 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinet60
Date: 2008-07-23 17:33
I've got a wonderful old Buffet Chedeville mouthpiece - (logo below the three lines so it's quite old) which plays wonderfully, except that is about 20 cents sharp across the board. I've got many other old Cheds that do not exhibit the same characteristics. I've tried using a longer barrel (Moennig w/R13) and pulling out but it still doesn't seem to bring down the pitch enough. Is there something that can be done to correct this mouthpiece, or should I just pack it away?
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2008-07-23 18:04
It's an unfinished or under-finshed mouthpiece both inside and out. The inner dimensions are too small hence the overall volume of air too little resulting in a higher pitch. The other possibility is that is too short but that is only rarely the case.
Gregory Smith
http://www.gregory-smith.com
New model, new barrel.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-07-23 21:10
I guess the converse is also true, an overly large interior volume can make your mouthpiece irretrievabley flat. Perhaps some mouthpiece makers that sell the idea of a "dark sound" have led us down the path of poor intonation for the sake of selling their product.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2008-07-23 21:38
First of all, Greg's answer is correct.
Secondly, yes, too large of a chamber will cause flatness, even while promoting a "big sound". The flatness will be heard mostly in the throat tones.
BTW - None of our excellent group of mouthpiece craftsmen - Greg, Richard, Mike, Dave, Brad, Roger, etc - would ever do such a thing. Ever.
Walter
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-07-23 23:49
"Is there something that can be done to correct this mouthpiece, or should I just pack it away?"
Yes, there are methods of getting good pitch with this mouthpiece, but it will change the response and tone. For better or worse, it will not play the same anymore.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-07-24 10:43
If it were mine I would have one of the named custom makers take a look at it and give you their opinion about fixes and possible consequences - I feel certain that they would do this gratis. Unfortunately Chedeville sold many blanks to many different manufacturers during their reign but ultimately many were never finished to their true potential. The rubber formulation over time too was variable but some were of excellent quality with the common seller's name ultimately stamped on it - a diamond in the rough! What we get is a mouthpiece that has a beautiful tone because of the rubber and the original blank configuration but without the needed finishing steps that would make the intonation correct and exploit the true possibilities. Fixing these old semi-finished mouthpieces is therefore a crap shoot but has the potential to produce a great mouthpiece. Unfortunately until totally finished we cannot know what the end playing characteristics will be.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: Bill
Date: 2008-07-24 11:03
Mine (3 lines down, logo on bottom) is still a TINY bit sharp even on my vintage clarinets. It was fully (elaborately!) refaced.
I assume the throat opening on this is very narrow (not that that means anything or contributes to tuning or whatever .... I'm just curious; mine has an extremely narrow throat opening). I have another (3 lines down, Buffet on bottom) with the "Evettine" stamp that is not as narrow at the throat.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
Post Edited (2008-07-24 14:42)
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2008-07-25 01:58
Buffet mouthpieces 'one line up and three lines down, logo on bottom' are excellent Chedeville blanks. Some of these mouthpieces (A- facing) have very small chamber (narrow side walls, very high baffle etc.) It's not that valuable but can often be refaced into a great player.
Vytas Krass
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Professional clarinet technician
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: Bill
Date: 2008-07-25 02:31
I just acquired another "bottom logo" hard rubber Buffet that has not yet arrived to me. I'm curious to see the details on this one. So far I have seen two types: 1 line up/1 down, and 1 up/3 down. Vytas refaced both of mine. They are among my absolute favorite pieces.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Keith P
Date: 2008-07-25 11:11
Have you tried a tuning ring on the top of your barrel to essentially make the mouthpiece "longer"?
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Author: clarinet60
Date: 2008-07-25 14:18
Yes, I've tried tuning rings and a longer barrel, but it doesn't seem to bring the pitch down quite enough. I'm going to send it to a refinisher to see what can be done. It's got wonderful response, easy to control, a nice centered sound.
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