i have 17 Bb but 24 total

sax players do NOT use a double lip. and i feel its a waist of effort and time on clarinet as well. if it was so much better everyone would use it. i have experimented with it and feel it offers no advantage. if you must try to adapt to it-get a duckbill mpc. this makes double lip playing so much eaiser.

i became intrested in the mazzeo and scored a bundy minus its bell for 10$. it arrived and to my delight its in playing condition . no work needed. now i wonder if the sound would be different with the mazzeo bell? after playing it for a while i decided the mazzeo system is a dud and no wonder it never took off. if you are a proficient player it adds no advantage. if a struggling novice -it could help but would end up being a crutch. still its a welcome addition to my collection

bay mpcs are the best i have ever played. i have them for Bb -alto and bass as well as alto sax. they were liquidating his estate on ebay and i got amazing deals . you can still pick up the Bb models for 30-50$ on ebay. the bass model is really good.

great story lisa-i had a sim experience returning to playing after 10 years. i showed up with my alto clarinet! got some funnt looks and jokes but bit has made an welcome addition to the band. when there is no music i play bass.

use golf club shafting epoxy. there is none stronger than this stuff. i glued the broken bottom tenon back on my daughters normandy 14 pleateau after proffessional repairs failed after a few months.

i discovered the silver throat back in the mid 90,s and have 2 . i needed a beater horn for outside gigs and picked up no 1 cheap at a local pawn shop. i was floored by its big voice and bought no2 as soon as i saw it -again pawnshop. . i told anyone who would listen about these on message boards but its the kind of thing you have to try to belive and appreciate. no 2 is dead mint and complete with orig bell and barrel and red leather pads. i added a deg power barrel { like it needed this} to no1 and a bell i had on hand . no mike needed on big band solos!. not till i got a mint conn 424 have i experienced a bigger clarinet voice. the silver throat is also indestructable and impervious to weather. who could ask for more in a clarinet for outdoor playing

long time jazz player -the best is the vandoren 5jb-if you have the chops for the extremly open tip. use soft reeds!. extremly flexible in tone and pitch. others i like are beechler tonalex, rico metalite, runyon bionex and swingbore.brilhart ebolim and tonalin are good candidates too. also the lakey studio is fantastic too and tunes at a442 . try the vandoren 5jb first if you dare