 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kilo
Date: 2026-03-03 05:46
I hadn't heard of Jack Howell before, but a few of his videos came up in my YouTube sidebar and I thought they were well-presented and instructive. In this one he discusses his preference for close tips, hard reeds, and longer facings. He prefers his bass sound to be an extension of his sound on soprano and most new bass pieces, like the popular Vandoren B50, are moving away from that approach. He discusses the process Wes Rice used to develop a mouthpiece copied from a 1960's Selmer C and how the design was tweaked repeatedly until Jack was satisfied with the result. Hope you find it as interesting as I did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knn8FWBs30Q
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2026-03-04 02:22
i watched that vid and agree with jack about closer tips on bass. an open tip like the b50 gains you nothing but too hard work for not much gain.i played a b46 for decades mostly because it was the only mpc i owned. then i discovered the selmer c* and how easy it made playing bass clarinet. if one wants to play jazz use a synthetic reed and or get a syos with some baffle
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2026-03-04 18:47
I watched that vid and agree with Jack about what works for him will not work for me, or many of us. I’m happy he arrived at a good place (again) and he feels the $$$$’s he spent is well worth it. I think a C* is too meek to use in a large wind ensemble, which is what I play in. I own one to play difficult chamber music with.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2026-03-06 00:37
The somehwat unfortunate tendency with boehm bass clarinets is that they are tuned towards that kinda "Oomph" that you'll never be able to get rid of. If you've ever played a German bass clarinet or basset horn, now these feel like an extension of the soprano clarinet, with a much crispier and brilliant clarion/altissimo.
Not saying the man should get a reform boehm bass clarinet, but it is something to consider. After all, besides having a much smaller bore, the tip openings for said horns can be as low as 1.3, 1.2mm if I'm not mistaken.
Now personally I wouldn't recommend playing a German bass clarinet for various reasons (unless you have to and are a professional... in Germany), but spending sooo much money on that perfect mouthpiece - I feel you should at least consider the style of instrument you play on.
Compare modern double horns to smaller bore natural horns. Not only different bores/tapers/bell sizes, also different mouthpieces - resulting in a completely different tone!
And sadly as with everything in the musical, everything has to get louder and more aggressive.
As far as boehm basses are concerned, I would stay away from anything with a >2mm tip opening, but maybe that's just me...
Best regards
Christian
Edit: Nope, there's Wurlitzer m'pieces with 0,93mm tip openings. Insane...
Post Edited (2026-03-06 00:48)
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2026-03-06 01:32
I read Jack's comments on FB and was very interested in his rationale for making the bass sound an extension of the Bb sound.
For many years I played a Selmer and always had the feeling I was playing a wooden saxophone rather than a clarinet. Now it did have a huge sound and I received many compliments on my playing. I never liked the keywork and when I bought a new one, I bought a Buffet Prestige. Since then I've added the Icon neckjoint and bell. It has a much more clarinet feel and tone and the keywork is much better. The Icon neckjoint has made crossingthe break much smoother and intonation and sound all better. It is a joy to play! and best yet I blend in with the other clarinets.
Eefer guy
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Author: kilo
Date: 2026-03-06 15:16
Quote:
I think a C* is too meek to use in a large wind ensemble, which is what I play in.
That's understandable. And it's great that you have the chance to play chamber music as well. Ideally, there would be smaller wind ensembles available for all of us to play in as well as the larger ones which seem to be more common. But it's not as if we have a wide selection of wind ensembles to choose from! And regional ensembles are dependent on the number of musicians they can attract and their repertoire will reflect the number and skill level of members. I do read a lot of comments from young bass players complaining that they can't be heard and it's too bad that they never get the chance to really blend musically with a clarinet section in a smaller well-balanced ensemble.
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2026-03-06 18:47
I actually have not used my C* in 6 years. But I still have one. I prefer a .077” = 1.96 mm tip opening on BC. While I do try to sound like a member of the clarinet family, I’m fine with BC having its own tonal character. I think most composers and arrangers expect it to sound like a bass clarinet.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
Post Edited (2026-03-07 18:26)
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