Klarinet Archive - Posting 000696.txt from 1997/05

From: HinotesInc@-----.com
Subj: Re: Zonda Reeds
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 09:34:24 -0400

Hello everyone-

Thanks to all of you who had good things to say about Zonda Reeds over the
last week or so. There is one comment (a concern) that I have seen repeated
over and over, the issue of longevity, and I would like to offer my advice on
that subject.

We grade our clarinet reeds to 20 different levels (actually with the
proprietary strength grading machine we developed we can grade even finer
than that, but we feel 20 levels is sufficient). Within the conventional
half-strength system, which we use on the outside of the boxes, we have our
"sub-strength" grading. This is an optional method which lets you really
fine-tune your strength preferences. On the label on the back of the box you
will find a 7 digit lot number. The right hand digit is a letter from A-T,
and this represents the actual sub-strength of all the reeds in that box.
This results in our being able to offer you a soft, medium, or hard in almost
every conventional half-strength. This chart will explain it, I hope:

2.0- soft@-----.5- soft= D, hard= E
3.0- soft@-----.5- soft= I, medium= J, hard= K
4.0- soft@-----.5- soft= O, medium= P, hard= Q
5.0- soft= R, medium= S, hard= T

The differences between each sub-strength are negligable, and most people
find they are comfortable playing more than one sub-strength. (They are
already playing a range of strength that is equal to 3 of our sub-strengths).
If you find that the reeds are not lasting as long as you would like, we have
had very good success asking people to try the next harder sub-strength. They
may not play as well right out of the box, but as the reed "settles" (as
every reed does) it will still have the body that you need, and should last
longer. If you break your last reed, and in an emergency need a reed to play
immediately without break-in, play the lighter sub-strength. We have been
able to fix most of the longevity problems people report to us by educating
them about the sub-strength system, so I hope it works for you.

It is possible that your local dealer may have some reeds from before we
began the sub-strength process. These reeds will only have a 6 digit lot
number. They're still good reeds, but they will have a range of strength like
a conventional reed. Ask them to get some sub-strength graded reeds for you
to try.

We also offer a Ready To Finish (RTF) reed that has most of the manufacturing
done to it. This is for the player who has the skills to make their own
reeds, but not the time or the inclination. It's left a little strong so you
can adjust it to your liking, and the tip is not cut so you can shape it to
precisely fit your mouthpiece.

Good luck!

Mike Abbott
President
HiNotes, Inc. (a sister company of Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc.)