Untitled Document
     
Advertisement Click to advertise with us!
     

Yet Another Marigaux

tictactux

Distinguished Member
Distinguished Member
Last week I caught an old Marigaux in a local auction. It's a bit gunky, and the pads are shot (but the clarinet played suprisingly well) and it's now waiting in line for a touch-up. There was no case, but hey, what do you expect from a $70 deal? :smile:

It was accompanied by a vintage looking crystal mouthpiece, inscribed "Sinfonic Sistem" - anyone knows what it might be?
 
I think most crystal mouthpieces that are not Pomarico are mouthpieces made by Pomarico for other companies. I think some are/were made by other companies but not sure how many and if any were stenciled. Some of the non-Pomarico named by Pomarico made mouthpieces were completely finished by them too, but some are finished by the seller or someone else. Yours like a Pomarico to me, though it's possible others look the same...
 
Yes I thought about that too. But it doesn't look like a Pomarico nor does it look like a Selmer or a Vandoren. Other than having three additional grooves cut into the front side it is completely devoid of any mark, etching or other clue, short of that "sinfonic system".

Then again, I don't really care. I'll clean the piece and give it a whirl tomorrow. I like it or I won't, that's what counts.
 
So let me get this straight. Pomarico makes their own crystal mpcs, they also are stenciled. BUT if another company makes a crystal mpc on their own, it is not made by Pomarico ? :)


If you ever see an RS in an auction you have my permission, with restraint, to buy it for me. :)
 
So let me get this straight. Pomarico makes their own crystal mpcs, they also are stenciled. BUT if another company makes a crystal mpc on their own, it is not made by Pomarico ? :)


If you ever see an RS in an auction you have my permission, with restraint, to buy it for me. :)
And I authorize you to send it to me for extensive play testing to ensure he gets a good one!:emoji_rage:
 
Hmpf. Didn't know that I could do that.

If anyone happens to buy any professional instrument of any make/model, he's allowed to send it to me -- at his cost -- for in-depth performance testing. Each testing session will last for no more than a few years ....
 
On topic, I Googled and found another eBay ad for the same kind of mouthpiece. Take a look at this. You might be able to contact the buyer or seller to see if either has more info. The buyer looks like he likes the mouthpiece ....

Edit: and I did more searching with the Google. I'm not a mouthpiece guy, by any estimation, but the Pomarico seems to be one of the few "crystal" mouthpieces I saw with that metal band under the cork. I don't even know if "sinfonic sistem" is a brand/trade name or if it's supposed to = "symphonic system" in whatever language. A language guesser gives up quickly. However, I can say that "sinfonic sistem" = "sinfonic system" in Italian and Pomarico mouthpieces are made from Italian -- Tuscan, to be more specific -- crystal.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So let me get this straight. Pomarico makes their own crystal mpcs, they also are stenciled. BUT if another company makes a crystal mpc on their own, it is not made by Pomarico ? :)
I guess this was a reply to me. Maybe it's a language berrier but I can try to explain better.

Yes, Pomarico makes their own crystal mouthpieces and also stencils. Some of those stencils apparantly don't really have any clear signs that they were made by Pomarico. With the rest I just meant that there are crystal mouthpieces not made by Pomarico. I didn't actually know that until I saw one for the first time. My point was that although this one might not be a Pomarico, it most likely is, unless there is something I'm missing or is not visible in the photos.

Yes I thought about that too. But it doesn't look like a Pomarico nor does it look like a Selmer or a Vandoren. Other than having three additional grooves cut into the front side it is completely devoid of any mark, etching or other clue, short of that "sinfonic system".
In what way doesn't it look like a Pomarico? Maybe others notice things I missed, or the photos don't show enough details, I don't know.
It has the metal shoulder at the outer edge of the tenon like a Pomarico (BTW not having it is not a sign that a mouthpiece isn't a Pomarico).
There is no tenon soulder at the inner side, same as most Pomaricos.
It doesn't have the Pomarico stone which isn't a sign of anything as many were made without them.
I'm not sure what are the three grooves on the front side (is it visible in the photos?).
AFAIK a lot of the Selmer and Vandoren mouthpieces were also made by Pomarico, finished by either Pomarico and sometimes possibly not by Pomarico.
 
I took the liberty to create a new thread in the mouthpiece section, just to keep things neat and tidy. :)

Posted some pictures there. Let me know if you want to see more or other stuff.
BTW amazing what a simple smart phone camera is capable of these days. I rarely use my "proper" apparatus any more.
(and no, it's not an iThingy)
 
A small update:

Yesterday I finished the refurbishing (carefully avoiding the terms "overhauling" or "remanufacturing" as some minor issues remain which can only be addressed with swedging pliers and other hardware) of my Marigaux and got prepared for a good honk-in tonight.

Very nice, I did a good job, yadda yadda, strange, it's on the flat side, and somehow the finger spacing feels different. Get tuner. Duh. Half a note flat. Wait... <grabs reference instrument> okay, that explains. My Marigaux is an A clarinet.

Not exactly what I had in mind when bidding, but hey, I can now aim at a professional career, lend it to a friend who needs one twice a year, brag in online newsgroups, ...

Now the only missing specimen in the collection is a contrabass, and maybe an Ab piccolo...
 
Last edited:
wow, a $70 "A"

what you may want to do is practice on the "A" alot more, assuming you plan on playing "A" stuff.

I like playing alot of Mozart in which the A comes in handy though I might start trying to play everything in electric bass just for the wazoo of it :)
 
I like playing alot of Mozart in which the A comes in handy though I might start trying to play everything in electric bass just for the wazoo of it :)
I'm pretty sure Moe would've liked it.
Would you play the QotN Aria for me, please?
 
Get tuner. Duh. Half a note flat. Wait... <grabs reference instrument> okay, that explains. My Marigaux is an A clarinet.
The same thing happened to me, but it was more embarrassing. The clarinet came in the morning mail. Checked it against a tuner (but just watching the lights, not the note appearing on the tuner). OK, intonation's not bad. Took it to a concert band practice that evening. The truth came out when we tuned. Oh well, I got everyone's attention with a single note.
 
The same thing happened to me, but it was more embarrassing. The clarinet came in the morning mail. Checked it against a tuner (but just watching the lights, not the note appearing on the tuner). OK, intonation's not bad. Took it to a concert band practice that evening. The truth came out when we tuned. Oh well, I got everyone's attention with a single note.
LOL! I was close to stranding on the same beach...
 
Now the only missing specimen in the collection is a contrabass, and maybe an Ab piccolo...
Eb octobass and Bb octobass. You got a basset horn and a basset clarinet?

:p
 
wow, a $70 "A"

what you may want to do is practice on the "A" alot more, assuming you plan on playing "A" stuff.
+1. My wife has a Marigaux Bb that looks very similar to your A horn, so I know it's not only a good price, but it's a good player. Hey, I'm pretty positive you can at least resell it for at least $140.
 
Back
Top Bottom