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Re: Brilhart mp for jazz?

Author: Ursa
Date: 2014-11-05 04:36

I have two Brilharts for clarinet: a Tonalin 4 with the 4 on the table and a serial in the 21000 range, and an early Selmer-made Ebolin 1 with no serial number that I was able to find in new-old-stock condition.

Both of them work best for me on my slightly resistant, polycylindrical-bore Ridenour 576BC. The lack of inherent resistance in the Brilharts opens up the 576BC, enabling it to project very well with a resonant, sparkling tone. The Tonalin I have is somewhat darker-sounding than the Ebolin.

Altissimo on the Tonalin 4 is a truly risky affair with inconsistent response. The Ebolin 1 is generally well-behaved. I find the response on both to be more squirrely on big-bore, free-blowing instruments such as my Pruefer Festival, Bundy 1400, and B&H 8-10. Seems as though a resistant clarinet evens out the response to some degree.

Being made of plastic, Tonalins and Ebolins are subject to wearing more quickly than hard rubber pieces. I use mouthpiece patches and Rovner ligatures to keep wear at bay.

I haven't tried a Brilhart on sax, but if looking for a Tonalin, inspect the shank carefully for cracks.

Although I find the Brilharts in my collection to be useful pieces for jazz, it's much less work for me to use a modern hard-rubber mouthpiece that presents no ciphers in terms of response.

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