 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2007-08-22 06:48
Hello
I'm asking this for someone. He has a Linton contrabass clarinet (probably made by Orsi). He is looking for reeds that will match the mouthpiece. He said the reeds everyone offered to sell to him so far are about 17.5mm wide which will fall through the mouthpiece, and it needs wider reeds closer to 24mm.
One person checked Rico contrabass reeds and they are not wide enough. Does anyone know what is the width for Vandoren contrabass clarinet reeds or any other reed company that has wider reeds for contrabass?
Thanks.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-08-22 09:57
24mm? That's wide!
Vandoren bari sax reeds are just under 19mm wide at the tip, and I think their contra reeds are probably the same width.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-08-22 11:31
There's a Linton contra, or maybe two, with a mouthpiece the size of a football, that's being sold back and forth on eBay every few months, probably because nobody can find a reed for it.
The widest reeds I know of are the Vandorens marked Contrabass Clarinet, with a drawing of a Leblanc paperclip BBb contra on the box, but even they may not be wide enough. The only solution may to be carve one from tube cane.
Another solution could be to find an old Leblanc BBb mouthpiece and try to fit it to the Linton.
Ken Shaw
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-08-22 11:48
> The only solution may to be carve one from tube cane.
A 25mm reed requires a monster of a cane... Arundo donax var. godzilla anyone?
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-08-22 11:57
Vandoren contrabass mouthpieces have a narrow slot and are suited to the 19mm wide reeds.
The only reeds that are wider than 19mm are possibly Vandoren bass sax reeds, though I'm not sure just how wide they are. I don't know about Rico bass sax reeds.
Leblanc contras (EEb and BBb) have the same bore and mouthpiece.
Though you could always lift up a floorboard if you're really stuck!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-08-22 22:16
Chris -
The outside of current Leblanc Eb and BBb contra mouthpieces are identical, including the rails, and they take the same (Eb contra) reeds. However, the baffle, throat and inside and outside diameter of the tenon are very different.
The early Leblanc BBb mouthpieces were several mm. wider and needed wider reeds -- the Vandoren BBb contra reeds, which don't fit the current Leblanc (or Selmer) contra mouthpieces. A Leblanc rep told me they reduced the size because of complaints that the larger mouthpieces and reeds were too big for women to play.
It's a pity, since the narrow mouthpiece doesn't work well on the low notes of the BBb contra. You can't hear the pitch. I have a wide Leblanc mouthpiece for my paperclip BBb, and it's considerably better than the narrow Selmer (both reworked by Kalmen Opperman).
Ken Shaw
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-08-22 22:57
bari sax reeds work for the linton contra, though sometimes the seal isn't quite right
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-08-22 22:58
I tried a Vandoren contra mouthpiece on a Vito EEb contra which made a much better quality sound than the stock Vito one, and was much easier to get on with - the owner of this (Vandoren) mouthpiece uses it with his Leblanc paperclip BBb contra.
I'm surprised the BBb and EEb mouthpieces are different for the Leblancs as they both have the same bore.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-08-23 00:32
Chris -
The Leblanc Eb and BBb contras do NOT have the same bore. The BBb bore is considerably larger. The Eb mouthpiece tenon will rattle around in a BBb instrument, and the BBb mouthpiece tenon is far too big to fit into the Eb socket.
The mouthpieces are identical outside, but have very different innards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2007-08-23 10:07
vandoren contra reeds
i measured 18 mm at the heel and 20mm at the tip of several reeds i measured.
gr
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-08-23 11:44
Ken,
The paperclip Leblanc EEb and BBb contras owned by two local players both have the same bore, mouthpiece socket and use the same mouthpiece.
So maybe things have changed since these were built.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2007-08-24 21:16
I have played all 4 versions of Leblanc metal contras, and the plastic Vito Bb and Eb contras, all sharing the same mouthpiece.
I do agree that Leblanc used to make mouthpieces with larger-outer dimensions, but don't think it ever changed the tenon size.
Another way to play that Bb Orsi contra is have someone make an mouthpiece adapter so smaller mouthpieces (i.e. Leblanc-sized) can be used on it.
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Author: nahoj
Date: 2007-08-24 22:10
I use a Selmer C* contra Eb mouthpiece (I don't know how old it is). Selmer has different mouthpieces for Eb and Bb contra's but I'm not sure if they're interchangeable. Their Bb and Eb instruments for sure have a different bore, which is also different from the Leblanc contra bore (identical for all Leblanc contra's: about 30mm).
I use my Selmer mouthpiece on a Leblanc Eb paperclip (it fits, so no adapter or anything else needed) with Vandoren contra reeds (nr 2). The size of the reeds match the mouthpiece very good (tip width is about 20mm).
I'll try the mouthpiece also on a Leblanc contra Bb soon. I hope it works just as good for me as on the Eb contra :-)
The old Leblanc mouthpieces, how wide were they? Does anyone know?
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