 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-05-19 18:57
Just a report (after 2 weeks of playing) on my new k-14 mouthpiece and barrel for my Leblanc LL. FANTASTIC!
I contacted Walter by e-mail and told him my setup and that I wanted a mouthpiece a little more resistive that would play cane or Legere reeds equally well. I play (2 years) a Leblanc LL, and a Fobes 4-L mouthpiece, 2.75-3.0 reeds, mostly light jazz. The 4-L is very free blowing, and is terrible with the Legere reeds. IMHO the LL plays slightly flat. I wanted a little more resitance.
Walter suggested the k-14 and I also ordered a 64mm synthetic barrel. He sent me 2 mouthpieces to try out. I was extremely happy with both and the barrel, and I ended up keeping both mouthpieces. The k-14 is easier to control for me (in comparison the the Fobes) and still had plenty of volume, with a less bright sound. Very nice ring for the higher notes and an over all smooth mellow tone. The combination (barrel and mouthpiece) is working great for me. Walter is very easy to deal with, and is non-pushy.
....Jim
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2006-05-20 01:41
Lay's Potato Chips used to have as their slogan, "Bet you can't eat just one."
Walter should update that for his mouthpieces, "Bet you can't keep just one." He knows what he's doing sending out two-at-a-time. Sly fox!
Best regards,
jnk
(who couldn't keep just one eefer mouthpiece)
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-05-20 15:05
Jack,
I wrote to Walter pretty much saying the same thing. He told me it has been a common occurence with the k series. They definitely did not play exactly the same, one was a little more free blowing than the other, and took a little more air support to make the higher notes ring with the legere reed. Other than that the tone was similar.
What was really nice was if I didn't like them I could return them and he did not charge me up front for the second mouthpiece. That is pretty trusting, and it is nice to deal with folks like that. There seem to be some really good techs and artists here who give a lot of their time. As a new player I feel pretty lucky.
Cheers,
Jim
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2006-10-19 22:37
Walter Grabner's mouthpieces are the best. Very powerful but you can also play really soft without loosing focus in your tone. His Lawrie Bloom bass mouthpiece is just terrific heard my teacher playing in the piano concert by Penderecki with the Icelandic symphony orchestra www.sinfonia.is last month with Penderecki conducting. This piece has great bass solos and he could make such terrific change's in the color of the tone and you always hear the ring in the tone even playing ppp or fff. It's way far the best bass mouthpiece he has made and I have never heard my teacher sound that good in the cinema hall which has horribel acoustic(like singers sound as they have a cotton in their mouth). But fortunatly we will have new big concert hall here in Reykjavik in 2009-10 http://www.tonlistarhusid.is/
PS:Icelandic Symphony Orchestra Clarinet section uses all Walter Grabner mouthpieces
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Author: bufclar
Date: 2006-10-19 23:07
Seafaris Wrote
"The k-14 is easier to control for me (in comparison the the Fobes)
I just thought I would mention that this observation of control is most likely because the 4L mouthpiece has a longer lay than the Grabner and thus needs harder reeds and more mouthpiece in the mouth to control the sound(I'm amazed you used such soft reeds on that mouthpiece!). I don't know if you happened to ever record yourself on the Fobes but while the sound may be "bright" up close it's surprising how different the sound is out in the hall. The same holds true for the Grabners. "Dark" and melow up close might be dull and unclear out in the hall. Congrats on your new setup and I agree Walter is a terrific guy and very skilled.
Happy Clarineting.
Post Edited (2006-10-20 00:02)
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2006-10-20 02:39
Jim,
I, too, recently became a fan of the K14. I was so impressed with the Grabner LB mouthpiece on bass clarinet that I figured I might as well try a Grabner on Bb soprano clarinet. So, I contacted Walter and described my background, primary musical styles, equipment, and my tonal conception. Importantly, I told Walter that I was looking for a mouthpiece that is especially good with a #3 Legere Quebec reed. Walter suggested the K14. After Walter received my payment he sent an email that said "Oh Roger have I got a mouthpiece for YOU!".
When the mouthpiece arrived I wasn't sure about it at first as it had a different feeling than what I was used to. However, it quickly grew on me. One of my first impressions was how beautifully Quebec reeds work on the K14. Several issues I had with Legere on my set up immediately disappeared with the K14. I found the K14 and LB mouthpieces to be similar in how response and tone are remarkably consistant throughout the clarinet's range with an especially strong clarion. After about a week of getting used to the mouthpiece -- and getting two performances under my belt -- I felt completely at home with it. I find the K14 to be an extraordinary mouthpiece in its tonal qualities, response, and projection. It feels like a perfect match for me. I continue to be equally happy with the LB on bass.
Roger
Post Edited (2006-10-20 11:53)
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Author: winstondawg
Date: 2006-10-20 15:24
"Walter should update that for his mouthpieces, "Bet you can't keep just one." He knows what he's doing sending out two-at-a-time. Sly fox!"
