Recommended Clarinet Equipment

B-flat/A Clarinet

• Instrument: Buffet R-13 “Festival” Greenline, with custom cork pads and other custom adjustments by Tim Clark of Columbus, OH

• Mouthpieces: Michael Chesher Babbitt A183
• 
Ligature: Robert Scott “Superb,” Vandoren Leather

• Barrel: Pyne 1+, 66 mm (B-flat clarinet); Pyne 1+, 65 mm (A clarinet)
• 
Reeds: Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic #3.5+, Vandoren V21

E-flat Clarinet

• 
Instrument: Buffet R-13, with custom cork pads by Judi Dietz of Leavenworth, Kansas
• Mouthpiece: Vandoren 5RV 

• Ligature: Rovner 
Barrel: Buffet, 42 mm 

• Reeds: Vandoren #4

Bass Clarinet


• Instrument: Buffet Prestige Greenline (low C)

• Mouthpiece: Vandoren B50
• 
Ligature: Vandoren Leather
• Reeds: Rico Reserve Classic #3+, Vandoren #3.5

Alto Saxophone


• Instrument: Yamaha 875 “Custom” 

• Mouthpiece: Rousseau New Classic “NC4” for classical; Meyer 6, medium chamber for jazz
• 
Ligature: Winslow for classical, Harrison for jazz
• Reeds: Vandoren #3.5 for classical, Vandoren Java #3 or 3 1/2 for jazz

Other recommended mouthpieces

• Clarinet: Vandoren M30, B40, Pyne “Sinfonia” mouthpieces (for high school students, as they are quite good and considerably less expensive than his artist mouthpieces.)

• Saxophone: Selmer C* (good for both classical and jazz)

Ligatures

The new Vandoren ligatures, the Luyben inverted ligature, and many of the BG models (similar to the Rovner design) are also quite good. I recommend Rovner because of the durability (very difficult to damage) as well as the improvement of the seal of the reed on the mouthpiece, which I find facilitates articulation.