 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tim k
Date: 2002-08-05 00:47
I picked up an old Selmer S mpc in great condition. I ike the full sound, but it's very resistant with Lurie #3 reeds (all I have on hand). This is a very short facing with a medium tip. Is the resistance a natural feature of this mouthpiece, or does it require a softer reed?
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Author: Dan
Date: 2002-08-05 01:31
Tim, I checked with the Selmer mpc website (www.selmer.com/selmracc/wood1.htm), and found out that the "S" has a tip openning of 1.15mm (just a little over 0.045") and that the facing is listed as Short, 17mm.
In my very limited experience, I know that I have trouble playing a 0.045" with a #2.5 reed and find using a #3 impossible. (I find that using a 2 1/4 Legere, I can go from the bottom note all the way up into the lower clarion region without too much difficulty.)
So, the only suggestion I have for you is to try using a softer reed. I have read several times in various places that the shorter the facing length, the softer a reed you must use. Hope this helps.
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Author: John Scorgie
Date: 2002-08-05 05:52
Tim --
Answers to your questions are 1) yes it is somewhat resistant and 2) yes it requires softer reeds than most of today's popular mpce facings.
Also realize that if your S mpce is an old one, chances are that the facing is even shorter and (probably) closer than the specs on the Selmer website.
Some of the greats of yesteryear played on this type of facing but it requires very fine airstream control and is not nearly as flexible as the modern lays which are somewhat longer.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2002-08-05 12:02
You may consider having someone reface this mouthpiece. It may make it more playable for you.
Ed
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-08-05 15:50
My first teacher played a Selmer S, so it was my first move up from a Goldentone. I think it was Alexandre Selmer's personal facing. In a pamphlet called "Instructive Talks to Clarinetists" that the Selmer copany used to hand out (and maybe still does), Alexandre Selmer said he used and recommended a short, close mouthpiece.
The S was a big improvement over the Goldentone, of course. As I remember, it had a fair amount of resistance and a decent, not at all bright tone.
The older Selmer mouthpieces, particularly those with the lay designation incised inside a diamond on the table, are in demand for refacing. If the lay doesn't suit you and the interior is in good shape, a refacer might be able to turn it into something you could play. Hite (one of the sponsors here) has a good reputation for work on older Selmers.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: tim k
Date: 2002-08-05 16:27
My main problem with the S is airy tone on A2 and Bb2. Dont' have this problem with my Selmer C85-115. The resistance I can get used to, especially considering how much I like the tone one other notes, particularly the altissimo. Would reed changes help the A and Bb? By the way, in this reincarnation I am primarily a tenor sax player, so my clarinet chops are not what they once were.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2002-08-06 03:45
Thick blank reeds can help on short facings. V12,Vintage XL, Zonda and Grand Concert thick blanks may help.
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2002-08-06 05:01
When the tone is airy on those notes, it is usually due to the facing being too abrupt.
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Author: David Dow
Date: 2002-08-09 14:02
I believe the S is like the grand canyon in terms of tip opening, I would probably not reccommend it unless you actulally sound really great and have no problems in deptartments such as tuning and finding reeds.
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Author: tim k
Date: 2002-08-09 14:44
David Dow: you struck me out on three pitches. Yesterday I went through a number of mouthpieces at a music store owned by a very knowledgable clarinetist and ended up with a VD 5RV. As she said, it won't allow all the nuances, but works well for a sax doubler who doesn't devote a lot of practice time to clarinet.
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