 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-09-25 19:21
Exactly how plentiful are Kaspars? Does anyone out there have a huge stash of them? A friend who teaches clarinet at a university (that I won't mention without her permission) told me they were plentiful. If so, where are they and how do we find them?
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-09-25 20:12
Probably as plentiful as diamonds, which (as I understand it) are available in great supply, but said supply is controlled by the South African DeBeers monopoly which drives the prices stratospheric. In the case of the Kaspars, I propose a theory that the supply is controlled by collectors, and the demand and price are inflated well beyond the tangible worth of the mouthpieces by clarinetists who believe that Kaspars are the Holy Grail of mouthpieces. But what do I know.............
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-09-26 03:30
Brenda, they are _NOT_ plentiful. YES, you will find a (small) stash here or there. But, that won't equate to "one (stash) in every major town or city". NOW, when it comes to Woodwind Steel Eb Ched's, Buffet C* Ched's or Evette & Schaffer Ched's ... YES ... there are many stashs. I can think of several people who have 50 - 100 or more tucked away.
Bonade, C Chedeville, Kanter, or either of the Kaspars have been highly sought after for a time. They are not in vast suppy. There is not much of a (small) supply. Most folks collecting or holding for that magic sale, have somewhat unlrealistic-to-a-buyer prices in mind.
Estates are getting to be a great place to go Mouthpiece Hunting --- which seems to be a less than desirable plan! best, mw
PS There _are_ stash's of the Selmer "Table" mouthpieces, made the more interesting by how they vary in their markings.
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Author: Keith MacLeod
Date: 2001-09-26 06:06
Brenda,
I own 9 Kaspar Cicero's that I bought from the man himself. They are the best mouthpieces that I have ever tried. At the same time they are each one unique and testy. They have great character and require that the owner/player learn how to play and master them accordingly.
Mine are not for sale at the moment. Keith
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-09-26 12:53
Oh, there is at least one major stash of Kaspars around. I can't tell you who has them, though.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-09-26 14:13
I'd love to own another Kaspar Chicago 16 or a Cicero 13. So, if someone with a stash wants to let me know about it, I'm open to discussion. I really enjoyed playing them and found them quite helpful to my "power" and tone quality. They are overpriced--but perhaps that will change.
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Author: HAT
Date: 2001-09-26 15:10
Keep in mind that there are a huge number of Kaspar mouthpieces that are simply awful.
David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com
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Author: Earl Thomas
Date: 2001-09-26 15:39
If you cannot find the "real thing" (Cicero Kaspar 13), I suggest you
look into the best Borbeck 13 mouthpieces. He has been consistent
in the several of his mouthpieces that I've tried. I have both Ann Arbor
and Cicero Kaspar mouthpieces, but I really prefer Borbeck's most
expensive 13 - even over those Kaspars that I played prior to owning
the Borbecks.
I'd also strongly recommend the ligature made by Peter Spriggs. Great
response!
Sincerely, E.Thomas
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-09-26 16:07
I believe Earl is correct. Robert Borbeck worked & studied in Ann Arbor, MI with the (elder, uncle) Kaspar for a year & a half.
More importantly, when looking at the Borbeck mouthpieces & as Earl opined above, there is a BIG difference in the several blanks that Borbeck sells. His top-line is a Zinner blank with 1 line up & 2 lines down.
I have a Borbeck "13" (my 2nd purchased from RB) that I bought 3 months ago & really like it. (I have recently switched to a G Smith Old Ched #1 which I prefer --- no doubt they are "different" species!)
mw
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-09-26 16:54
The two Kaspars I owned were really nice, as I said, but I tried several before buying them and there were a few in the batch that were pretty bad. So, people need to be aware of that when they buy from people off eBay or somewhere and they don't get the opportunity to play and return if they don't like them. I feel sorry for people that have spent hundreds of dollars for bad ones.
Borbeck 13 sounds interesting. I haven't tried any of his mouthpieces--so I guess it's time to try one. I'll start with the one mw and Earl have mentioned.
My Greg Smith Chicago Kaspar is excellent--but not exactly like the original. It's very close, though.
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Author: Jim Lee
Date: 2001-09-26 19:19
I have no experiecne with the original Kaspar, but my Greg Smith Kaspar Chicago is a wonderful mouhtpiece.
Jimmy
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Author: Stacie
Date: 2001-09-27 14:12
I have a Kaspar Cicero 13 which is by far the best mouthpiece I've ever played. I wouldn't trade it for love or money, that's for sure. I continue my quest for a reasonable backup -- I'm incredibly paranoid that I'll drop or otherwise damage the Kaspar. I'm thinking of trying a Greg Smith.
Stacie
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-09-27 18:35
Stacie,
That's why I bought my Greg Smith Kaspar. He'll send you several to try out if you want. I really like the one I have. But, now that I've sold my Kaspar I'm using my wooden Greg Smith as my main mouthpiece with the Smith Kaspar as my backup. His wooden mouthpieces are quite lovely. You do need to communicate with him about the tip opening and other characteristics you would like, however. I told him my main mouthpiece (at that time) was the Kaspar Cicero 13 and he did a great job of matching the opening. In fact, so nice that I decided to go ahead and sell the Kaspar and just use the Smiths. But, I'd still like to own a real Kaspar.
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Author: Pat
Date: 2001-09-27 23:48
I use a Kasper right now. I love the mouthpiece. I got it from my teacher who got it from some person in Canada. My teacher uses nothing but Kaspers. What I have noticed is that the people who own large stashes of kaspers tend to trade amongst themselves. This is what i have noticed from my teacher.
pat
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-09-28 01:54
Let's remember one thing. The qualities that make a great mouthpiece great start with the Blank. No doubt that some of the best past & present day mouthpiece craftsman KNEW/KNOW something & were/are able to craft their mouthpieces in a special way.
BUT, it has been said by many of these same craftsman that a facing can warp with age. No doubt that small adjustments can then bring some of these mouthpieces back to their "greatness". However, therein lies some degree of risk, beyond just buying a bad one .... and let's not forget the additional cost of having the mouthpiece re-faced.
best,
mw
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-10-01 16:34
Let's remember another thing. The facing is far more important than the blank -- a good mouthpiece facer can make a good mouthpiece out of just about any blank of just about any material (hard rubber, crystal, wood, plastic, stainless steel, brass, aluminum) as long as the internal dimensions and shape are not GROSSLY incorrect. However, a poor facing will ruin any mouthpiece, no matter how good the blank. As David Hattner pointed out, there are many lousy Kaspars out there, as well as lousy Chedevilles. Every mouthpiece, regardless of maker or "pedigree", is a unique entity and has to be evaluated on its own merits.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 2001-10-07 04:28
My teacher is a dealer in Kaspar mouthpieces.. He probably has 5 or 6 that he keeps for himself (though i think he really only uses two of them regularly). And he's always buying/selling/trading other Kaspars with people all over.
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Author: David dow Sympony NB
Date: 2002-04-26 16:33
I think an old Kaspar is overrated when you could get a new GregSmith that is less worrisome in terms of wear and changeability of the material. The rubber on the Kaspars if not cared for is probably my greaest concern.
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