 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: William
Date: 2001-11-09 22:12
I have been given a Kasper #13 Cicero mpc to try (by someone in our local muni band who has had it in his case for years but doesn't use it) and the name, James Kanter, is engraved under the three rings and to the right of the base of the table. Just wondering if anyone can refresh my memory--the name seems familiar but "why" doesn't come to mind. Thanks, and Good Clarineting!
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Author: Larry Liberson
Date: 2001-11-09 22:16
James Kanter made mouthpieces under his own name. I wonder if he might have refaced this one, perhaps?
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2001-11-09 23:11
Yes, that would be my guess as he did a bit of this even when he was long ago working on his own personal mouthpieces. By the way it's KaspAr - with an A if it matters at all.....
Gregory Smith
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Author: William
Date: 2001-11-10 14:24
Thank you for the technical and spelling information. This particular mpc, FYI, has a muted, stuffy sound--not at all the response and sound that I had suspected from a real Cicero Kaspar. Frankly, I've played better Selmer "Golden Tones"--another example (and lesson to all of you eBay shoppers) of the basic rule, TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!! Good Clarineting, All
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-11-10 16:15
Well, the one you want is a Kaspar Cicero 13 that hasn't been refaced. I've had to sell every one I've owned that I had refaced. That has been my complaint--they come back stuffy. Granted, I have semi-limited experience with them, but have heard others say they sold their Kaspars after having them refaced--even by expert refacers.
Too bad. I'd love to own another genuine Kaspar Cicero 13. That's an excellent mouthpiece--generally speaking.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2001-11-11 07:26
Jim Kanter is a #1 call clarinet player in the Los Angeles area and the son of Los Angeles studio legend woodwind player Ben Kanter who died 2 years ago at 93, still with very strong playing ability. People like Kanter mouthpieces a lot from what I hear. A good refacing job could be a positive step for that mouthpiece and the refacer can tell you if it makes sense to do it. It is possible that it has warped a little from temperature changes and time in the case of the other player.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2001-11-11 13:45
Each mouthpiece is different. I have played some that have benefited greatly from having some work done to them. I have played some original untouched Kaspars that were lousy. Like anything out there, the name only will not assure you of a great mouthpiece. But, certainly there were some Kaspars that were wonderful. When trying a different mouthpiece, be sure to try some new reeds that you work to that mouthpiece. Sometimes it is common to find that a mouthpiece feels lousy, because you are playing it with reeds that have been chosen and adjusted to a different set up.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-11-11 17:21
Ed makes a good point about trying different types of reeds (strength, response, profile) on the Kaspar before writing it off as unplayable. But remember the old saying: "You can put a pig in a tuxedo, but it's still a pig". If the mouthpiece was poorly made or faced it might be time to write it off.(maybe it was made on Friday afternoon). There are some fabulous Kaspar mouthpieces out there, but also some real dogs...GBK
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Author: William
Date: 2001-11-11 17:23
Thank you, again, for the information regarding James Kanter. Upon further examimg the tip and rail areas of this particular Kaspar with a strong magnifying device, I do find some damage to the tip area and left rail which would severely affect the action of the reed and may account for the "stuffiness" I find in the mpcs response and sound. Likely caused by a mpc cap or similar sharp edged impact--definately not having anything to do with the refacing done by Mr. Kanter, but rather with someones negligence. I will point this out to the owner and perhaps it is a salvagalbe mouthpiece after all. Good Clarineting, All
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