Klarinet Archive - Posting 000687.txt from 2003/07
From: "DJ" <deej.wv@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] New type of reed by Vandoren
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:57:31 -0400
I have a question and an observation on the reeds mentioned here, and
Vandoren in general. I have played clarinet for 37 years, but didn't start
using Vandorens until late in HS, when they were in the purple plastic
boxes. About a year ago I picked up a Selmer BT clarinet on eBay, and when
it arrived discovered a couple of old boxes with unused Vandorens still in
them, about forty total. The seller believed they were from the fifties when
his brother was using the clarinet.
The boxes are pasteboard, and looked like they held a dozen or so reeds
originally. All these reeds are REALLY thin...no marking as to strength, but
they compare to about a 3, surpirising since they are SO THIN, and were
still clean enough I have tried a few...and they're WONDERFUL, so I'm
hoarding them. The grain runs so perfectly all across the tip of every reed,
and they need almost no adjustment. They are not much different than a
dozenl boxes I got when I was fortunate in HS to travel to Europe and visit
the Vandoren factory in 1974, and got to spend two hours with my old Buffet
picking them out myself.
So out of curiosity I started digging out a few of those Vandorens I still
had stashed...then came across some 80's-vintage Vandorens in a closeout at
an old music store...then got out some from the mid-nineties...and after
looking at this cross section of reeds over about a fifty year or so period,
can see the progressive decline in quality of their over the span of years.
I was fortunate to study with a university professor in high school who
forced me to learn to care for and adjust reeds properly, and even learn the
basics of making making my own, and can remember thirty years ago how common
it was to be able to use nearly every reed in a Vandoren box of 10 with a
little work, and won't tell you how many I was able to use out of the last
couple of boxes of V-12's after MUCH work. I am always watching the posts
here and looking for good new reeds, and ways to work around too much time
spent working on them for the amount of time spent playing these days...so
I'm using all these older reeds as sparingly as I while working in a few new
ones as well. Thanks to all of you who lend your advice and personal reed
tips here.
>>>I wonder whether all these new "thick blank" and now "even THICKER blank"
reeds are not simply a reaction to problems of lower quality cane. When cut
to traditional standards, perhaps too many reeds were winding up as 2's.
Cutting them from thicker blanks would produce more reeds from the same
hardness of cane? Just some speculation...<<<
Bill Hausmann
If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!
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