The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kat
Date: 2001-08-15 18:20
Does anybody know of any stores or websites that will let you tryout their mouthpieces?
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Author: falicia
Date: 2001-08-15 21:40
Yeah, different places like International Music Suppliers, and Brasswind and Woodwind (BW&WW) let you try out their mouthpieces.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-15 22:49
Off hand, I can't think of anybody who does NOT have a return policy. That's good, because you can try them out without buying. The bad part is that you pay for them in advance & get credited $$$ back upon return. Most dealers (at the least) charge a cleaning-disinfecting upon return) fee --- I've also seen some also charge a small restocking fee. Remember, too, that you will need to pay shipping BOTH ways.
Most dealers allow a reasonable time for trials --- as much as 10 days to 2 weeks in some cases. If you miss the deadlines, it can spell trouble. SO DON'T miss them.
You (or anybody else fo that matter) will want to be very careful with these LOANED goods. Most purveyors tell you that if there is ANY DAMAGE noted upon the return of the Mouthpiece (whatsoever) that YOU OWN THEM --- no returns -- NO EXCEPTIONS. The damage can be a tooth mark, ligature scratch on the back, a ligature nich on the top or side rails, making a mark anywhere on the mouthpiece through an accident, etc.
When trying several mouthpieces it will be a good idea to have (several) mouthpiece cushions on hand to protect mouthpiece beaks from damage caused by your teeth & also to have some scotch mailing/packing tape (or masking tape if you don't have the heavy duty variety) to protect the mouthpiece from ligature scratching in your trials.
NOW --- a great way to avoid the hassles. Go to a ClarinetFest, Clarinet Symposium ... some EVENT which also features EXHIBITORS! Then you can do testing de jeure (sp?) to find the mouthpiece that works best for you. Make sure you have adequate time to spend on your trials & that you have Tuner & (fresh) batteries handy!
Best,
mw
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2001-08-17 14:35
I called Greg Smith to buy a mouthpiece and barrel two weeks ago. He said he will send several for trial, only don't expect them until a few weeks after clarinetfest. It turns out he needs all his stock for trials at the fest. Then he needs to ship out all the purchases made at the fest before he can get back into day-to-day mode.
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