 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sara
Date: 1999-06-16 03:25
Going through this BB I've seen many entries complimenting this particular type pf mouthpiece and I'm thinking about trying out a new mouthpiece. I have a B45 right now and it seems to be working alright but I've heard so much about this type of mouthpiece. When I looked them up in the WW and BW catalogue I found the price was consideralby higher. What's the difference between Crystal mouthpieces and should we call them regular ones. Are they a good investment?
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-06-16 03:48
Crystal requires more work to make into a mouthpiece and to face. You can't just melt the rubber and stick it in a mold like the hard rubber mouthpieces. That's why the price is usually higher than rubber. But i wouldn't recommend a Vandoren or Selmer crystal mouthpiece. They are amzingly overpriced.
I would suggest trying the Pomarico mouthpieces. They are affordable and much better than any of the rubber Selmer or Vandoren mouthpieces i've played.
Crystal, inherently, brings your pitch down. I've found it harder to find reeds that work on crystal mouthpieces. Some people have good results with them. I've never been able to find one that had enough ring to the sound and they never project. Last i heard, Michele Gingras played crystal mouthpieces and she's a fine player. Also David Peck of the Houston Symphony plays Mitchell Lurie crystal mouthpieces.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-06-16 14:32
I have several O'Brien glass mp's [older style] and a Selmer Clarion, and prefer the latter, which is more comparable to my best H R mps. It feels colder and "harder" than H R's or plastics to me, and they are of course fragile when dropped on hard surfaces!!! There should be some clear plastic ones [polycarbonates? as in lenses] available which wont break easily. They are "showy- er" than the blacks, I recall a Pete Fountain record cover and some Lawrence Welk appearances as such! Hope this helps. Don
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 1999-06-16 19:27
Without trying to start yet another flame way about materials, I'll just state that IN MY OPINION the material of a mouthpiece (or, for that matter, the clarinet itself) makes little or no difference in the sound quality. I believe that the sound and response of a mouthpiece are strictly determined by the facing and the interior dimensions. Having said that, I play on crystal mouthpieces on both my bass clarinet and my B-flat, because I like crystal's resistance to scratching and insensitivity to temperature changes. I play Pomarico crystal mouthpieces now, and I used to have an O'Brien crystal for the B-flat clarinet which was also nice (until I dropped and broke it while trying to catch my 3-year-old daughter who was about to fall down the stairs!). Anyway, crystal mouthpieces are (a) nice because they don't change with temperature and don't scratch easily, and (b) not so good because they are relatively easy to chip and break if dropped, and they are more expensive than hard rubber mouthpieces. But they're worth a try.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-06-16 20:33
David Spiegelthal wrote:
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Anyway, crystal mouthpieces are (a) nice because they don't change with temperature and don't scratch easily, and (b) not so good because they are relatively easy to chip and break if dropped, and they are more expensive than hard rubber mouthpieces. But they're worth a try.
Actually, rubber isn't all that sensitive to temperature. A wood mouthpiece, however, is a nightmare to play to play on a regular basis or for a long gig.
As to price. Most of the crystal mouthpieces Don't cost much more than good current rubber mouthpieces. But most of the really good mouthpieces cost a good bit more than crystal (except for Vandoren or Selmer or Mitchell Lurie crystals). And very good vintage mouthpieces cost significantly more than any modern mouthpieces.
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Author: Stuart
Date: 1999-06-16 22:04
I tried Crystal mouthpieces last year and liked them very much. I tried the Pomarico and found it helped me play a very clear, delicate tone. Chris Speed of the group Pachora plays an O'Brien and his tone is very fluid and clear. Michael Moore (of, among other groups The Clusone Trio) also swears by crystal.
I decided against them for my own purposes because I felt like the rubber let out less of a pure tone and more overtones, creating a more dense sound and allowing me to play multiphonics better. Had I the extra money I would have bought one though! or 2 or three!
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Author: John
Date: 1999-06-16 23:01
Sara -- The previous postings, especially David S, give you most all of the pros and cons of crystal v hard rubber. I suggest that if you want to play a crystal, either buy two of them or keep a spare rubber mp in your case for the time when (not if) you chip the crystal tip rail.
