Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2021-11-02 23:58
I'm currently playing a BD4 which I like because it responds/tunes really well and can produce a range of tone qualities depending on reeds and voicing, and has a nice feel across a wide range of dynamics.
I was curious about the Echo based on the review by Eric Black (thanks Eric!) and ordered one which arrived yesterday. On inspection, I was impressed by the immaculate machining of the entire mouthpiece. The baffle is similar to the BD4, but interestingly there is a ledge as it "drops" into the bore. Since the bore seems to be reasonably sized, my conclusion is that the baffle is higher than usual and that the chamber may be slightly smaller as a result. The rails and tip on both the BD4 and Echo are rather wide, more reminiscent of German mouthpieces that French ones.
My first impressions on playing it are that, like the BD4, it responds really well, tunes well (keeping 12ths from being too large), produces a nice tone quality (neither too dark, nor too bright) that is very consistent across the entire tonal/dynamic range of the instrument, and feels a bit more restrictive/resistant than the BD4, but seems to play similar reeds (for me, Pilgerstorfer Dolce 3.5-4.0).
Overall, I find the Echo most similar to the BD4 rather than to the BD5 or BD7 (which I also have and play occasionally). For me, the main difference is that the Echo is more resistant than the BD4 and this seems to yield a denser/compact sound with more "core" to it than the BD4, and more consistent over the range of the instrument. I feel like the Echo may be a bit more "covered" in its sound making it more suited to chamber music than orchestral but I have yet to determine this for sure.
I will do some recordings to better assess the Echo's tone qualities and how they compare to the BD4 and my other favorite mouthpieces.
Bottom line: for me both the BD4 and Echo are fun to play, allowing me to concentrate on the music rather than the mechanics of producing it.
Bob Barnhart
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The Clarinet BBoard
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