 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TianL
Date: 2009-12-20 04:10
Hello all,
Recently there have been so much discussions related to reeds, and not much about mouthpieces
Okay I admit that there have been so much talking about mouthpieces in the past, but I think, instead of randomly saying good and bad things about each brand, wouldn't it be helpful for others if everyone could just say what is the mouthpiece you currently use as the primary mouthpiece and why.
I understand that the same mouthpieces could act differently for each of us, but a list of primary-used mouthpiece will at least provide some useful information.
Let's just give the primary mouthpiece (or maybe one backup), in order to keep the information concise.
So I'll start: right now I use a Hawkins R. It has a good tone, stable feel, good articulation especially in high registers, and it is very reed friendly.
Post Edited (2009-12-20 04:39)
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Author: Mary Jo
Date: 2009-12-20 10:49
I use a Brilhart 2# Tonalin for my Selmers and a Morgan for my 444N. These matches make playing fun and effortless with LaVoz M reeds. It's all about jazz.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-12-20 12:43
Hi,
A VD B45 with a chip in the tip. I got it with a $25 clarinet (that plays perfectly in tune).
HRL
PS Excuse me but there are lots of threads on MPs.
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Author: William
Date: 2009-12-20 15:18
"One mo' time........."
Eb Clar: Selmer HS** (Bay custom, back-up)
A & Bb Clarinet: Chicago Kaspar #14 (Ithica Bay, back-up)
Bass Clar: Grabner CX_BS (Pomarico Jazz #1, back-up)
Soprano Sax: Joe Annello (Milwaukee)
Alto Sax: Hollywood Gregory (Selmer metal Jazz C*, back-up)
Tenor Sax: Guardala "Studio" metal
Bari Sax: Rousseau "Jazz"
Thanks for not mentioning ligatures..............:>)
Post Edited (2009-12-21 14:15)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-12-20 16:46
Tom Ridenour, Zinner based mouthpiece. Great mouthpiece for tone, articulation, and ease of playing. And it has great flexibility to play different styles. Great for everything from Dixie to Chamber Ensemble. Not that I'm any good technique-wise at everything, but it can produce the sound I want, when I want it. That's all I need.
Alexi
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-12-20 16:58
Bb/A - As I've written many times before I still play on the same 35 year old Vandoren crystal mouthpiece, selected from more than 20 samples. I have 3 additional good ones as spares, just in case ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Lately I've been spending lots of time getting used to 2 new Robert Borbeck
mouthpieces which he recently made for me, copying the facing of my 1970 Borbeck. They play effortlessly (very important as I'm getting older) and the sound has lots of color and clarity. I'm hoping to finally have enough confidence to give the Borbeck mouthpiece its debut in an orchestra concert in February.
Eb - Ralph Morgan
C - Ralph Morgan C clarinet mouthpiece
Alto sax - Link hard rubber
Tenor sax - Link metal
...GBK
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Author: TianL
Date: 2009-12-20 18:37
GBK, is there something you feel in the crystal material that the hard rubber lacks?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-12-20 18:50
TianL wrote:
> GBK, is there something you feel in the crystal material that
> the hard rubber lacks?
I think that if you get a "live one", since many crystal mouthpieces tend to play stuffy, you get all the benefits of projection, nice color, flexibility and response with a mouthpiece which should last a lifetime.
...GBK
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Author: Eddydavik
Date: 2009-12-20 20:40
I'm using a V M13 right now, with a Clark Fobes (same cut as the M13... have had since high school) as a spare. Not the easiest of mouthpieces to tame, but projects really well on all registers.
Edward Escobar
Suita City Wind Ensemble
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Author: Molloy
Date: 2009-12-20 21:18
Lomax (wood) on my Penzel Mueller Bb
Pomarico Nigun on my Fox BP (Bohlen-Pierce)
Different clarinets want different mouthpieces. If I put the Nigun on the PM it's too bright. If I put the Lomax on the Fox there's not enough consistency of tone between the registers.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2009-12-20 22:05
Wow, GBK. I have an old 1970s Borbeck (3 lines down) and I _cannot_ get it to play nicely for me. It's an "11" and really resistant. No reed seems right for it. I never use it.
