Walter Grabner K14

[Roger Aldridge]

I'm so impressed with the Grabner K14 -- I've raved about it on other threads -- that I decided to post a thread about it.

If one is looking for a big dark sound that has a considerable amount of tonal ring and projection as well as a strong tonal core, I highly recommend the Grabner K14. I've found the K14 to be everything I've looked for in a clarinet mouthpiece.

When I use the K14 in a large ensemble I notice several things:

1.) Typically my sound is darker and "thicker" than most other clarinetists (especially, using a thick cut reed). I really love this sound! If one needs to blend more with other clarinets in a section simply use a different cut of reed.

2.) The high range has body and does not become thin.

3.) My sound projects beautifully and easily.

When I first tried this Kaspar-style mouthpiece it was like a revelation. I had been using clarinet pieces with larger tip sizes. Walter's mouthpiece comparision chart shows the K14 as having a 1.07 to 1.09 mm tip. Yet, its sound has more projection than the mouthpieces I had previously used. Thus, I discovered with a Grabner Kaspar-style mouthpiece that I do not need a big tip opening mouthpiece in order to project in a big band. In fact, with the K14 my LOW range can be heard. This is what I mean about the mouthpiece being a revelation for me.

I've found that Walter Grabner's mouthpieces have individual qualities. Thus, several K14s may not play exactly alike. The K14 I use as my main mouthpiece is truly exceptional. However, I recently had Walter make some adjustments to my backup K14 and it came back playing fantastically.

If one is interested in a K14, I recommend that you call Walter and describe to him exactly what you are looking for in your sound, the kinds of music & ensembles you typically play in, etc. This can help Walter pick a mouthpiece that's a good match for you.

http://www.clarinetxpress.com/

PS, Walter describes the K14 as being a jazz mouthpiece. However, I use it for all of my playing regardless of style. The K14 is not that much more open than the K13 (1.04 to 1.06 mm).

Roger

[daigle65]

It's always very tempting to buy one of Walter's mpcs when reading the positive comments from you and from the many others on this forum. The sound characteristics you describe correspond well with my own tone concept.
I just wish he had some distribution so I could try them out first. Even though he has a liberal return policy, I would still have to pay the shipping and customs costs for a piece that may not be right for me.
He's also about the only one out there that makes an alto clarinet mpc which I also find tempting.

[Roger Aldridge]

I understand about the shipping and customs costs. Are Clark Fobes or Gregory Smith mouthpieces available in your area? They make Kaspar-style mouthpieces that I would expect to be good.

One thing you might do is to contact Walter and tell him that you'd like to have a K14 similar to mine. As I mentioned, he recently adjusted my backup K14. I'd expect that work to be fresh in his mind. Tell him you're looking for a big dark robust sound with a maximum amount of ring. That's what I did. When Walter sent me what became my performance K14 he told me he play tested all of his existing K14s and picked the one that was the "biggest and bestest". When the mouthpiece arrived it totally blew me away. Hopefully, Walter can pick out or make a similar mouthpiece for you.

Good luck!

Roger

[Nefertiti]

Roger,
You have me curious now. I haven't thought about getting a new clarinet piece until I saw this thread. You make it sound so good. The richest darkest clarinet piece I have played was a Eddie Daniels piece I use to have. I actually play a Selmer C85 now that is at 1.05 I think.

[senior]

I am not going to repeat everything roger said, I will just agree with everything he said. I will add that the Eddie Daniels and the K-14 are made from the same blank. I had both at the same time and the K-14 is by far superior Mouthpiece.:)
Mer

[Clarinetdude108]

My K-14 was a huge upgrade for me. The more open tip than my previous mouthpiece (m-13 lyre) makes it much more comfortable for me to play for me as a doubler. The tone is also fuller, and the sound projects farther. High notes respond with ease, and can be articulated clearly without difficulty. I can't wait to put it on a professional clarinet and see what it does! :twisted:

[westcoastbebop]

I have to disagree with the above posts about this mouthpiece. I tried two of them and both were very resistant and pretty dead sounding. In addition, upon inspection of several of Walter Grabner's pieces they are simply blanks with a so-so facing on them. Nothing special. Try a Behn Vintage or Gregory Smith if you want a good clarinet mouthpiece.