If you just like the appearance of the (transparent) crystal, you might look into one of the low priced clear acrylic plastic mps from Bilger and other makers. They combine the appearance of the crystal with the ruggedness of the hard rubber mp, although they are not crafted as nicely as your B45.
Closing thought -- if you are doing all right with your B45, why change?
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Author: HIROSHI
Date: 1999-06-17 05:06
Pomarico crystal mouthpieces are priced about half of Vandoren crystals.You can find them(three types) in WWandBW catalogue. FYI.
p.s. I also like to chage my setup sometime and I often encountered good ones,such as Chadash barrel,Greg Smith mouthpiece,a handmade ligature not known in U.S.,and a super repair shop.
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 1999-06-18 15:09
I also use a Clarion Selmer Crystal mp from 1944. I decided I would try the B45 since many on this BB used and praised it. I played with it on one concert, then back to my Crystal Selmer. Maybe my preference is because I just have grown so familiar with the Crystal; however, I believe my tone and ease of playing, especially in the altissimo range, is far superior with the Selmer. Incidentally, whenever I'm not playing or about to start, the mp cap goes on and I am very careful with it as I am with both my instruments (Sax). I also carefully clean my instruments after each session, including the mp and reed.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-06-18 15:17
Ray Swing wrote:
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I also use a Clarion Selmer Crystal mp from 1944. I decided I would try the B45 since many on this BB used and praised it. I played with it on one concert, then back to my Crystal Selmer. Maybe my preference is because I just have grown so familiar with the Crystal; however, I believe my tone and ease of playing, especially in the altissimo range, is far superior with the Selmer...
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My experience with the B45 (and I happen to like the mouthpiece) is that it permits you to greater volume throughout the instrument range than many others. The other side of the coin is that it does indeed require more work, discipline and control on the part of the player in the altissimo range. Lately, I have been playing a lot of altissimo material, so I am using the Vandoren 5RV quite a bit. The 5RV doesn't seem to permit near as much volume but of course in the altissimo you don't need as much. So I'll probably use the 5RV if the concert has a lot of altissimo work and the B45 if it has a lot of chalumeau or clarion work. However I find, that each mouthpiece does require a slightly different reed strength and a different ligature to get the best out of it.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-06-18 17:37
Ray Swing wrote:
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I also carefully clean my instruments after each session, including the mp and reed.
It's not a good idea to swab out the mouthpiece every time you play. It's not as much of a concern with crystal mouthpieces as they are more resistant to wearing away from friction. But with rubber mouthpieces, regular swabbing wears away the inside dimensions alot sooner and changes the way the mouthpiece plays over time. Probably more so with the modern mass produced less dense rubber mouthpieces like Vandoren and such. I never swab out my Kaspar and rinse it in lukewarm water abouto once every couple of weeks.
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 1999-06-19 02:36
Dee, Daniel,
Your comments are appreciated and interesting. I clean my mp and horn with a silk swab each time . I don't believe I would damage my B45 if I cleaned it with the silk each time. I have found that if I don't clean the outside each time I can get a slight build up of crud even on the Crystal, so I assume I would get an even greater build up inside if I waited a week to clean it. I guess each to his own.
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 1999-06-19 03:01
See the "Sherman Freidland's Corner" listing on the home page and click on the two articles on "Crystal MP". Very interesting.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-06-19 16:15
I have this O'Brien borrowed [hope he'll sell!], and if I can find a larger barrel [top socket] I'll try it out and report if its outstanding; mine are 2's and my Sel Clarion doesnt show any lay designation. Don
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-06-19 18:02
I found a not-to-well fitting barrel [slight step in the bore]and tried it with a hardened #2 M Lurie and 3 ligatures and concluded that my Sel Clarion [which does have some sort of marking -like a #- on the bottom of the lay ahead of Selmer] was quite superior!! Incidentally I found that I liked the inverse Bonade lig much better than a standard or a Rovner!!! So much for research! Don
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