Then again, I felt the same way about all the Vandoren crystals I had (I tried/owned about 5) ... very resistant.
Right now the "best" MP I have is something I got for $25 that says "FRANCE" on left shoulder and "3" on the right. I'm told it's a 1930s Ched.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-12-20 22:15
Bill wrote:
> Wow, GBK. I have an old 1970s Borbeck (3 lines down) and I
> _cannot_ get it to play nicely for me. It's an "11" and really
> resistant. No reed seems right for it. I never use it.
As Robert Borbeck told me, the mouthpieces which he provides to the mass retailers (WW/BW, Weiner, etc...) have far less finishing work than the ones which he makes for individual orders.
Others have also told me, that to get a "real good" Borbeck, you have to order it from the man directly.
> Then again, I felt the same way about all the Vandoren crystals
> I had (I tried/owned about 5) ... very resistant.
I chose my primary out of more than 20. But it was worth the search.
BTW - I recently picked up one from a mouthpiece dealer in Spain (I had to twist his arm to sell it) that rivals my primary one.
...GBK
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Author: Pilot
Date: 2009-12-20 23:24
Bb/A - Charles Chedeville
It has good intonation and produces a richer tone compared to the ones I used before, although it was faced for me by my teacher.
No back up mouthpiece for now.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-12-20 23:41
Eddydavik wrote:
> Not the
> easiest of mouthpieces to tame, but projects really well on all
> registers.
>
Which? The Vandoren or the Fobes?
Karl
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-12-21 00:15
I pulled out the cigar box of mouthpieces a few weeks ago. Started cleaning them up. The Vandoren 5RV Lyre played pretty well. So did the Woodwind G8.
Put back on the one I have been playing for the last 20 years, and it stunk.
Kept cleaning and trying - they all played better than what I had been using.
So, today I played a wedding on the 5RV Lyre with bass & keyboard. It went just fine, although I had to pull way, way out.
Bonade inverted, that I ground down with my Dremel, so it closes at the correct height on old mouthpiece.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2009-12-21 01:14
Bb/A -- Ralph Morgan RM-06 (also works well for C clarinet).
Bass Clarinet -- Roger Garrett/Zinner
Post Edited (2009-12-22 12:44)
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2009-12-21 01:39
Richard Hawkins "B" model.
Re-started playing with a Blayman H, that I bought in 1978. Couldn't hit high clarion or altissimo. Felt stopped up.
Tried Vandoren M13 Lyre (very nice) and M15 (not really all that much better).
Hawkins felt great right away. Easy blowing in all registers, great intonation and great focus.
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Author: TianL
Date: 2009-12-21 05:00
Just for reference, my previous teacher just switched to a Brad Behn Vintage, I think facing C. He plays it on a Buffet Festival. His clarinet has a very very nice tone and when he switched the mouthpiece, it didn't sound that much different, but he said he gets much better projection in concert hall.
My current teacher plays a Chris Hill mpc. He also has a million Zinner blank ones of different brands (whole bunch of Hawkins, Grabner, etc). He said the Zinners lack something that he couldn't describe. He also said that the Zinners give some kind of delusion to the players: if he switches from the Chris Hill to a Zinner, he sounds fine, but if he switches from a Zinner to Chris Hill, he can't control it at all. Pretty interesting to me, but I still play on a Zinner
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Author: ShazamaPajama
Date: 2009-12-21 05:16
Vandoren M13.
it has a very sweet tone. i would recommend something a little more open at the tip though.
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2009-12-21 06:19
For Bb/A I just made the switch to a Clark Fobes CF+. I played on a Grabner K11 for about 2 years and loved it, but case across this wonderful mouthpiece because of projection, total clarity, tone, and intonation. It's more of what I want to sound like compared to the Grabner that I was using. Don't get me wrong, the Grabner mouthpieces are amazing! However, the Fobes gives me what I'm looking for. And, I can tune on it much easier than the Grabner one.