[daigle65]

I have to disagree with the above posts about this mouthpiece.....This must be the first negative comment I've read on Grabner mouthpieces !

[Roger Aldridge]

I've found variances between the Grabner mouthpieces I've played. At this point I have his K14, K14e, K13, K11, and K11e models in my mouthpiece box. I tried the K11* but did not get along with it. Each of these mouthpieces have different performance characteristics. I've found the K14 to be the best match for me. And, even with the K14 model I've found there to be differences between various ones.

I've kept an extra K14 in my mouthpiece box as a backup. I recently dusted it off and used it in an ensemble practice. I found that I did not like it as well as the K14 I use as my performance mouthpiece. So, I sent the mouthpiece back to Walter and asked him to make some adjustments. He did (without charge). When the mouthpiece came back it was FANTASTIC. Night and day difference. The original facing on the mouthpiece was not bad by any means. It's just that Walter's adjustments made the mouthpiece a better match for what I want as a player.

I've found Walter Grabner to be very easy to deal with. Clearly, he wants his customers to be happy with their Grabner mouthpieces. I've found that if I contact Walter and describe to him exactly what I'm looking for and give him information about my set up (including type of clarinet and reed/reed strength) and any other information that is helpful to him, the mouthpiece I receive from him is usually an excellent match for me as a player and for my tonal conception of the clarinet.

I agree about Bradford Behn and Gregory Smith mouthpieces being excellent. In fact, I've been wanting to try a Gregory Smith Kaspar-style piece. I had one of his Chedeville-style mouthpieces. It was superb. Fantastic quality of sound and response. But, after a considerable amount of comparison I settled on the Grabner K14 as being a better match for me as a player. Please understand that I'm NOT saying Grabner mouthpieces are "better" than Smith's. Not at all. As far as I'm concerned, both are excellent.

It's true that Walter Grabner "puts a facing" on a Zinner blank. Other mouthpiece craftsmen -- such as Gregory Smith and Clark Fobes -- use Zinner blanks for their mouthpieces. Typically, they do not make significant changes to the essential design of the blank. However, their facings have special qualities. In the case of Walter's Kaspar-style pieces he does several subtle things that I've visually noticed in examining the mouthpieces. He does a tricky thing with the lower baffle and a very subtle rollover just behind the tip rail. From the tool marks on the mouthpiece it's possible to see some of the work he's done to the bank.

Also, I should mention that all of my Grabner mouthpieces were received directly from Walter. In particular, after I talked with him about what I was looking for. I've never ordered a Grabner mouthpiece from a music shop (like WWBW or Weiner).

Roger

[clarnut]

It's true that Walter Grabner "puts a facing" on a Zinner blank. Other mouthpiece craftsmen -- such as Gregory Smith and Clark Fobes -- use Zinner blanks for their mouthpieces. Typically, they do not make significant changes to the essential design of the blank. However, their facings have special qualities.

Clark does extensive work on most of his mouthpieces and often take quite a bit of time to finish. Clark uses a Zinner made blank that is designed to his specs. In this way, he has a mouthpiece that is a lot closer to his ideal than if he used a stock blank. I am not positive, Greg Smith may also be working on one of his own design.

[Roger Aldridge]

I'm not sure about the Zinner blanks that Gregory Smith uses. The Smith mouthpiece I had several years ago appeared to be based upon a similar blank as the Grabner mouthpieces. However, I cannot be certain.

I completely agree with your description. Each of these craftsmen spends a considerable amount of time working on a mouthpiece, play testing each one, fine tuning the voicing, response, etc. The one thing I was trying to say is the essential design of the blank is not radically changed. As an example, like converting a blank with straight side walls to have angled side walls. Nevertheless, as you described, a considerable amount of work is done on each mouthpiece.

We are lucky to be living at a time when there are such fine mouthpiece craftsmen as Clark Fobes, Walter Grabner, Richard Hawkins, Gregory Smith, Bradford Behn (just to mention several) and we can find the particular mouthpiece that personally suits us.

Roger