Just want to mention that I recently expressed an interest in BOTH Walter's wooden mouthpiece (cocobolo) and custom barrel. Walter told me that, unless my stock barrel is giving me problems, I need not order another barrel. Goes to show that Walter isn't just looking after himself.
P.S. I'm probably still going to order that barrel ... maybe not now, but later.
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-10-22 00:29
A little up-date. I purchased a Leblanc Dynamic H two months ago. It has a slightly larger bore than the LL. I have been using the Fobes 4L most of the time with 2.5 to 3 vandorens and #3.0 legeres. The Grabner mouthpiece is still a favorite, a little less bright and more focused, but that Fobes 4L with the Dynamic H works great. I am also using a Clarinet Concepts barrel.
...Jim
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2006-10-22 02:38
Seafaris,
Just curious, have you tried Legere Quebec reeds on your Grabner...or only the regular cut?
Roger
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-10-22 15:18
Just the regular cut. I alternate between 2.75 and 3.0 reeds. Lately I have been playing cane reeds for part of my practice. The only reason for that is that the cane seems to be a little easier on my lower lip and I can play longer. I still prefer the Legere reeds fo what I play. They are just more consistant and less problamatic.
...Jim
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2006-10-22 16:45
Jim,
I cannot help but think if you give a #3 Legere Quebec a try you might be wonderfully surprised. When I first started trying Legere clarinet reeds last year I started with the regular cut. As my chops became accustomed to Legere and I worked back up to a #3 I then tried the Quebec version and I was immedately impressed with it's beautiful darker tonal qualities, "thicker" tonal core, and singing sound. If you have an oppurtunity to try one please let me know what you think of it. One of my buddies on the SOTW Forum is of the opinion a #3 Quebec is along similar lines as a #3 FOF.
Best Regards, Roger
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-10-22 18:09
Hi Roger,
I will get some ordered and give them a shot. A little darker sound on the Fobes 4L would be nice. Does the Quebec Cut play in the same strength as the regular cut?
Thanks,
Jim
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2006-10-22 18:28
Jim,
Strength is pretty much the same. Just now I got out several regular Legere reeds and played them side-by-side with Quebecs. It's been a while since I had last played a regular Legere. For me, there is no comparison in how much more of a beautiful sound the Quebec has. For whatever reason the thicker cut of the Legere Quebec really does it for me.
I've been curious how Legere reeds work on Fobes pieces. How would you compare Legere on Fobes versus Grabner in your experience? It sounds like you really like your Fobes 4L. As I mentioned on another thread, one of the reasons why I started using Grabner mouthpieces is that I'm very impressed with how Legere reeds play on them.
Also today I dug out a plastic Yamaha clarinet that I had purchased earlier this year for playing hot summer outdoor gigs. But, I could never get a quality of sound that I cared for on it. So, the Yamaha has been gathering dust in the closet. I tried the Grabner K14 on it and, lo and behold, the Yahama's sound started to unfold....after all of these months.
Roger
Post Edited (2006-10-22 20:28)
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-10-23 04:39
Hi Roger,
I was playing the Legeres on my LL and K14 mouthpiece and was very impressed. They didn't sound as rich on the LL using the Fobes 4L. When I got the Dynamic H I tried the Legeres again and they sounded a lot better on the Fobes 4L than on the LL. I was very surprised. I don't know if something changed in the volume of air I was blowing or what. Then I started going back and forth bewtween the two mouthpieces. The main difference was that the k14 was a little more focused and darker which I attributed to being slightly more resistive. The 4L had more volumn and is freeer blowing. Last week I tried two brand new Legere reeds. The 2.75 did play a lot better on the k14, but the new 3.0 Legere still played very well on the 4L. I think the main difference is that I need strength on the 3.0 for the 4L. The k14 seems to be more versitile, but with all that said I do like the sound I am getting (at this time) with the 4L. I guess that is why I have two of everything! :-) I do like having options and I feel at this time I have a pretty good setup.
...Jim
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2006-10-23 11:05
Thanks!
I think it comes down to how a mouthpiece, reed, and lig set up interacts with a particular clarinet and barrel. With that in mind, it's my personal opinion that it's problematic when many of us talk about mouthpieces in a way that doesn't take the rest of our equipment into account....like when there are messages about a such-and-such mouthpiece being the "best".
For example, I've come to absolutely love the K14 and a #3 Quebec on my restored 1960 Couesnon Monopole. Response and projection are excellent and I'd describe the sound as dark, warm, sweet, and BIG. For me, the K14 has just the right amount of resistance. It's level of projection is amazing. Being heard in a big band is no longer a struggle with the K14. However, I'm NOT happy with the K14 on my Patricula C clarinet...and the Patricula is designed for Bb mouthpieces. Whereas, I get absolutely great results with a Morgan RM10 on the C. The RM10 doesn't sound bad on my Couesnon by any means. But, it feels to me that the K14 is the better match for that instrument. I've had similar experiences in matching particular mouthpieces to various other Bb clarinets.
So, I do think that it's all relative.
It sounds like you have a great set up. Enjoy!
Roger
Post Edited (2006-10-23 11:18)
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