Walter Grabner K13*

[NgtheFling]

Has anyone tried the new K13* "Kaspar" style clarinet mouthpiece by Walter Grabner?

I was just wondering how it compared to the regular K13 in respect to its tone and playability.

[matsuo]

Call Walter, he's a great guy and will tell you the differences.

[clarnut]

He has brief descriptions on this page:

http://www.clarinetxpress.com/mouthpieces.html

[Roger Aldridge]

Several months ago I tried Walter's new K11*. First, please understand that I'm a HUGE fan of Walter's mouthpieces. So, when I saw that he developed a new variation of his Kaspar line I jumped on it.

Sadly, for whatever reason, the K11* didn't work well with my Legere reeds. I was not able to determine exactly why. I have a K11, K11e, several K14s, and a K14e. ALL of them work beautifully with Legere reeds.

Given the high quality of Walter's work and how he play tests every mouthpiece he makes, I had complete trust that nothing was wrong with the K11*. In fact, when I talked with Walter about the problem I had with the K11* he told me that he was surprised I ordered one given how the K14 has been a perfect match for me. So, we worked out an arrangement that I'd return the K11* and receive a K13 in exchange. When the K13 arrived it was clearly a totally superb mouthpiece...and it, too, works fine with Legere.

Several weeks later Walter wrote to me that one of the pro clarinetists in the Chicago area tried a selection of his K11* pieces and found the one I returned to be the pick of the litter, raved about it, and purchased it on the spot.

Comparing the Kaspar-style pieces I have of Walter's, I prefer the standard model (K11, K13, K14). It has a stunningly beautiful dark, resonant, "ringing" sound with a thick tonal core and amazing projection. Truly, it's everything I've searched for in a clarinet mouthpiece. Choosing a K11, K13, or K14 pretty much comes down to matching the mouthpiece facing to the level of resistance & performance characteristics of your particular clarinet and the type of reed you want to use.

I have 3 clarinets and I use a different Grabner Kaspar-style mouthpiece on each one. The K14 I love so much on my principal clarinet does not work quite as well on the other clarinets. On my backup Couesnon (having a different bore size) I use a K11e or the new K13.

I agree with the message about calling Walter and discussing your question with him. Walter is a joy to deal with. When I first called Walter and described to him what I was looking for on clarinet and bass clarinet he sent mouthpieces that were absolutely perfect for me.

Good luck!

Roger