 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Eugene
Date: 2001-09-28 07:18
The reason I keep asking about the differences or quality of mouth peices is because in Calgary there are none .There a special order 159.00-169.00 for selmer c* or a vandoren5vr lyre canadian cannot return so I have to be sure I get a good one.Any adviceor suggestions would be appreciated, tuning and fast response is critical.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2001-09-28 12:56
I cannot tell you anything about the Selmer mouthpiece. I play a Vandoren 5RV alto mouthpiece on my basset horn and am quite happy with it. The sound is quite mellow and focussed, but it cannot in any way be described as powerful. The lyre designation, however, indicates a more open facing and would probably provide a bit more volume. As for tuning, the 5RV is spot on, and the articulation is good using a Rovner-type ligature. For some reason, it was not very good with a metal ligature.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2001-09-28 13:59
Eugene,
The Woodwind and Brasswind ships to Canada (I'll bet International and Muncy Winds do, too). For U.S. customers they have a return policy. I don't know why it wouldn't apply to Canadian customers but it should be easy to check. Their selection is not enormous (there just aren't that many options out there for alto clarinet) but they have mouthpieces by Bay, Hite, Portnoy, Bundy, four different Selmers (including the C*, all priced at US$87.95), two Vandorens (5RV and B44, both @ US$81.95), three different Woodwind models and an inexpensive Yamaha plastic. Assuming their U.S. policies apply to Canada, they will ship 3-at-a-time for you to try. Unless they've changed their policy recently, if you keep one, there is no restocking fee for the ones you return. If you don't keep any, there is a restocking fee of $2-$3 per mouthpiece. (But be sure to use mouthpiece patches on the beak and under the ligature because they won't ttake them back if you scratch them up.) This makes it possible for you to try before you buy at a reasonable cost so that you avoid getting stuck with an expensive lemon. Give them a call at 1-800-348-5003 (I think that number works from Canada) and ask them to outline their policies (or check Sneezy Resources for one of the other numbers). There's no reason you should have to pay so much without even the option of a return.
I suspect the reason no one has stepped forward to tell you which mouthpiece is best, or even how the different ones play, is that the answers vary from individual to individual. The model instrument you have, the brand and strength of reed you try, your embouchure and even your facial structure can make a difference. Mouthpiece selection is simply too individual for you to rely on the opinions of others. Given that, coupled with the fact that, except maybe for Gary Van Cott, most of us (even those who have an alto) don't play it all that much, you will probably do as well trying random selection.
You can get a mouthpiece chart from WW&BW. In fact (I haven't tried, though), you can probably view one at their site (www.woodwindbrasswind.com). I notice that, as alto clarinet mouthpieces go, the Vandorens and Woodwinds are relatively close, the Selmers are relatively open and you can find Bundy and Hite mouthpieces in between. You could start off by trying one of the Vandorens, one of the Selmers and a Hite (note that the Selmers will probably want a "lighter" reed than the Vandorens). If one of them grabs you, your search is over. If none grabs you, decide which end of the open -close spectrum you prefer focus your next search there.
Best of luck with your search. (FWIW, my favorite alto mouthpiece is a Chedeville-made Buffet that I picked up on eBay for $35.)
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: mary
Date: 2001-09-28 15:04
Eugene,
I have a Leblanc alto and I am presently playing with a Clark Fobes. He is on the sponsers page. You can call and talk to him directly as I did. He mailed me 3 to try and I kept the one I liked best. He recommends using an alto sax reed on his mp.
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Author: Mike Hancock
Date: 2001-09-28 16:51
Since I have been struggling a bit with this same thing, let me offer a couple comments.......strictly FWIW.
I acquired a Selmer CL370 Alto a year or so ago. It came with a Selmer C* mouthpiece that I initially thought was too open. (I play a VanDoren M14 on my soprano clarinet). I bought a Bundy #2 alto MP thinking that it might be more closed than the Selmer C*. Such is apparently not the case by actual measurement. The Bundy mp, in my opinion, is not as good as the Selmer.
That said, I have found more variation in "playability" due to reed strength and brand than in the mouthpieces (assuming they are effectively the same). I started out with some inexpensive Rico reeds (#2 and #2.5) which seemed too soft. I have since purchased a box of VanDoren #3's and have found that I have to sand them down a bit to be satisfactory. (And again, I play VanDoren V12 #3.5's on my soprano clarinet).
One other observation related to my particular instrument.....I have checked its relative intonation with a tuning meter and it appears satisfactory (at least to me) except for the throat Bb.....and I understand that to be a frequent problem with altos.
This is an interesting thread, and I look forward to additional comments from others.
Cheers for the lower, longer clarinets.....
Mike Hancock
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Author: Gary Van Cott
Date: 2001-09-28 23:28
I am using the same Vandoren B44 mouthpiece on my Buffet alto clarinet that I used on a borrowed Bundy before I got the Buffet. One of the interesting things that I discovered was that on the Bundy I had the best results with a Vandoren 2 1/2 reed but when I switched to the Buffet, I found that a Vandoren 3 was better.
There have been discussions of the Pomarico crystal mouthpieces on the bass clarinet list recently. They make alto clarinet mouthpieces in three facings and I would like to give those a try.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-09-29 15:22
Eugene -
There's enormous swample-to-sample variation among machine-made mouthpieces, such as Selmer and Vandoren. Your chances of getting a really good one simply by ordering it is practically nil.
I'm pretty sure Clark Fobes and David Hite make alto mouthpieces. Walter Graebner and Roget Garrett rework Selmer and Vandoren bass mouthpieces, so one of them may be willing to do an alto mouthpiece for you. Your total to get a new Fobes or Hite, or a new Selmer/Vandoren and having it refaced, will be around $200.
It's worth every penny if you're serious about the the alto. You only buy it once, and you get the pleasure of playing well for years and years.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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