpiece variations. (Makes you wonder why they have so many? Why not whittle it down to just 10-15 really good ones? Most artist mouthpieces only have a couple of variations, if that.)
Inevitably, some won't sell.
Part of it would be what music stores want to carry (and they certainly can't carry everything).
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Ridenour Homage mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren Traditional #4 reeds
ATG System, Cordier Reed Trimmer, and A.L.E. Reed Balancer
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Author: graham
Date: 2025-10-06 11:17
Like the B44 (other than E flat), which disappeared quite a while ago.
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2025-10-06 12:37
Even more important question is, why did they switch making them from rod rubber to molded hard rubber. That was the biggest downgrade for me.
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Author: RBlack
Date: 2025-10-07 05:04
That’s an easier question, cost savings and simplicity of manufacturing at large scale.
FWIW I believe they haven’t had a true rod rubber MP since the original Diamond Prefecta. Though they have had changes in compound a number of times since then, in the moulded MPs.
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