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Selmer Crystal Mouthpieces

Ed

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Staff member
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Who made the vintage Selmer Crystal mouthpieces? I have one and like it well enough.
 
Ed: On which of your axes do you use the crystal piece?

Steve: Check's in the mail. :-D
 
Once in a great while on the Noblet. Most of the time I play on an old Conn Steelay. It's funny that I play on that piece because I own a few much more impressive pieces in terms of names. I just like the full tone I get with the Conn Steelay.

I think most clarinet players have a sound that is too thin. I'm in the decided minority from what I hear though.
 
I've had a Selmer HS* crystal mouthpiece for about twenty five years. I picked it up at dear old Hunleth Music, on Broadway in downtown Saint Louis, spending all of about fifteen bucks for it at the time.

It was "signed" and the facing code applied to the bark end of the table with some sort of engraving tool. No other markings other than that.

While I like the tone that I get with the mouthpiece, one thing about it that I could not stand was the "sizzle" that was very audible to me (although inaudible to anyone else). The problem does not occur with other (rubber) HS* mouthpieces that appear to be identical (at least in chamber volume, checked by comparing the amount of water that fits in the plugged up chamber.).

This, plus the teeth on the glass problem that most have with these "crystal" mouthpieces, relegated the otherwise wonderful mouthpiece to the "big box of mouthpieces" that resides in the music room closet. A shame, but what are you going to do?
 
I have 2 O'Brian crystals that I really like. Both have thin clear patches to get rid of that nasty 'teeth on glass' feeling.
There are no 'thin' sounds coming out of MY clarinet. I was one of the lucky ones that grasped the concept of 'full, round, and woody' at a very early stage in my development as a clarinetist.
 
I have 2 O'Brian crystals that I really like. Both have thin clear patches to get rid of that nasty 'teeth on glass' feeling.
There are no 'thin' sounds coming out of MY clarinet. I was one of the lucky ones that grasped the concept of 'full, round, and woody' at a very early stage in my development as a clarinetist.

That's a great way to describe my idea of tone . . . with the exception of woody. Full and round.

Describe woody. I'm sure you don't mean reedy.
 
Woody is hard to put into words. It's definatly not reedy. I don't like to hear the reed at all when I play.

When I listen to ballads played by Pete Fountian I hear full, round, and 'brassy'.
When I listen to Artie Shaw play a ballad I hear full, round, and 'woody'.
Both are excellent clarinetists, yet they have different qualities to their sound.
Then there are the hundreds of classical clarinetists that have that woody richness to their sound. Maybe 'woody' sounds 'warm'?

I'm probably making no sence at all. I've got a youtube of my playing. You could listen and see if it's 'woody'. I may be totally off base on how I sound.
It's called "A little Stranger" by LakeOMom.
 
I've had crystals that "sizzle" and i've played HR mpcs that sizzle too.

It's usually related to moisture building up somewhere on the mpc where it is not flat. Usually right at the back of the window/side rail area. I've always blown on to the side of the mpc to flush out the moisture and it's seemed to work .. until it builds up again.

of course, getting the table flatten and curve corrected too usually got rid of the problem altogether
 
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