Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2015-12-30 21:47
Here comes still another update to this thread - for possible benefit of other Wurlitzer and Reform Boehm players. Please tell also about your own recent experiences with these kind of instruments.
Encouraged by Jeroen and other positive comments on this list about the Playnick mouthpieces I decided to give them another go.
I tried in total four Play easy B2 and four Soloist M, the most of them with apparent differences even to the naked eye and especially concerning the shape of the window and the thickness of the rails.
To me the sound quality is very similar between the B2 and Soloist M, but the bore is slightly larger on the Soloist M and you can get a louder sound with less effort with it compared to the B2.
The best thing concerning sound on these mouthpieces is the two lowest notes, e and f, which are sounding better than on any other mouthpiece I have tried.
However, what bothers me is a disturbing hissing noise or airiness on several tones, especially on the low g below the staff and several of the throat tones. This was the main cause why I rejected them at my previous trial.
Anyway, this time I kept the one which seemed to be the least hissing one which was a Soloist M.
Tuning on a Reform Boehm is another issue, which becomes more complicated than with many other mouthpieces. The main problem is altissimo which becomes quite flat.
The reed that worked best for me was a wooden Jochen Seggelke French cut #3, or "JSB F". I also kept some NickLegere Signature reeds but just for practice.
I played a few months with this mouthpiece but then got the new Wurlitzer 3CS for trial. No disturbing airiness and a lot easier concerning internal tuning, actually very similar to the popular Viotto N1+2 (for German bore, not Reform Boehm). However, the overall pitch isn't as sharp as on the Viotto, which also is good for me.
Wurlitzer recommends V12 #2,5 reeds for the 3CS, of which the most may be a little bit too soft. However, the most of #3 could be a little bit too hard. I prefer the Pilgerstorfer Dolce #3 for this mouthpiece, which also mostly tend to be on the soft side. The #3,5's are mostly on the hard side, at least for me.
The Soloist M compared to the Wurlitzer 3CS is still better sounding on the lowest e and f, but for the rest I prefer the 3CS. To me, the 3CS is also better sounding especially in the low register compared to the Wurlitzer 3WZ.
Micke Isotalo
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The Clarinet BBoard
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