 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeftHandedClarinetist
Date: 2016-11-09 02:25
I purchased the Pomarico Crystal Ruby (Mellow) Mouthpiece and I started playing it. My goal was to actually get it to easily play the higher (3rd) octave easily and yes, it did it. It also had great pitch. However, I don't know if it is the reed, but it is too "STUFFY". I can't play fast staccato notes and even a 2 octave "B" tonguing.
I use: Vandoren V21 3.5 Strenght.
Should I use a different reed? Is the mouthpiece the problem (my previous mouthpiece seems to work fine).
Thanks.
What would you recommend for reeds if it is the problem? Stronger reeds or less stronger reeds?
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Author: LeftHandedClarinetist
Date: 2016-11-09 03:04
Mr. McKimmey recommended I use a strength 3 or 3.5 Mitchell Lurie reeds for my Pomarico. Is it my reeds that wrong? My B45 seems to play it well with the V21 3.5 reeds.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-11-09 04:13
The crystal mouthpieces do in general play quite differently from hard rubber.
They are also far more variable in their manufacture due to being made of a very hard to machine material.
They can tend to stuffiness.
You really have to experiment with reed types, strengths, and balancing to work out what works best for you.
I have been playing Vandoren A1 / A2 crystal mouthpieces for 30-40 years now and they certainly can be challenging and not particularly "reed friendly"
I like my crystals and just had to learn how to live with them to get the best results.
If you really want to play crystal then I suspect you are going to have to learn to do the same as I did.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-11-09 04:17
If the mouthpiece is stuffy, either the reeds are the wrong strength or the reed profile isn't ideal for the mouthpiece's facing curve. The best way to know what will improve the response is to try different reeds and find out by trial-and-error. Luries tend to be lighter than Vandorens for the same strength. The profile seems to be different with less wood all around. They *might* help you. But you'll nave to try them and see.
Karl
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2016-11-09 04:34
You should have gotten the "bright" model. I've found every "mellow" model to be overly stuffy.
I bet that switch from a mellow, to a bright will be a huge improvement in the stuffiness.
Your reed might be a TAD hard for a ruby model (MAYBE), but if I were a bettin' man, I'd say change to a "bright" model. I've NEVER found a "mellow" pomarico that I didn't find stuffy and I much much MUCH prefer the bright models.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2016-11-09 04:42
Why would you, or anyone, buy a mouthpiece without first trying it and many others to know what is the best fit for you? If you had tried it before purchasing it you would have realized there was a problem. I always recomnend trying as many mouthpiecs as possible and trying them with a few different strengths. One may play better with a slightly soft reed and another with a slightly stronger reed.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: LeftHandedClarinetist
Date: 2016-11-09 04:52
There weren't places near me that carried it at the moment when I purchased it. They currently still do not have stock. :(
Is the Bright/Mellow model so drastically different that it can change between stuffy and not stuffy?
Post Edited (2016-11-09 04:52)
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-11-09 05:54
Give the Legere Classic reeds a trial ... they seem to unstuff some stuffy MPs that I have ... I think they run perhaps a bit harder than VD blue box ... ?
Back about a million years ago (1960s), the O'Brien crystals were very popular. Mostly because they looked "cool", I think. The less flashy and more pragmatic players stuck with their 2RVs and Selmer HS* mouthpieces. A good O'Brien played quite well, though ...
Tom
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-11-09 06:01
LeftHandedClarinetist wrote:
> There weren't places near me that carried it at the moment when
> I purchased it. They currently still do not have stock. :(
>
Sometimes a mouthpiece seems to feel stuffy because the basic sound you get from it sounds muddy or dull to you. Your ear may hear brighter as clearer and the response may feel better because the result for you sounds cleaner. This can be a very personal and subjective judgment, of course.
With a credit card you can charge several mouthpieces at an online vendor (stick with reputable ones) and return what you don't like. Some (check the return policy on the vendor's website) will waive any re-stocking fees if you buy something. These days unless you live near a big city (and not always even then) you aren't likely to find much of anything in stock at a local music store except maybe Vandoren and D'Addario/Rico reeds and mouthpieces. So the only way for most of us to try equipment is to travel to where it is or order it online with a return privilege. I would probably travel to try instruments. For anything else, I'd try and buy online if I couldn't find it locally.
Karl
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Author: LeftHandedClarinetist
Date: 2016-11-09 06:20
Thanks everyone. I'm going to return the mouthpiece and it won't articulate at ALL (tonguing) and it's horrible. Does anyone have any insight for the "Bright" models? I see reviews and they say it's not stuffy at all while the "Mellow" models are stuffy.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-11-09 07:53
To repeat a question that others have asked already: why are you so fixated on a Pomarico crystal? There are so many mouthpieces to choose from. So far all you really know is that (a) you aren't happy with the results you get with your B45 and (b) you don't like the result you get from the Pomarico Ruby, either. Why are you so sure that what you need is a Pomarico?
And why are you trying to force any mouthpiece to play with a V21 #3.5? Changing mouthpieces means you have to experiment with reeds. They need to work together.
Karl
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-11-09 14:10
Crystal mpcs can be very good but I always have to choose quite soft reeds to get them playing. The design of the Crystals (all made by Pomarico) does give a nice, focused sound, even with soft reeds. Articulation should be better also with a soft reed. For me, #3.5 would certainly be too strong. #2.5 would be my advice.
However, I also encountered many Crystals that remain stuffy, even with soft reeds. So, try before you buy...
I don't know about the specific Pomarico models and their Mellow or Bright versions, but I think I would prefer also the Bright one.
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