 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-18 19:10
I was looking at the Howarth's of London website and there the price for his AW,SW1 and SW2 personal mouthpieces were almost twice cheaper than his Kaspar mouthpieces. Then I asked them at Howarth if this was correct and they said that they spoke to him and he is no longer making AW,SW1 and SW2 so they are now clearing their stock. Is this true? They are still offered on his website and I believe that he came up with the SW2 only few months ago. He did not answer my last email sent about 2 months ago and that's why I'm asking you guys. This is really terrible as I don't like his Kaspar mouthpieces but his Personal series mouthpieces have been the best mouthpieces I've ever tried.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2007-01-18 21:36
I see nothing on Walter's site to indicate that he is no longer making them. He is usually very good about answering e-mails. You might want to try contacting him again.
Jeff
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Author: Mike Blinn
Date: 2007-01-19 02:05
I play a Grabner SW2 which I purchased from Walter a few years back, and I think it's a great all-around mouthpiece.
Mike Blinn
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-19 09:27
Mike Blinn SW2 hasn't been featured on his website for more than last 6 months at most and I've been checking his website for about 18 months
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Author: kenb
Date: 2007-01-19 10:13
Why not just give Mr G. a call ? His number's on the website...
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2007-01-19 16:03
Iceland, I agree. Just give him a call or send him an email. He might have some around his shop or even be willing to make one for you. He's very easy to talk to and very nice to work with.
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2007-01-19 16:55
I just looked at Walter's web site and the SW2 is there. I don't understand what the problem is.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-19 20:47
The problem is that they at Howarth told me that he is no longer making his personal serie mouthpiece and they are clearing their stock when I go to London this summer I will not be able to try different pieces of them(or even at all).
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-19 21:13
Ok I wrote him and got a reply from a different email address. He said that he did discontinued his personal series mouthpieces but then the demand for them were that much he decided to continue making them. If he will stop making them I will have a great problem selecting new mouthpieces since I've tried many and don't like anything else.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-20 22:42
hmmm I know what I want and I have tried the models I like and I can almost try all his models here in Iceland since I think about 80% of clarinet players professional and college/univeristy level students play his mouthpieces here and many of them previously played Bay mouthpieces including myself. But how can it be best to order directly when he reccomends V-12 reeds for all of his mouthpieces and I own his SW1 personal mouthpiece and think they work very badly for that mouthpiece because of the short lay it has(15-16mm). I've also tried many Zinner based mouthpieces and I have to say that I didn't like the V-12 reeds on them since I haven't find any Zinner based mouthpiece with longer lay than medium and that's about 19mm-20mm but I like V-12 reeds best on mouthpieces with 21-23mm long lay such as on they Bay mouthpieces like m-m and mo-l.
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Author: bufclar
Date: 2007-01-21 00:39
"But how can it be best to order directly when he reccomends V-12 reeds for all of his mouthpieces and I own his SW1 personal mouthpiece and think they work very badly for that mouthpiece because of the short lay it has(15-16mm"
I think Walter knows whats best for his mouthpieces. If he advises to use Vandoren V12s then they are most likely a good combination. I know for a fact that his Chicago model was designed for the V12 reed. I am almost positive that when he makes mouthpieces and play tests them as he is making them, he is using Vandoren V12's.
furthermore, If you don't like Vandoren V12's then don't use them but what does that have to do with ordering mouthpieces from him? Also, if you are already playing his mouthpiece and like it then why do you need to try more? Also, V12's as well as other reeds work on mouthpieces with different facing lengths.....it's just a matter of how far down the reed you balence and adjust it to fit the mouthpiece you are using. Also the mothpieces he sends to Howarths or wherever are the same as the mouthpieces he sends to individuals. There is nothing different about them so ordering from him should not be a problem.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-21 01:50
I didn't say I don't like V-12 reeds I only said that I don't like them on Zinner based mouthpieces since they don't have long facings that is 20mm and above. They work alright on 18mm facing but I don't get as many good reeds per box. I really like Gonzalez FOF on Zinner based mouthpieces with short to medium lay but I don't like Gonzalez FOF on long facing mouthpieces like Bay,Pillinger and so on but I really like V-12 on these mouthpieces. This has nothing and I say nothing to do with how they sound or the quality of the V-12 only how they respond on different lays. It's also interesting to point out that all of the Vandoren mouthpieces have long,medium long and only two models have medium short lays and this reeds were designed for their mouthpieces. For ME they sound to fluffy on medium short and short lays. Thank god that we have different reeds and mouthpieces for different players. When I change my preffered brand of reed or mouthpiece I do it on my own and my last two teachers have had nothing bad to say about it maybe that I sometimes tend to play on sligthly too heavy reeds.
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2007-01-21 21:32
This is what I e-mailed to Stefan, regarding the AW, SW1, and the SW2:
"At one time I had considered discontinuing these three mouthpieces and just concentrating on the Kaspar and Chicago style mouthpieces. (In fact, I did discontinue making the SW1 for awhile). As it turns out, there is still considerable demand for these mouthpieces, so brought back the SW1 and I continue to make all three and and sell them. The prices are quite a bit higher than I used to charge when Howarth first ordered them."
I do offer a fairly large number of models for soprano clarinet (Bb, A, and C). I might yet consolidate, and I might create some new models.
I am still learning and striving to make the best mouthpieces I can. The biggest challenge is to make a mouthpiece that is very dark bt still responds very quickly, AND tunes very well. As you all know, there is a requirement for both 440 and 442 mouthpieces, which also complicates things.
Regarding Vandoren V12 reeds, I will say that there are many good reed choices. However, many of the clarinetists and teacher I respect and work with use Vandoren V12', either 3 1/2's or 4's, so I make my mouthpiece as compatible as I can.
I do find that Gonzales, Mozart, and Legere reeds work well on many of my soprano clarinet models.
Walter Grabner
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
847-266-8644
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-01-21 23:44
Just so it's clear I love my Grabner mouthpieces and reccomend them to everyone. About 440 and 442 mouthpieces I find no problem playing 440 mouthpiece on 650mm barrel tuning to 442 and 442 mouthpiece 660mm barrel tuning 442.But I admit that it's a little bit hard to take very cold instrument playing 440 mouthpieces on 650 barrel and tune right at 442 when chance clarinets in orchestra but It's not a big problem.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2007-01-22 15:40
I play the Vandoren V-12 on my Grabner mouthpiece. They really work well together, so why not try the V-12? If you like your old reeds better, go back to them.
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2007-01-22 16:30
For what it's worth, I had a recent email exchange with Walter about reeds. He told me that he used Gonzales in the past but is currently using V12. He also mentioned that he listened to a recording of his from a few years ago and he was struck (ie, positive) by the quality of his sound with Gonzales reeds. I don't recall if Walter used regular cut Gonzales or FOF.
We've also spoken about Legere reeds. Walter told me that he thinks Legere is good. But, he perfers cane....especially, playing in concert halls. He said he notices a difference between cane and Legere at soft dynamic levels. Having said that, Walter then mentioned how Guy Legere came by recently with some different Legere reeds and Walter was very impressed with them. I asked Walter what they are....thinking that Guy might be testing a new prototype. But, no. Walter said they are the Legere Quebec reed. I was happy to hear that. I am a big fan of the Quebec -- very much prefer it to the regular Legere. I LOVE the sound of a Quebec on my Grabner K14 (especially with a Vandoren Klassik string ligature)! It's everything that Walter describes about his Kaspar-style mouthpieces on his web site: dark, warm, ringing, and projecting.
Roger
Post Edited (2007-01-22 16:32)
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