The Clarinet BBoard

Re: Marca black box of alto clarinet reeds contains alto sax reeds!

Author: Bog_Roll  Date:   2026-10-23 12:34 As no-one has replied to this thread, let me take this opportunity to thanks those who replied to my previous alto clarinet thread, What's so big about BIGMouthPiece? That thread was closed by the mods before the OP had the chance to respond. It's a pity the maker of BIGMouthPiece couldn't join in. My main suggestion would be, if the design is now perfected, to move to a 3D printed model, as this would ensure more consistency, while taking less time, and perhaps lowering the price. 3D-printing would also obviate the current criticism of using a mouthpiece initially designed for a different instrument. It's slightly ironic, if the tenor sax pieces from which BM is made, come from Babbitt, because they already make the Hite Premier alto clarinet mouthpiece, with a .063" tip. If you were to contact Babbitt, and say look, there's a definite market for a bigger tip opening, they could make you a batch of Hite Premiers in your desired .073" tip. I've since discovered that, while the Behn Bravo 3D-printed alto clarinet piece is available ready-made in .056" or .066", they will happily make them in any tip opening, at no extra cost. It's the same price as BM, US$250. Also, I've since come across some old boxes of La Voz Symmetricut alto clarinet reeds, which have a very long cut, measuring 40mm down the centreline of the reed, from the tip to the start of the cut. The old Rico "woodgrain box" reeds I currently play on Bb clarinet, have a 32mm length of cut. Thus, the cut of the Symmetricut AC reed is 25% longer than a Bb reed; over twice the proportion of 12% claimed by the BIGMouthPiece pdf instructions (V4, April 2024). Thanks to @super20dan for your comments on how the piece plays. Thanks to @lydian as always, for your sensible contributions. Thanks too, to @farabout, who smeared my OP as a diatribe, while being unable to demonstrate any mistakes, or refute any arguments therein. Post Edited (2026-10-23 12:45)

Reply To Message

Avail. Forums  |  Need a Login? Register Here

User Login  User Name:  Password:  Remember my login:

Forgot Your Password? Enter your email address or user name below and a new password will be sent to the email address associated with your profile.