Berg Larson Metal Mouthpieces

[ghostler]

I have a story that does contain some clarinet content, so please bear with me. 📶🛜📡📡📶🛜

Back in the early 1970's when I was with the Hawaiian Army Bands. Because the Arnold Brilhart (Rico?) mouthpieces were so inexpensive, our Band Supply room was always stocked with all sorts of sizes new and used. We could freely try them out, if we liked one then keep it and put it to use. They were black with a diamond shaped white insert on top, of a plastic softer than hard rubber. They would last a while if one put on a rubber teeth guard, but I never bothered. After a time they'd developed heavy teeth marks.

Vietnam War ended in 1974, Army was drawing down strength. Our 264th Army Band at Fort Shafter, Honolulu was deactivated in Sept. 1974. Half the band got transfer orders to other bands out of state. About 15 of us got orders to the 25th Infantry Division (ID) Band at the Schofield Barracks Army Base near Wahiawa, in the center of the island, about 35 miles from Honolulu.

Chief Warrant Officer McKinney was elated that his band now was being influxed with good players. Because of the war, very few were enlisting for the 25th. He had a struggling rag tag band. First rehearsal, he now had a "real band". We increased band strength to about 30 including leaders.

I was the ranking woodwind player, a Speciast-5 (same pay as a sergeant. In WW2 we were called Technical Sergeants. This allowed one with technical expertise, say medical, electronics, band, etc. get promoted without leading a combat team.) I was officially designated the Woodwind Section Leader. We had a rag tag group of 9 woodwinds: a flute, 5 clarinets and 3 saxes versus 5 trombones, 7 trumpets, 1 French horn and 7 percussionists. (Some doubled on Euphonium, so all brass bases were covered.)

I approached our enlisted bandleader, Sergeant Major Henry T. Tamaha, suggested if he allowed me to rearrange our woodwind section to a saxophone choir, we could deeply improve the music mission in marching and stage band. After he approved, now we had 1 piccolo, 2 first altos, 2 second altos, 3 tenors and one baritone sax.

To increase our volume to punch through the strong brass, I convinced leadership to allow our supply sergeant to purchase Berg Larson Metal mouthpieces. Since these were very expensive they were hand receipted to each of us. (Other mouthpieces were considered consumables, not accounted for unless someone abused the privilege - Army has ways to teach them.)

The clarinets and flutes play all the frilly stuff, but saxes oft carry the more important countermelodies in marches. Major General Brooks, the 25th ID leader and his staff became pleased as punch with the band's new "full" professional sound that for the remaining time I was with them, they left the band alone. We got out of ammunition depot guard duty, painting buildings and yard work, kitchen assistant duty (KP - "kitchen police"), because our leadership told them that we could not have a band if these tasks took away musicians.

Today things have changed. The 25th ID Band is considered a choice assignment being the only Army Band in Hawaii.

This is my Berg Larson moutthpiece story. 😃

(Note, I have a certificate of appreciation from the 25th ID to substantiate this but not a method to show it here.) 🔒

[lydian]

Great story. Mine is shorter, but kind of funny.

13 year old me (in the late 70s) had just switched to tenor in middle school band. I wanted to sound like Lou Marini from the SNL band. I saw him playing a slim, silvery looking mouthpiece, as best I could tell on my TV. Problem was I had no idea what it was. Months pass, and I go to the state fair, and there's a cover band with a killer sax player. Sounded like Lou (but wasn't him of course). I gather up my courage and went to talk to him after the show. We're in the south, and this guy has a really thick Brooklyn accent. "What kind of mouth mouthpiece is that?", I asked. He shows me, I see some cursive engraving I can't quite make out, and he says what sounds to me like "Buoy Glysen".

Excited, I go to my local music store and ask for a Buoy Glysen and they look at me like I have two heads then suggest a Link. I try it out and hate it. So the search continued.

Months later I end up at all-state and see a couple of guys with the mouthpiece I'm searching for. Finally I take a really close look and make out "Berg Larsen" and it all made sense. Went back to the music store and ask for the right thing, and they have at least a dozen tenor pieces that I try out. End up with a 120/0 SMS, and over the next few months get much closer to that Marini sound I was after. Played that mouthpiece for nearly 40 years.

Incidentally, a new Berg at the time cost me about $70, which was a lot of money back then. But I had saved up quite a bit mowing lawns and had cash in hand when I went back to the music store. My parents happily went along with whatever I was doing since they were grateful I was doing well in school and in music. They were very supportive and didn't mind me practicing at all hours as long as I did it in the farthest room in the house.