What's your Bass Clarinet Setup

[Gandalfe]

Selmer Privilege modele 67 low-C, Walter Grabner LB mouthpiece, Vandoren V16 2.5 reed with Optimum lig. In the pit I use a plasticover reed because of the quick change thang. The peg got easier to use as time went on for this sax player. And the neck angle is sublime. :ugeek:

[Merlin]

Old Selmer low Eb bass, with Vandoren B40 or Selmer HS* - both modded by me anyways! #3 Legeres and Rovner dark lig most of the time. Do so many fast swaps on bass that I hardly ever use cane these days.

[Roger Aldridge]

Yamaha 221 II bass clarinet, Walter Grabner LB mouthpiece, #3 Legere bass clarinet reeds, Vandoren Masters ligature. When I have some free time I want to learn how to tie a string ligature to use on BC.....since Vandoren does not make a BC version of the Klassik string ligature (which I love on clarinet and tenor).

[Merlin]

Looks like my bass setup is in flux.

Seems that the Selmer HS** tunes better on my horn than the B40 does. Intonation in the pit at Stratford is crucial, so anything that makes life easier is the way to go.

Just switched to an Optimum lig too. Much more responsive than my old Rovner, and it cleaned up the sound of the clarion G# a bit.

[tictactux]

Just bought an Artley. Nothing to compare with the big $$$ Selmers and Buffets, but at least within reach. I have a Bundy Alto and roughly know what to expect...

[pete]

Hey! The first post from a regular user on the new forum! You should get something for that!

[pete]

I played a couple of different bass clarinets in high school. I've never owned one.

* Plastic Bundy one-piece. Stock mouthpiece. Probably 1960's vintage.
* Wooden Selmer student two-piece. HS* mouthpiece. Probably 1970's vintage.
* Wooden Buffet two-piece. Stock mouthpiece. Probably 1950's or 1940's vintage.

All to low Eb. I always tried to get standard Vandoren 3.5 reeds.

I haven't played a bass clarinet since, oh, 1993.

The nicest one of these was probably the wooden Selmer. Not to say that the plastic Bundys weren't decent: they were fine horns.

The Buffet needed work, but I never really liked it. Very difficult to play.

[tictactux]

Hey! The first post from a regular user on the new forum! You should get something for that!

Actually, it just came upon me that I haven't got any bass reeds yet. ;)

[pete]

Actually, it just came upon me that I haven't got any bass reeds yet. ;)
I think the shipping would be prohibitively expensive ....

Let's see. What's Ed's petty cash balance, again?

[Ed Svoboda]

I blew my petty cash at the Chicago Pen Show. :D

[Gandalfe]

Just bought an Artley. Nothing to compare with the big $$$ Selmers and Buffets, but at least within reach. I have a Bundy Alto and roughly know what to expect...So (affecting a Jewish mother's accent) how does it sound? Can you get it to voice the notes through the whole range of the instrument?

[tictactux]

So (affecting a Jewish mother's accent) how does it sound? Can you get it to voice the notes through the whole range of the instrument?
The problem is that the instrument is still somewhere in the midwest, and I am in Zurich. Ask me again in a month. :)
But <looks at hands> I'm confident I can make it behave. I overhauled my Bundy Alto, and it doesn't speak, it sings.

[tictactux]

The problem is that the instrument is still somewhere in the midwest, and I am in Zurich. Ask me again in a month. :)
But <looks at hands> I'm confident I can make it behave. I overhauled my Bundy Alto, and it doesn't speak, it sings.

Update: Got my "stock mouthpiece" along with a ligature today. The horn arrived last Friday. I always order a Yamaha 4C along with a Rovner Dark ligature because this combination is very dependable and performed well with every instrument so far. Maybe not exciting, but a safe bet.

Well, what can I say? I didn't overhaul the horn yet, so some adjusting is still required. But I couldn't wait and gave it a test honk. The B..C above the staff requires some getting used to (and maybe a new pad on the register key), as does the Low Eb (crow's foot's cork fell off). But the rest (including altissimo up to G) sounds fine. No notes are noticeably out of whack.
I stopped giving it full throttle when the plaster started coming down the ceiling. 8-)
All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised. Considering this is my first time behind a bass beak, not bad. (I have some Alto training, though, so that might have helped).

[Ed Svoboda]

If you get a chance you should try a bass mouthpiece by Walter Grabner.

They're amazing.

[tictactux]

If you get a chance you should try a bass mouthpiece by Walter Grabner.
They're amazing.
I'm having one made by another master in this business, David Spiegelthal. I use one of his with my Alto and couldn't be happier. A third - tempting - possibility would be a Behn Ouverture. Heck, 50-odd dollars, and his soprano beaks are really good.

[Ed Svoboda]

Brad Behn makes really great stuff. I've talked to him a time or two on the phone about mouthpieces and he's quite knowledgeable. I saw some of his stuff recently and the work looks very nice.

[metbysax]

I have a Buffet 19,xxx low E flat Bass Clarinet from the early 1950's. . I play on either a 40 year old C** bass mouthpiece or a Morgan D. I use Vandoren Tenor Saxophone Reeds and a Vandoren Optimum ligature.

Dark rich sound with plenty of bite when called for especially with the Morgan D.

[Groovekiller]

Pre-1960s Selmer to low Eb with left Eb-Ab key. I've played better horns by Selmer and Buffet, but mine is OK and it's loud!

I use a Selmer D mouthpiece-an old one. Again, I've played better mouthpieces, but I'm used to this one.

