 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jacob R
Date: 2023-07-30 04:17
So, I have been thinking of upgrading from the M13 Lyre Vandoren mouth piece and I have thought of one of the BD mouthpieces, but I was just wondering what mouth pieces would you guys recommend?
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Author: Ed
Date: 2023-07-30 04:51
I agree the Fobes mouthpieces are terrific. But, honestly the question is rather odd for a few reasons. You say "upgrade" from the M13Lyre. there are plenty of pro players, some in major jobs who use that mouthpiece. Some people like the BD mouthpiece, some don't. Mouthpieces are very personal. Your best bet would be to try some and see if they work for you.
There are many questions which could make it much easier for someone to answer this question and get you some possibly helpful results- what is your playing experience? what kind of music do you play? what are you unhappy with in your current mouthpiece? what are you looking to change? etc.
To just ask "what would you recommend" with no background info will not get you answers that will be particularly helpful. You might just as well ask- what kind of shoes should I buy and in what size?
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Author: symphony1010
Date: 2023-07-30 12:18
I agree with Ed. Changing to another Vandoren mouthpiece is just that - a change, not an upgrade.
Personally I have been surprised at how good the BD mouthpieces are. Around 10 years ago I was dismayed to find inconsistency in the B45 models when I tried to replace one but the BD 5s seem to be a world apart in this regard.
I know that a few of my colleagues have been less than enthused about the sheer number of young players coming through all playing these but I find myself agreeing with them. They are very reed friendly and allow me to make the sound I wish to produce. I have also heard other players making their own sound on them - quite unlike mine so I don't find the BD5 imposing a sound of its own on players. I also have mouthpieces from Walter Grabner and Pillinger but the BD5 always seems to find its way back despite my efforts to play the others.
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2023-07-31 08:02
I highly recommend the older Vandorens engraved logo If you can find. They play better than the current yellow logo ones. Easier response and more resonance.
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Author: JoeRomano
Date: 2023-07-31 09:37
If you do try a BD4 or BD5 (I prefer the BD4), you will need a softer reed for a fair comparison. Otherwise, you'll always find the M13 lyre much more free blowing and easy to play. That is, you can't really use the same reed for comparisons.
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Author: JoeRomano
Date: 2023-07-31 09:38
And actually Clark Fobes SF mouthpieces are similarly closed and free blowing like the M13 lyre. It wouldn't be a hard switch.
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Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2023-07-31 18:49
About 20 years ago I was looking to move on from the M13 I’d been using for some (I think six or seven) years and one of the things I tried was a B40 13.
Basically it was like that scene in Iron Man where he replaces the thing in his chest and goes WAHEY. The M13 had served me well in many respects but I simply needed something else.
By which I’m not saying that more open is better, just that I needed something else and I’m glad I chose something that wasn’t in my comfort zone of the time. Maybe you need something that’s like what you already have but maybe the reason you don’t like what you have is that what you have isn’t for you?
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-11-22 06:23
"I highly recommend the older Vandorens engraved logo If you can find. They play better than the current yellow logo ones. Easier response and more resonance."
I recently pulled one of these older Vandoren mouthpieces out of my collect (a B45) to experiment with. I hadn't really spent much time with it previously. I was rather surprised by a fullness of sound that I have not experienced with my other mouthpieces, including a variety of high-end ones, or with several more modern Vandorens that I own. Since I don't have any modern B45s with which to compare, I can't say I am attributing this quality of my B45 to its vintage or to its design. But I am curious to try some other older Vandorens. However, I believe one advantage to the current Vandorens is greater consistency. Has the design of the B45 changed appreciably over the years?
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Author: ruben
Date: 2025-11-22 13:58
David Eichler: the Vandoren B45 is an old time-honored classic. At one point, all of the top French players were playing it. Then many switched to B40 or B45 Lyre: The B45 is more open and has a bigger sound. The B40 Lyre, a more compact, sweeter sound. You lose on the swings what you gain on the round-about.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Alexey
Date: 2025-11-24 18:05
I personally would not recommend BD2 to anyone.
My experience is that it's very different from closed Vandoren mouthpieces (like M13 or M15), but it's also very different from other, more open Vandoren mouthpieces like M30 or B40.
In a nutshell, it's hard to find a reed that sounds and handles well in all dynamics. I mean, you can find a good reed either for a range from "pp" to "mf" or from "mf" to "ff". If you stay within the selected dynamic range, BD2 is awesome. If you need an extended and flexible range from "pp" to "ff", it requires a lot of control and attention to save appropriate sound quality.
But that's only my experience. I could be totally wrong, and perhaps my requirements for sound and feel are not common.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-11-24 18:33
Alexey wrote:
> I personally would not recommend BD2 to anyone.
>
I respect this but, as my experience has been different, disagree. I play an M15 FWIW.
> My experience is that it's very different from closed Vandoren
> mouthpieces (like M13 or M15), but it's also very different
> from other, more open Vandoren mouthpieces like M30 or B40.
And my experience is that is the closest thing to an M15 in the Vandoren lineup that I have tried, having also tried most M13, M13 Lyre, 5RV, etc. It's also my opinion that despite it's closer tip, the BD2 feels slightly more open than the M15.
>
> In a nutshell, it's hard to find a reed that sounds and handles
> well in all dynamics.
Just to play on your words (not ridicule them but find hidden meaning in them) I don't find reeds, nor they me. What I mean by this is I've yet to come across a reed that couldn't benefit from some ATGing: a verb of my own making where parts of the ATG method are applied to it. But that's just me.
> I mean, you can find a good reed either
> for a range from "pp" to "mf" or from "mf" to "ff". If you stay
> within the selected dynamic range, BD2 is awesome. If you need
> an extended and flexible range from "pp" to "ff", it requires a
> lot of control and attention to save appropriate sound quality.
>
> But that's only my experience. I could be totally wrong, and
> perhaps my requirements for sound and feel are not common.
My BD2, like my M15 experience is that it's a very reed friendly mouthpiece compared to others I've tried, but reed that's been ATGed.
Clearly, YMMV.
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Author: Alexey
Date: 2025-11-24 19:53
Hi Andrew, thank you for your response.
Obviously, we have different experiences, and that's fine. My next argument will not be valid from a scientific or logical point of view, but ...I don't know many (actually no one) pro who play BD2. It's not popular for some reason.
As for ATGing, I am pretty good at reed adjustments, and issues with my relationship with BD2 are that it doesn't satisfy my requirements for clear and round sound in all registers and all dynamics.
BD2 can't handle this, and in my opinion, it's not the reed but the mouthpiece design. I need to put a soft reed to get a clear sound on "pp", but then this reed doesn't hold sound when playing "ff."
I can put a harder reed that sounds beautiful on "ff", but then "pp" is too airy and hissing until I bite too much, which raises the pitch too much.
Interesting that BD2 is the only mouthpiece I have such a problem with. Maybe my mouthpiece is not a good one.
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