For Eb I also just recently switched to a Greg Smith since well, I'm not trying to sound like a TV ad, but man do you guys have to try these. You can't get any better than this. Tried the Hawkins and although I liked it, it didn't suit my horn at all, way too flat with my barrel etc. Greg Smith's I can control the intonation fairly well, the tone is as Eb as you can want it to be, and it's just easier to flex tuning and all that jazz.
For Bass clarinet I bought a brand new Vandoren B44 that is just amazing, and I got a killer deal on it. Furthermore, this mouthpiece just has everything you can want for a Bass clarinet. Free blowing but controllable in all registers.
Tenor sax I use an Ottolink metal. But, have been looking for a new one, however I haven't really played my sax for a while.
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Author: Eddydavik
Date: 2009-12-21 09:09
>Which? The Vandoren or the Fobes?
>
>Karl
Both seem to be made from a similar design, but the Vandoren more so than the Fobes.
Edward Escobar
Suita City Wind Ensemble
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Author: TPeterson
Date: 2009-12-21 09:58
For my Bb & A (older, well-matched Yamaha 72's with Buffet Moennig barrels) I currently play on a Vandoren M30 with BG super revelation ligature with V12 3.5 reeds. For me, the series 13 was quite flat on my A clarinet, so I went with the regular. I'm basically happy with the sound and response of this combination, though I'm beginning to suspect the lay of the M30 is perhaps a little longer than I would like for comfort. Some day in the not-too-distant future when I'm fairly certain that the little nitpicky playing issues I have are not me-- I'll consider making an appointment with Gregory Smith. Until then, I'll just be happy playing and practicing! When I play Eb (not often) I use a Hite mouthpiece with BG ligature. Does anyone have recommendations for custom Bb/A mouthpieces that might feel similar to the M30?
Tim Peterson
Band Director & Clarinetist
Ionia, MI
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2009-12-21 10:04
Soprano clarinet - Ralph Morgan RM15
Alto Clarinet - J+D Hite
Bass Clarinet - Grabner CX BB PERS
Soprano sax - Ralph Morgan Vintage
Alto Sax - Ralph Morgan 6L
Tenor Sax - Phil Barone V7*
Bari Sax - Vandoren B75 modified by Erik Greiffenhagen to Double Chamber
Chris
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Author: Wicked Good ★2017
Date: 2009-12-21 13:18
Eb clarinet - Vandoren 5RV
C/Bb/A clarinet - Greg Smith C1+ and K
Alto clarinet - Vito France
Bass clarinet - Ridenour (modified by David Spiegelthal)
Soprano sax - Selmer metal classical
Alto sax - Meyer 5 (modified by Theo Wanne), Selmer C* S80
C Melody sax - Bill Street 5+ tenor
Tenor sax - Otto Link metal Super Tone Master 7
Bari sax - Berg Larsen 110/1
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-12-21 21:23
I've changed a good bit and there are some of my second mouthpieces that I use for certain pieces/ effects but here are the ones I use right now most of the time:
Eefer- Greg Smith
Bb- Clark Fobes CF
Alto and basset horn- Lomax #3
Bass- Clark Fobes San Francisco
Contra alto- Walter Grabner
I like my sound to have a PING and these all have that quality, coupled with ease of response and full sound.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-12-21 22:04
Bb/A - Eddie Daniels ED1. Nice resonant sound and very easy to play on.
Eb - Yamaha 4C. I bought it because it was inexpensive, but it's a surprisingly good mouthpiece--enough that I don't care to replace it with something fancier.
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Author: senior
Date: 2009-12-22 09:28
Vytas Krass Cicero K-05 With a BG super silver revelation ligature.
After what seemed like an endless number of mouthpieces that I have tried, this piece gave me the tone, intonation and ease of playing that I was looking for. My GAS attacks for the clarinet mouthpiece that was right for me has stopped.
