Vandoren 5JB & 7JB Bb Clarinet Mouthpieces

These are the jazz clarinet mouthpieces in the Vandoren lineup. The 5JB has been around forever, and the 7JB is the newer, even bigger sibling. How big? The 5JB is already huge – its tip opening is 1.47mm. (For reference, a B45 is about 1.20mm.) The 7JB is (are you sitting down?) 1.70mm, which is the largest tip opening Vandoren makes for Bb clarinet, full stop. For reference, some BASS clarinet mouthpieces start in the 1.80s. 

Both have long facings, and both want soft reeds. This is where people get into trouble: they put their usual V12 #3.5 on one of these and wonder why they can't get a sound out of it. Don't do that. Start with a Traditional #2 or #2.5 on the 5JB. On the 7JB, go softer still — a #1.5 or even a #1 is not an admission of weakness, it's how the mouthpiece is designed. (I sell single reeds, so you can grab a couple of soft ones to experiment without committing to a box you'll never finish.)

What do you get for all that real estate? Volume, pitch flexibility, and a sound you can bend. Glissandi, scoops, vibrato — the stuff that's fighting you on an M30 comes easily here. The tradeoff is control: the bigger the tip, the more your embouchure is responsible for keeping things in line. If you're coming from a classical setup, the 5JB is the saner entry point. The 7JB is for players who already know they want maximum everything and are willing to work for it.

Both are available with the Traditional beak or the Profile 88, which has a slightly different angle in the mouth. Pick whichever matches what you already play!

Trials?

Now, many folks allow for trials of mouthpieces. With Vandoren mouthpieces, I don't. Why? (Is it because I'm a jerk? No.) Vandoren's manufacturing and hand-finishing process is so well-oiled, so consistent, that every mouthpiece of the same model is essentially the same.

That said, if you'd like to return it, I can accept it and sell it as used, however there is a $30 restocking fee to cover the reduction in value of the mouthpiece.