 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kurt
Date: 1999-11-21 20:59
I have a B Portnoy mouthpiece (BP1) and was wondering if anyone was familiar with the brand or manufacturer. Don't think I actually like it but was wondering how it compares with other mfg's such as Vandoren.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-11-21 21:11
It may be that this particular model doesn't have the right tip opening and/or lay for you, your embouchure, and reed. I don't really know anything about this particular mouthpiece other than that they have a good reputation. However if it isn't working for you, that is the key point.
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Author: Kontragirl
Date: 1999-11-21 21:54
When I was trying out mouthpiece about a month ago, I tryed the Portnoy. I really liked the feel of it, but that's all the good I have to say about it.
Just my worthless opinion,
Kontragirl
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Author: ted
Date: 1999-11-21 23:30
I have a Portlny BP02 which compares closely to my Vandoren B45. I have a prefernce for the Portnoy, but I'm more familiar with it too.
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Author: John Scorgie
Date: 1999-11-22 01:15
Kurt --
One way to judge the quality of the Portnoy mouthpieces is to note that they were introduced over 30 years ago and are still selling well.
In case you are not aware (makes me feel ancient to realize that many of today's younger clarinetists do not know who B. Portnoy is) Bernard Portnoy was one of the very finest American clarinetists years ago. He was reputedly Stokowski's favorite clarinetist, and is featured on many of Stokowski's classic 50s recordings, such as Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun. I read somewhere (probably on this website) that he is alive and well, retired in California. A true artist and a fine gentleman.
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Author: Joseph Brenner, Jr.
Date: 1999-11-22 02:40
FYI: Portnoy is a student of Daniel Bonade. When Hans Moennig became dissatisfied with the quality of clarinets he was receiving from Buffet Crampon et cie, he dispatched Portnoy to Mantes, France, to read Buffet the riot act--"Either stop your fooling around with barrel and bore dimensions or I start buying from somebody else!" I saw Portnoy in the lounge at the Opryland Hotel here in Nashville about 15 years ago during a convention. I bought a Portnoy in 1964 and liked it better than the Bonade I'd been using.
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Author: JennyA
Date: 1999-11-22 09:47
I have a Portnoy BP02. I got it in high school at my teacher's recommendation. I still play it and like it better than a different mouthpiece I bought three years ago.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-11-22 18:09
My tutor was also a student of Daniel Bonade. From what I can tell, Bonade had a lot of students through the years. Basically, if you were a pro (classic style mainly) during Bonade's era a few decades ago, chances were good that you were at one time or another a Bonade student. Nothing at all bad with that, for it also is a sign of being one of the folks who had (and still have) the "right stuff" for clarinet performance. The only problem is that many of Bonade's students are retired now. If you can get one of his students as your private instructor as I have, you are in for a real treat - a wealth of clarinet knowledge and a whole lot more.
I used to have a phrase for the few exquisite engineers that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. I believe that it could easily apply to Bonade's students, even if they are fully retired from music. The phrase is "damned expensive...and worth every penny".
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Author: Mike
Date: 1999-11-22 18:22
I tried a couple of Portnoy mouthpieces, but I settled on a Robert Marcellus. The Portnoy was real stable, but I liked the sound of the Marcellus better. I tested them using a Rovner ligature. I tried two or three each of different kinds of mouthpiece. I was surprised to find significant differences even between instances of the same model.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2000-11-16 01:26
Someone must have found a box of old "New" Portnoy BPO2 mouthpieces. They are on eBay. Have seen three up for bid, bought one. One comes up later this month. Will let you know how I like it when I get it.
Bob A
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2000-11-16 01:28
Someone must have found a box of old "New" Portnoy BPO2 mouthpieces. They are on eBay. Have seen three up for bid, bought one. One comes up later this month. Will let you know how I like it when I get it.
Bob A
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2022-08-12 02:45
Anyone still plays Portnoy or Bonade mouthpieces up today? Let me know.. I guess they're all tuned at 440hz as they're American? I got the Portnoy non-inverted ligature and It became one of my favourites. By looking at It, you think the response must be heavy, but It's not actually! Very impressive ligature! I wonder how the brass inverted one would play..
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2022-08-12 18:26
I used his #2 that he helped me pick out from a shipment he had recently received while I was in college and used it for about a year. It's a very decent MP but like all, it's individual to the player.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: donald
Date: 2022-08-14 02:09
I just sold an "old new stock" BP3 for $50 to the student of a friend. She LOVES it, but prior to that was playing a plastic stock buffet and I suspect she went for the BP3 over some of the others I had because the price was so low...
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2022-08-14 16:40
Hi All,
I still play the Portnoy BP02 that I got in the early 1970s. It is still a fine mouthpiece with a large voice. There have been three versions of the MP. Check out this blurb from Roman Wodkowski. I have several BP02s and they do vary quite a bit.
https://ramonwodkowski.blog/2012/09/23/portnoy-clarinet-mouthpieces/
I also have some Portnoy ligatures which are very nice. Interestingly, many moons ago, I had an email exchange with Portnoy and I asked him about his ligature. I wished I had saved the message as he said something like "don't bother to get one. Get a Bonade; it's even better than mine..."
HRL
PS I still have the Luyben ligature I used back then.
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2022-08-14 17:53
I studied with Mr. Portnoy when they were first being sold in the 50's. Whoever tried them, loved them. Player friends and teachers would have me pick up a few every lesson. I handed Mr. Portnoy $15 cash for each I took back home.
Any old mouthpiece that has been played a lot, probably isn't in it's original condition now.
Post Edited (2022-08-14 17:56)
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2022-08-15 22:46
Hank, I have the non-inverted Portnoy ligature(nickel). Do you have the inverted(brass) one as well? If you do, can you describe the sound and feel differences between the two?
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Author: allencole
Date: 2022-08-18 05:30
I'm on my second BP02. Was turned on to it by sax players in a big band. Compared to Vandorens & Hites I've played in the past, it has a clear, effortless throat register really helps me to relax when playing conversationally into a microphone. Plus, it's done a great job in every classical application I've put it to.
Allen Cole
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2022-08-18 16:12
Hi Jimis4klar,
Yes, I have both but don't sense any difference in sound. The reed response seems better with the non-inverted Bonade. But this may be more related to the fact that it is easier to center the reed on the MP.
Hank
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Author: Ed
Date: 2022-08-18 16:55
Quote:
Yes, I have both but don't sense any difference in sound. The reed response seems better with the non-inverted Bonade. But this may be more related to the fact that it is easier to center the reed on the MP.
I have found the same with Bonades
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