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Behn Zinner Mouthpiece

Author: richardstone
Date: 2019-12-14 22:47

I just recieved a new Behn Zinner mouthpiece with a #3 facing that is very impressive. I contacted Brad Behn last month requesting his thoughts on a mouthpiece that would play easier for me. I shared with him that I'm an adult violin musician who has been playing since the 1950's and that I had taken up the clarinet a couple of years ago. My frustration with the clarinet has been with reeds and mouthpieces. I told him that my current mouthpiece, a Fobes Debut worked pretty well for me but that I felt it took a lot of effort on my part. I also told him that I had purchased a Behn Overture mouthpiece and some Aria reeds and that they were working well for me. In fact, my teacher had commented about how much better my sound had gotten. I did not share with him the fact that I was using the Overture mouthpiece.
Brad said that I could get even better tone and response from either his Sono mouthpiece or a Zinner blank finished by him. I decided to purchase the Zinner blank and it arrived yesterday. I was surprised that it was so easy to play. The tone is rich and full and the articulation is very crisp. I was able to play steadily for about an hour without feeling fatigued by the effort necessary to get a good sound. Over the last year I have tried Ricos and Vandoren mouthpieces in various tip openings along with lots of different reeds. Most of them felt too open for me and were returned.
I an highly recommend the Overture and the Zinner to anyone who is having the problems that I was experiencing. The Aria reeds are also the best reeds I have found due to the consistency from reed to reed. They also seem to last well.
I was hesitant about spending a lot for a mouthpiece, especially without trying one first. I found Brad to be able to ask the right questions about my problems and expected results and then to translate that information into a great mouthpiece.
I would also like to say that the Fobes Debut was a very good mouthpiece but perhaps not the best for me.

richarddstone@mac.com

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