Note of my experiments with clarinet mouthpieces and (mostly synthetic) reeds. I plan to update this as I try different equipment.
When I first got into synthetic reeds, I spent most of the time trying to find a good combination of mouthpiece/reed/reed cut/reed size, and I wished I had a resource like this - so here it is!
Bb clarinet
BD5 with cane
My setup for a while was a Vandoren BD5 with V12 3.5+ to 4 reeds. After playing on this setup for a while, I was frustrated about how many bad and stuffy reeds I’d get. Knowing what I know now, I probably just needed to move down to V12 3.5 or 3.25 reeds - but I didn’t know that, so I went down a deep synthetic reed rabbit hole that I never came out of.
BD5 with synthetics
After that, I tried my BD5 with Legere European Cut reeds. I tried multiple reeds in every size from 3.25 to 4.5, but personally could never get this setup to sound good. Throat tones were always low (even though my BD5 is at 442), I found it difficult to project in a chamber setting, and my sound was always missing that core I’d get with a good cane reed on the BD5. Also, if you’ve played on this setup for a while, you might know that there’s a very specific “synthetic articulation” sound that this mouthpiece/reed combo has. I’ve since met people who could make this setup work, but it didn’t work for me, so I moved on.
Next, I tried my BD5 with Legere Signature Soprano Sax 3.5 reeds. This setup sounds amazing, beautiful, dark, etc, and I got quite a few compliments on my tone during this time. I even played my whole senior recital on this setup. However, this setup has two huge tradeoffs.
- Ridiculously resistant. Seriously, your embouchure needs to be in Olympic shape to play this setup without your embouchure blowing out after 10 minutes. I still can’t believe I made it through a whole recital on this setup. You end up having to bite quite a bit as well, which doesn’t help - but softer reeds of the same cut are too buzzy on this setup, so you can’t move down a strength. Sadly, not all of us have embouchures like Andreas Ottensamer or Michael Robinson.
- Quiet. You’re fighting for volume against both the resistance of the setup and the darkness of the sound. The darkness means you blend well - maybe a little too well, and that’s not always what you want. I’d be maxing out in orchestral settings and was still told that I needed to play louder.
Playnick Puccini Tosca
The setup I’ve landed on is a Playnick Puccini Tosca with Legere European Cut 3.25 reeds. It’s incredible what a synthetic reed can do on a mouthpiece that’s built for it. I did have to try 3 different Puccini Tosca mouthpieces (I ordered them from Silverstein), and they all played quite differently, so that’s something to keep in mind. The only tradeoff I can find with this setup is that altissimo is still a bit difficult, but everything else is amazing.
Notes on the Legere French Cut
The French Cut is the best Legere reed so far, and to me, the primary selling point is that it “acts like cane”. That is to say: it doesn’t necessarily feel like cane, but it seems to perform well as a drop-in replacement wherever cane reeds play well. This minimizes the amount of work needed to find a good synthetic-friendly mouthpiece. It actually sounds quite good on a BD5. However, because I’m already on a synthetic-friendly setup, I still prefer the PlayNick Puccini Tosca/Euro Cut combo.
Another difference I’ve found is that altissimo doesn’t sound nearly as thin or require as much work on this reed, which is a common issue on other synthetics.
Bass clarinet
Many people I know play on a Selmer Concept with Vandoren ~3s. This seems like a good default, but I’m not ready to pay that much for a bass mouthpiece yet.
BD5
Started on a BD5 with Legere Signature bass clarinet 2.75 reed. It was difficult to play loudly on this setup, and playing in Team Lo-Blow (Dr. Stefanie Gardner’s low clarinet ensemble), I wanted more volume. I’ve tried this setup with the European Cut, but it’s the same issue.
B50 with European Cut
Since then, I’ve been playing on a Vandoren B50 with a Legere European Cut bass clarinet 2.5 reed. The 2.75 is too resistant. This is a synthetic version of Michael Lowenstern’s “B50 with ~2.5 Vandoren reeds” setup (at least, that’s his setup from what I can tell from his website).
To be honest, the throat tones sound just a bit thinner and less warm than cane, but everything else sounds great. I haven’t played much altissimo on the bass clarinet, so I can’t comment on how it sounds there, but altissimo is usually an area where synthetics fall short, so you’ll have to experiment with that.
In terms of tone quality, it’s a bit bright - I think I’d eventually like to sound more like Edmund Welles or Squonk (I’m pretty sure Jon Russell and Jeff Anderle both play on Clark Fobes mouthpieces). To be honest, I don’t know if that type of sound is even possible on synthetic reeds.
I’ll stick with this setup for now, as I’m making a lot of progress on this setup and I still have a lot to learn from it. The B50 provides a lot of flexibility, so lots of room to continue exploring.
B50 with Tenor Sax American Cut
Update 10/4/2024 - I’ve recently been experimenting the the Tenor Sax American Cut 2.75. This works much better than the European Cut. After more time on bass, I started to notice limitations of the European Cut on the B50:
- The 2.5 is too free-blowing, making is difficult to control, especially with softer dynamics. Altissimo is difficult.
- The 2.75 is too resistant. Articulation is stuffy.
The Tenor Sax American Cut reed has solved these issues for me - it’s a good amount of resistance, and feels and responds similarly to a 2.5 blue box Vandoren. Articulation is amazing, and it’s much easier to control at softer dynamics. The tone is a bit brighter - which I guess is because it’s made for jazz players, but this ends up pairing well with the B50 to allow for great projection when needed.
Notes on Legere French Cut Tenor Sax reeds
I tried Legere French Cut Tenor Sax 2.75 and 3 reeds on my B50. When synthetic reeds don’t work on your mouthpiece, they have a specific “synthetic buzz”, and that’s what I was getting with these. I wonder if they’d work better on a different mouthpiece, but it’s hard to beat the B50/Euro Cut combo.
Contra alto clarinet
C*
I initially started on a Selmer C*, with a Legere classic contrabass 2.5 reed. This setup is okay. Cane reeds would probably work better on the mouthpiece if you’re willing to deal with contra reeds.
Adapter with B50
However, my favorite setup so far is
- Angled bass clarinet to contra alto clarinet mouthpiece adapter
- Vandoren B50 bass mouthpiece
- Legere European Cut bass clarinet 2.5
Great setup and great sound. This setup is Dr. Stefanie Gardner approved. However, it requires much more air than the C*. Just have to plan breaths accordingly. Maybe there’s some room to try a lower strength reed here.
Contrabass clarinet
C*
I didn’t get a chance to experiment with a lot of contrabass setups. I usually use a Selmer C* mouthpiece with a Legere classic contrabass 2.5 reed. Honestly, it’s not a great setup, but it beats dealing with contrabass reeds. I think a different mouthpiece could make this setup more workable. I’ve heard the Grabner mouthpiece is good. Or if you’re willing, just use cane reeds - the contra clarinets don’t have as much room to explore for synthetic-friendly equipment.