A Weighty Mouthpiece Issue

So, I've been thinking. I've been playing a Selmer (D) mouthpiece on Bass for about 10 years now. It totally works. I've got two of 'em to boot! One's kinda old (I wouldn't call it vintage as it doesn't have the model etched on the table) which is really nice (basically, it plays the entire range of the horn without issue(Eb3 to Eb8)) and I have a newer one (got it in 2002) which is "FATTIE!"

Anyways, I keep thinking about other mouthpieces I should try, brands I should give a shot. There's all sorts of pieces that I've considered: a bigger Selmer, one from a new Behn line, a Fobes Debut (I have an original Basso Nova that is so old it has the hand engraved "Basso Nova" on it. Got it from Clark's booth at Clarinetfest in '98. He actually let me stand there and try 30 pieces before I bought), a HUGE Pillinger, and a HUGER Pomarico. I LOVE the "Basso Nova", but something about the Selmers draws me in deeper than the Fobes, but I can't give up on the Fobes. That sucker is one-of-a-kind.

I should speak up for Clark right here. I play a Fobes Nova on Alto Clarinet and it's as big as a howitzer



(no, really, the back end of the mouthpiece is larger in circumference than the shank on the neck) and plays that way too.

I play a Fobes Debut on Soprano Clarinet (he sent it to me free as part of his Debut program. It worked! I love the thing and sing it's praises daily!) It's not a tank, but moves like a spitfire



...and that's a good thing on Clarinet. So, the moral of this story is, Clark rocks!

On Bass, however, I'm about 1000000000000 bagillion times more discerning about my sound. If you read my diatribe on tonal profiling then you'll know that I'm REALLY particular about my sound. I've considered getting everything from something bigger, to something smaller, to something made from rod stock (like the Selmers are); I've considered upgrading on a mouthpiece I currently have (like getting a Fobes San Francisco (which is made from a Zinner blank)), and way too much more to tell. Then, the other day, I'm thinking..."What if I actually use a heavy mouthpiece?" Honestly, a heavy mouthpiece. Like, on "Good Eats" when Alton Brown always says about fruits and vegetables "They should seem heavy for their size." Should my mouthpieces seem heavy for their size...?

I did an unscientific test on my pieces (of which I have many) and I have to say the Selmers seemed heaviest, the Fobes seemed almost as heavy, and my little plastic Yamahas and Brilhart seemed pretty light. Maybe I'm on to something.

I'm going to bring the Fobes out of the dugout and bat the New D, the Old D, and the Fobes 1,2,3. I'll give it about a week, then I'm gong to weigh them. We'll see if I'm remotely right (even if it only applies to me.) Hopefully I'll come up with more questions than answers.