 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mike
Date: 2002-02-06 17:06
Has anyone played on the B40? is it any good or one up on the B45?
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Author: Mike Gee
Date: 2002-02-06 19:58
My old teacher use to have a B45. Is this one better than R13 ? I hope we are talking about the
same thing. Which one is more expensive, R13 or B45 ?
-Thanks
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Author: Joe O'Kelly
Date: 2002-02-06 21:47
Definatly the R-13.
The r-13 is a clarinet made by Buffet. while the b-45 is a mouthpiece made by vandorean.
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Author: Michael
Date: 2002-02-06 23:58
Yes, I play on a B40 and it seems to work well. It is particularly fussy about reeds, however. It has miles of end rail, so if you nick the side of a reed, it's still not over. I have not played a B45, but know many people that do and seem to be satisfied with them.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-02-07 03:00
B40 was designed by the guidance of Guy Deprus, a famous clarinet professor of Paris Concervatoire. As written in Vandoren's site, it is designed for softer reeds. May be 2.5 or 3. I had one and liked it. I felt regular Vandoren reeds worked better than thich heeled V12. I do not know its reason.
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Author: Massa
Date: 2002-02-07 15:39
I play on B40 profile.
Michael:
Not to be against, but I found B40-p is less fussy about the reed
selection, at least compare to 5RV-lyre. I think it is due to B40's
wider tip opening than its 5RV-L's.
I also play on B40 series 13 (this comes in "profile" shape as well),
B40-13 has a longer facing than B40-p. This B40-13's longer facing
makes me to play somewhat stronger reeds. Personally, I like to
use the reed strength 3 1/2 of V.12 on B40-13, 3 of V.12 on B40-p.
Many people seem to claim that B40(normal one) has quite
noticeable differences in playing characterristics. I'm not able
to comment on this since I've never compared B40 (trad) and
B40 profile side by side for long enough period of time.
I like the playing flexibility and power of tone B40 has.
B45 is a prototype of B40, B45dot, B45Lyre, and I believe
it is also a very good mouthpiece. I, myself, found B45 is
more difficult to control....but it might not be other people's case.
Mike:
B40 and B45 are quite similar mouthpieces, at least in terms of
their physical conditions. Best advice I (and I believe most of us)
can give is to try both mouthpieces to see which one you will find
to easy to play on with the sound you like.
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Author: David Dow Symphony NB
Date: 2002-04-18 03:01
The B40 is a fine mouthpiece, however the real test is for a person to try it themself. Much of my playing is orchestral and to my delight this is one of the few really original sounding designs to come along in years. what is maimly the cause of this interesting sound is the fact that the rails of this design are quite thick and this adds to a resonant darker sound unlike alot of the older traditional french mouthpieces..a player must always adapt reeds to any facing and Vandoren No 3 and 4s seemms to be the right path. Jean Paul Gauvin designed this mouthpiece and told me personally he was seeking a more robust kind of sound... the element of learning to play this design is tricky if you are used to the B45 or even the normal closed facings due to the resistance change...that being said the tone is quite wonderful and now we see alot of solists using this facing. that being said I really think that this is definite improvement for your playing, provided you spend alot of time adapting yourself to this particular facing.
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Author: Mike_M
Date: 2002-05-30 18:20
This post is quite old now, but I thought I’d add my 2 cents just for the record since I played on the B45 and the B40 for a number of years.
My first private teacher put me on a B45 when I was in high school. Over the next 15 years I had several B45s and never really considered anything else. About 5 years ago another teacher recommended that I try the B40. We both thought it was a definite improvement. The B40 gave much more “ring” and body in the sound, and allowed much more power and expression.
I played the B40 for a couple of years, but became discouraged with it when I couldn’t play for several hours at a stretch without my embouchure getting shaky. (This probably would not have been a problem had my chops been in better shape).
Anyway, I tried a bunch of other mouthpieces and finally decided on Gregory Smith’s Chedeville 1+. It gives a wonderful tone (although different from the B40), and much better intonation. I still use the B40 for jazz, Klezmer, and other informal stuff, but the Smith Chedeville never fails me in the orchestral and chamber music settings (did I mention intonation?).
Even though the B45 and B40 may be similar in design, I have found that they are very different beasts. My experience has been that the B45 is a very easy mouthpiece to play and is not too fussy about reeds, although the depth of expression is limited. The B40 requires much more finesse, but it can really sing.
I would definitely recommend the B45 to a high school player who is looking for a step-up mouthpiece. If you are quite serious and dedicate a lot of time to practice (or don’t play long gigs), the B40 is certainly worth a try. Also, if you have an opportunity to try the B45 and B40, take your time, try a couple of each model and have several reeds ready. Good Luck.
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