 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rick77
Date: 2012-01-09 03:28
I've been using a Clark Fobes Nova mpc for about the past 3 months. I'm not sure what the the facing actually is because I've seen different descriptions of the Nova at various sites on the internet.
I got my Nova from Muncy Winds and they decribe the Nova as having a close facing and only offer it in one facing.
At other vendors sites the Nova is listed as a medium facing (tip: 1.08 mm/.043) yet it is offered in the CF+ facing or the 3L facing.
There are no numbers on my Nova indicating what facing it might be so I'm wondering if my Nova is the CF+ facing or the 3L facing. When I bought it I thought they only come in one facing.
Whatever facing my Nova is I have grown to like it, especially since I got Gonzalez FOF 3.25 reeds to use on it. I had a love/hate relationship with the Nova when I used Vandoren V12 reeds. I'm just curious what the facing actually is.
Post Edited (2012-01-09 03:28)
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2012-01-09 03:50
Everyone's measuring devices are all going to be different. I asked Clark about this at ClarinetFest this past summer when I brought a CF+ mouthpiece that I owned to him, and he simply asked what tip opening gauge I used. Everyone's calculations are going to be different. Also, the measurements aren't going to be exact from mouthpiece to mouthpiece. I could be off by as much as .01mm which in this case mine was. He like every other mouthpiece craftsman are going to make adjustments to each mouthpiece they create to make them sound as good as possible. I would just trust the measurements given on Clark's website.
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2012-01-09 12:59
Clarimeister, I think Rick just wanted to know which facing of the Fobes Nova he has, a 3L or CF+.
I also own a Nova and don't recall that it has a facing indication on the mouthpiece, but I always assumed it was the CF+ facing for some reason.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2012-01-09 15:07
The best bet would be to contact Clark to ask him.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-01-09 15:24
FWIW, Clark's website only shows a CF+ facing for the Nova. The only mouthpiece he shows that comes with a 3L facing is the San Francisco model. So my suspicion is that the vendors who offer a 3L Nova are either blowing pure smoke or are themselves misinformed, unless someone managed to get Clark to put a 3L facing on some custom Novas.
You could certainly contact Clark and ask if he has marketed a 3L Nova anywhere and, if not, assume yours is a CF+.
Karl
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Author: rick77
Date: 2012-01-10 13:55
"NOVA" Bb Soprano Clarinet mouthpiece
Hard rubber, hand finished, "CF+" or 3l facing. Chedeville style baffle and bore. $139
This was copied and pasted directly from the Clark Fobes website. So he does indeed offer the Nova in two facings, yet the one I have has no indication of which facing it may be. I'm not sure if he just very recently started offering a second facing or not. I don't recall there being a choice between two facings when I bought my Nova from Muncy back in October, 2011.
(I just checked the Muncy Winds website and they still do not offer a choice of facings for the "Nova" B flat soprano clarinet mpc)
I'll contact Clark Fobes for more info.
Post Edited (2012-01-10 14:21)
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Author: rick77
Date: 2012-01-10 16:12
I emailed Clark Fobes and he graciously and very promptly (within an hour) answered all of my questions concerning the Nova mpc. I also mentioned to him that I have not had success with the Vandoren V-12 reeds but have started using Gonzalez FOF 3.25 reeds on the Nova mpc. That is why he commented on the Vandoren reeds.
Here is Clark Fobes response to my questions:
Hi Richard,
Yes, the NOVA mpc has been available in 2 facings for about 5 years. I have made the NOVA for about 15 years? Initially, I only offered it in the CF+ facing (the same facing as my Debut mpc), but I had several band directors in Texas that wanted a more open mouthpiece similar to the VanDoren B45. I had the 3L facing in my repertoire, so I decided to offer the NOVA in that facing as well. If there is no marking on your mouthpiece then it is a CF+. For a time I was only marking the 3L mouthpieces so that I would know the difference, now I mark them all. I sell very few 3Ls compared to the CF+. However, the 3L is an excellent facing and works well on that blank.
I don't know what is up with Vandoren, but their reeds have been pretty bad recently, I think the new engraving of the logo affects the fibers and contributes to warpage. Gonzales is making very good reeds now!
Clark
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-01-10 17:22
rick77 wrote:
>
> I don't know what is up with Vandoren, but their reeds have
> been pretty bad recently, I think the new engraving of the logo
> affects the fibers and contributes to warpage. Gonzales is
> making very good reeds now!
>
Apparently, Clark didn't mention that he has his own line of reeds on his website. The quality of the cane is very good. I have to agree with him about the Vandorens I've bought within the past few months - fortunately I have some unopened boxes still around from before the new logo engravings came into use. When those run out I may be back to Clark myself for reeds. Another new (I think) contender is Rigotti Gold - at least I've only recently run across them. The cane Rigotti uses seems quite lively. So far my limited experience is that they run a little harder than V12 for a given numeric strength. To make finding the right strength a little more expensive, they come in half-strengths that are then separated into 3 degrees of stiffness (#3 light, #3 medium, #3 strong, #3-1/2 light, #3-1/2 medium, #3-1/2 strong, etc.). I haven't tried enough of them to know how consistent or accurate the grading system is. Both Muncy and WW&BW sell them. (I have no connection to Rigotti, which has produced cane for double reed players for a long time).
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Author: Chalumeauman
Date: 2014-09-30 05:44
I have the 3L facing version. The "3L" is VERY faint and near the base of the facing. I am hoping to learn the differences between the 2 facings and the best reed to use with the 3L.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2014-10-01 23:11
I think Vandoren's reed are just fine...I use grey box if it means anything. I usually get about 7 of them to work and a few may be too hard or even soft. \
David Dow
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