Clear mouthpieces?

[tonyintoronto]

Does anyone have one? I've seen them around for the last while. Im sure after a while it would be grose to look at it because of all the soliva but do they get as good or the same sound as a regular hard rubber one?

Hope you can help,

-Tony :bass:

[bandmommy]

JThey can be just as good, and sometimes better than HR depending on the players style and sound concept.

It's not saliva you see, but rather condensation from your breath. No 'grosser' than what is happening inside any other piece.

[Bebopalot]

Clear can be crystal mouthpieces or poly mouthpieces. I have several crystal clarinet mouthpieces that feel different in my mouth but play just as well as HR. They don't seem to be as popular with sax players. Once you get used to seeing the condensation, you stop paying attention to it and don't even notice it. I think Runyon made some clear mouthpieces at one time.

[qwerty]

I had an O'Brien crystal for clarinet that I absolutely LOVED...past tense because I dropped it an it broke into a jillion pieces. No other O'Brien I have tried since then has come close to that 'piece. But that was about 7 years ago, and I wonder if I would still like that piece today...

[nuggy86]

I currently play on a ruby pomarico crystal mouthpiece. Excellent quality sound and projects well.

Although a crystal mouthpiece might not be appropiate for orchestral work ...

[Bebopalot]

Although a crystal mouthpiece might not be appropiate for orchestral work ...


Why would you say that? :?

[bandmommy]

I use my O'Brian crystal for classical stuff. It's not the least bit 'bright'.

[sfinster]

My son has a crystal mouthpiece made by James Pyne (I think) in Columbus, OH. He likes it, but he likes his hard rubber one better. He says the crystal one is brighter and would be better for something like marching band.

[bandmommy]

Marching band and a crystal mouthpiece is an accident just waiting to happen.... ;)

[Mal 2]

Clarinet and marching band is an exercise in pantomime, at least on the football field. Out there, if it's not directional (or a piccolo), they can't hear you. Parades are another matter since you go right by the judges, at which point the brasses are pointed down the street and the judges CAN hear you.

[super20dan]

i too greive for my broken obrien-played it for 20 + years and some careless tech broke it changing the cork. i finally did find another that played as well but had to go tru dozens to find one. its retired now for fear of breaking it. agree with bandmommy -not brighter than any other , xystal offers facing sability that rubber cant match and will never wear out . way cool look too esp with bari clear plastic reeds. i got tons of comments about my set up doing theater esp "the lady and the clarinet" . runyon makes a very good clear plastic clarinet mpc.

[Multi Reed]

I currently play on a ruby pomarico crystal mouthpiece. Excellent quality sound and projects well.

Although a crystal mouthpiece might not be appropiate for orchestral work ...

I have a crystal pomarico mouthpiece for my clarinet but don't use it. I liked it when I was just playing clarinet but my biggest issue was when I was doubling that to me the mouthpiece always seemed to get very cold and was a lot more difficult to just pick up and play becuase it took a little longer to warm up. That is why I changed the mouthpiece to a Vandoren B45 lyre. It also felt a lot harder on my teeth too.

[super20dan]

a tooth patch is a must on xystal for me -of course i use the clear ones

[rhysonsax]

On sax I've got quite a few clear and translucent mouthpieces:

SR Tech soprano and alto Legend in polycarbonate
Dukoff tenor and alto in clear plastic
Brilhart tenor and alto in Tonalite
No name tenor piece in clear plastic
Brilhart clarinet piece in Tonalite

Some of these pieces taste a bit stange in the mouth, but soundwise they are close to their counterparts in metal or rubber. It's also interesting to be able to see the shape of the baffle, chamber and throat from the outside.

Earlier this year I bought a Buffet clarinet in clear acrylic with a matching mouthpiece. It looks great with its copper keywork.

I would love to have a clear-bodied saxophone too, maybe with lights running down through the body !

Rhys

[super20dan]

that clear buffet is worth big $ now

[daigle65]

Clarinet and marching band is an exercise in pantomime, ...:lol:

[rhysonsax]

that clear buffet is worth big $ now

Only if there is someone with little sense (like me) willing to buy it !

Everyone tells me it's just a standard Buffet clarinet, but I fell for the look.

Rhys