I remember my first gig with Liza Minnelli 25 years ago - heavy bass clarinet and they wanted it LOUD! I actually refaced my bass clarinet mouthpiece between the 1st and 2nd rehearsals, just to give Liza's musical director what he wanted.

Back in those days I had very long hair - to the middle of my back. Third night on the gig, as Liza walked onstage, she stopped by my chair, leaned over, messed up my hair, and whispered into my ear, "I've wanted to do that for three days!" Thanks, Liza! I'll never forget that gig - great band, great charts, and a hair raising encounter with Liza.

[Ed Svoboda]

Pre-1960s Selmer to low Eb with left Eb-Ab key. I've played better horns by Selmer and Buffet, but mine is OK and it's loud!

I use a Selmer D mouthpiece-an old one. Again, I've played better mouthpieces, but I'm used to this one.

I remember my first gig with Liza Minnelli 25 years ago - heavy bass clarinet and they wanted it LOUD! I actually refaced my bass clarinet mouthpiece between the 1st and 2nd rehearsals, just to give Liza's musical director what he wanted.

Back in those days I had very long hair - to the middle of my back. Third night on the gig, as Liza walked onstage, she stopped by my chair, leaned over, messed up my hair, and whispered into my ear, "I've wanted to do that for three days!" Thanks, Liza! I'll never forget that gig - great band, great charts, and a hair raising encounter with Liza.

Great story. Hair . . . I remember it foundly. :lol:

[Gandalfe]

Randy, that story gave me goosebumps. Liza is a class act.

[tictactux]

I'm having one made by another master in this business, David Spiegelthal. I use one of his with my Alto and couldn't be happier. A third - tempting - possibility would be a Behn Ouverture. Heck, 50-odd dollars, and his soprano beaks are really good.
The D.S. beak arrived today. It's an unbranded hard rubber piece that just says "France" and "3" (which I gather is not the serial number). David did his magic with it, and OMFG what a difference compared to the humble Yamaha 4C! Far less embouchure adaptation needed (I could play on my tiny cute soprano immediately afterwards without nasty squeaks) than on the Y.

So, no more excuses, now I have to repad that monster and get rid of the noise and of metal clacking against metal (some cautious straightening is on order).

[Gandalfe]

Ben, was the piece opened up or just normalized with rail repairs and the like?

[tictactux]

Ben, was the piece opened up or just normalized with rail repairs and the like?
David said he'd made it to accomodate a slightly softer reed, so I guess the curve was modifed (and normalised and all that). Looking into the mouthpiece it looks as if some serious baffle work was done, too. I'd say originally the piece had more like a rollover baffle which David flattened out a bit in order to get a less edgy tone.

[Ed Svoboda]

The D.S. beak arrived today. It's an unbranded hard rubber piece that just says "France" and "3" (which I gather is not the serial number). David did his magic with it, and OMFG what a difference compared to the humble Yamaha 4C! Far less embouchure adaptation needed (I could play on my tiny cute soprano immediately afterwards without nasty squeaks) than on the Y.

So, no more excuses, now I have to repad that monster and get rid of the noise and of metal clacking against metal (some cautious straightening is on order).

Sounds like a Riffault blank. You can do some nice things with them.

[Clairannette]

I have a Buffet Prestige Low C. Selmer C* mouthpiece, Rovner dark ligature, and Vandoren 3.5 reeds. The instrument is insanely responsive...it will play the full altissimo range up to "stratosphere" C at any dynamic level. The symphony that I play for supplied the instrument, which is a blessing, since there is NO WAY that I could throw out 14k for this horn. If you ever get a chance to try one out...DO IT! Those low C's will rattle your teeth if you put enough air into it. Awesome experience!

Mande

[Clairannette]

...oh, and the angle of the neck really makes a huge difference. On other models, I like to push the bell back and underneath my chair so that I can achieve a more Bb-like angle from the mouthpiece. Because of this, I use a neckstrap to make sure that I don't drop the darn thing when I play anything "open." It's just too constraining for me. The Bufet (and Selmer) necks both naturally create the right angle so that all the rest of it just falls into place.

[spooky]

Vito horn, vandoren b45 mouthpiece, 2 1/2 reeds and occasionally 3 /12s if the piece calls for it. Generic, cheap ligature, but surprisingly it does a fantastic job. For a common, inexpensive instrument, it sure performs.
As far as playing position, I'm used to holding the horn 90 degrees upright and have no issues, I'm quite tall and have no issues adjusting the floor peg for comfort. Neck strap only for playing while standing for me.

[tictactux]

Neck strap only for playing while standing for me.
I've come to love the strap for those (thumb-only) Fs and open Gs where you always have to stop the horn from falling away from you.

Per an update, I now not only have my trusted Artley but also a nice silver-plated Jupiter 675S. (nice instrument with beefy keywork and a fine tone).

[PrincessJ]

For those Fs and similar, the position I usually hold the instrument in prevents any risks of it falling over, however on tired days in weird settings where I have to hold it more leaned forward, I use a neck strap just in case. It's just a matter of the musician's preferences in playing position. I just like the neck strap because I don't have to worry about it running away from me and eating the flute section. It's more a leash than a strap.

[Chris J]

Sitting or standing I always use a neck strap on my old workhorse of a Leblanc 400

But the instrument was improved beyond measure when I got a cheap Charles Bay style neck that fit it perfectly and much improved the playing angle.

The neck I got from a vendor who has vexed some members of the forum in the past - Jimmy Hayes - but I got a perfect product that still looks as good as it did 2 years ago and was bought, shipped from USA and received in Australia all within a few days.

Chris