Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2024-02-19 06:01
I have played both German & French basses extensively, and also have Steve Fox's adaptor for German bass mouthpieces on French basses. My current French bass is a Selmer Privilege to Low C, and my former German bass was a Martin Foag Low C which I had to sell some years ago, though I'm open to getting another German bass in the distant future as I like both French & German basses very much for each of their distinct characters.
However, despite my immense respect for Steve's very fine work, my experience has led me to avoid mixing a German bass mouthpiece with a French bass, and nor would I mix a French bass mouthpiece with a German bass. I find both my German(2 each of Wurlitzers, Pillingers & Playnicks) & French(several Fobes 10Ks & Pillingers) mpcs to sound best on their respective instruments. Although the sound was nice when I tried my German mouthpieces on my French bass via the adaptor, the sound wasn't as full as putting them on the German bass or compared to putting a French mpc on French bass, and the response wasn't quite right. On the other hand, while I haven't tried putting a French mpc on a German bass due to differences in tenon sizes, I've seen others playing on such a combo(via necks with sockets modified to fit French mpcs instead). Having heard them playing German mpcs on their German horns before I feel that they sounded better on their German mpcs than their French ones, with the French mpcs' only benefit being slightly louder.
That said, I believe my experience is mostly due to my personal preferences and playing style, which apparently don't go well with mixing the 2 bass bores together, atop the fact that the bore sizes are very different on the 2 horns: German basses tend to be around 19.5-20mm while French basses are around 23-24mm, which would've likely made things inherently tricky even with the most well-made gear. And as I can attest that Steve Fox's craftsmanship and acoustical knowledge is top-notch, I DO NOT believe that his adaptor was the cause of any of the issues I've encountered.
PS to William aka dorjepismo: I believe your Seggelke bass actually has a German bore rather than French bore(I don't recall them offering that bore at all), but with French fingerings, which effectively makes it a Reform Boehm bass rather than a standard French one like a Buffet, Selmer or Royal?
Josh
Post Edited (2024-02-23 06:58)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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