KB wrote:
...His problem was that they would soak up moisture, dry
out, soak, dry, etc. and then crack. The end of the shank was very thin and
would crack easily as well. Ward said once one cracked in the middle of a
concert and rang out like a gunshot! He tried every type of wood
he could: oak,
maple, grenadilla, ebony, mahogany, etc. He also tried various finishes,
shellac, varnish, and chemical treatments. My Dad, a chemical engineer, even
got stuff from DuPont, a mylar epoxy as I recall, for Ward to try. Nothing
really helped the cracking...
What I can tell you is that Enrico did use this ebony mouthpiece as
his main mouthpiece for years; he says that it needed special care,
including soaking in some special natural oil, but never had big
problems.
Daniel
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