 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Sara
Date: 2001-08-15 06:03
I have a choice to get one of these mouthpieces with a clarinet I just got off e-bay: Portnoy BP02, Borbeck 13, or a Vandoren M13. I do not know much about mouthpiece, so maybe I can give some thoughts on these three. It will be on an Amati Full-Boehm Maestro 500 clarinet.
Thanks,
Sara
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2001-08-15 14:56
Try before you buy--and pick the one that plays the best for you. They are all good models. (However, if you tried a Greg Smith, you couldn"t go wrong--IMHO) Good luck!!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2001-08-15 18:48
Your best bet would probably be to see if the seller would send you the three mouthpieces so that you can try them out, keep the one you like best and send the others back. (If the seller is a store, they might be willing to do this if you will pay a sterilization/restocking fee on the ones you return.) Second best (possibly best IMHO) would be to see if the seller will knock $40-$50 off the selling price if you don't take any mouthpiece.
It might be tempting to try to figure out which one is closest to what you currently play. It's possible that a mouthpiece that works well with your current clarinet will not be optimal with your new one but at least you will have a mouthpiece that works with your current clarinet (unless you don't plan to keep it). If you can tell us what mouthpiece you currently play, perhaps someone can tell you which is likely to be closest to yours and how they will differ.
According to the Vandoren website, the M13 has a close tip and a long facing. As a result, it has less resistance and takes a fairly hard reed. I have tried a few of these and did not particularly like them. I felt like the mouthpiece was holding me back. Some clarinetists really like them, however.
From the mouthpiece chart in the Woodwind and Brasswind catalog, it appears that the Portnoy and Borbeck would both be classified as "medium" tip opening mouthpieces. I have a Portnoy BP02 and a Borbeck (#14) and, without actually measuring them, would rate their facings as "medium" as well. They should therefore take a lighter reed than the Vandoren. FWIW, I prefer the Borbeck though my opinion might be different with a Borbeck 13.
At the WW&BW, the Borbeck would cost you about $25 more than the Portnoy and about $30 more than the Vandoren. (The Vandoren has the highest list price and the lowest street price. Tells you something about list prices.) Borbeck studied mouthpiece making with one (or possibly both) of the Kaspars. His mouthpieces are not Kaspar clones, however.
The Vandoren has a long (profile 88) beak which means a relatively small angle at the tip. My Borbeck has a relatively short beak with a greater angle at the tip. My Portnoy has a longer beak than my Borbeck. My guess is that it is about the same as the Vandoren.
So, a little more data to look at. Hope at least some of it is useful.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Robert Gifford
Date: 2001-08-15 21:45
I echo what Jack says, the M13 is a very close tip and long facing mpc, you might want to consider the 5RV which is more of a medium tipped one like the Borbek and Portnoys you are considering. The M13 comes only in the profile 88, which really the only way I can describe the profile 88 is almost if you mixed a short beaked clarinet mpc with a saxophone mpc. The 5RV however come both in the profile 88 as well as the normal shorter beaked.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Linda
Date: 2001-08-15 23:46
Be sure to try them out, all will sound different to you!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-16 15:47
The BP02 & the Borbeck 13 are definitely in the same Medium-Open Facing Category. All else being equal, the Borbeck is a more expensive mouthpiece -- a better _value_ in your situation.
As an aside, all Borbecks are _HAND_ faced. This is _NOT_ true of the Portnoy (since early 1980's) & the Vandoren M13 which are _MACHINE_ faced. By itself, Hand facing is _no guaranty_ of quality.
Best,
mw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