On my Alto Sax I use a E. Rousseau Jazz model JDX 7 With a Vandoren Optimum lig.
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Author: thomas.b
Date: 2009-12-22 13:38
German clarinet: Viotto G3
Boehm: Viotto G3
Buffet Bass: Pomarico 2
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Author: catkeel
Date: 2009-12-22 14:17
The only horn I have is a Ritenour RT147. My community band mates always complained it was flat. A new barrel costs more than the horn so that was out. I tried several MPs with no joy until a Ritenour Envoy put it a couple cents low and a Rovner Lig put it right on.You just have to find the right combination. Now I`m afraid to think about other MPs cuz the horn might not like it.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-12-22 16:02
Bb/A - Ralph Morgan, one of his originals
Bass - Selmer C* voiced by David McClune
Eb - Selmer C**, from the 60s
ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2009-12-22 16:03)
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-12-22 18:31
I play on my own refaced mouthpieces. Buffet on soprano and Penzel on Bass. With the expense of mouthpieces I wonder why everyone doesn't learn refacing....I'm thinking it's easier than making a good oboe reed. In any case you cater to your own tastes in this process.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-12-22 20:03
Even if everyone learned to face their own mouthpieces, there's much more to the sound and response than the facing curve.
Karl
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Author: Lee
Date: 2009-12-22 20:26
Charles Bay Nuance mouthpiece with a Larry Combs LC3 as backup.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2009-12-23 10:34
Bb: B45 dot (mainly for the whackin' great dynamic range)
Bass: B40 (chosen on tone and articulation)
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Author: salzo
Date: 2009-12-23 12:00
Bb- gigliotti P(older) or M13
Eb- Vandoren 2RV
Bass- Selmer C*
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Author: kilo
Date: 2009-12-23 13:11
Bb clarinet - Grabner K13
Tenor Sax - Berg Larson/Doc Tenney metal 108/0/M
Bari Sax - Berg Larson HR 105/1/M
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2009-12-23 14:40
Vandoren M15 13 series mouthpiece..41/2 V12 reeds
backup Hite D facings. It seems alot of orchestral players are onto the M15s, they are responsive and have a nice deep sound. Not too fussy with reeds as well.
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2009-12-23 18:31
I'm on an M15 too with V16 4 reeds.
Tenor- Metal Link 8
Alto- Meyer 7
Sop- Super Session
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-12-24 00:43
Responding to Karl, I used the term "reface" to include working on the baffle and rails. I usually pick a mouthpiece with some potential for me. ie Something(brand) that worked in the past. The blank is usually just a very close mouthpiece. I experiment with the facing and slow down when it starts to show potential. I'll adjust the facing length, tip rail, and baffle to tweak it. The numbers will vary and I just go with it. This is subjective business and I end up suiting myself. I let the mouthpiece sit and retest later to see if my assessment has changed. This has been a great learning process during which I have developed my own methods.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2009-12-24 02:16
Primary mouthpieces:
Bb clarinet -- Grabner K14
Bass Clarinet -- Grabner LB
Alto and Tenor Saxophones -- Custom faced Ralph Morgan 6C
With each, the mouthpiece is a perfect match for my tonal conception of the instrument.
Roger
http://www.amc.net/RogerMAldridge
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Author: CK
Date: 2009-12-24 06:13
Clark Fobes Cicero 14 with Morales/Backun Cocobolo Barrel Bb Clar
A Clarinet same as above with Fobes barrel
Alto Slax-Selmer Mark 6 wiith Phil Barone New York Model
Tenor Sax-Ponzil M2+ Mark 6 Selmer
Flute -Yahama with Miyazawa Head Joint
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Author: alvydas
Date: 2009-12-24 16:30
My primary mouthpiece Vytas Krass R03
Back up mouthpiece Vytas Krass K05
AK
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2009-12-25 15:42
40 year old Buffet C crown for my BH926.....Vandoren B46 for my Selmer 10 (I never use the original BH 926 mouthpiece - too hard to blow) and other horns
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