Klarinet Archive - Posting 000587.txt from 2003/08

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] reed question, etc
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2003 14:34:35 -0400

At 09:27 AM 8/23/2003 -0700, Sue Raycraft wrote:
>Hi guys,
>I just purchased two unopened boxes of Mitchell Lurie reeds
>on ebay. They came in boxes of twelve, so I'm thinking they've
>been around awhile and are really well-cured by now!
>Does anyone know when they quit selling reeds in boxes of 12
>and switched to 10? I'm trying to get an idea how old they
>might be.
>Also, I have noticed that these (#4 1/2) seem more like a #3
>Vandoren. Are Mitchell Lurie reeds softer? This is my first
>experience with them.

When I first started doing the school services gig, we had a few Mitchell
Lurie boxes of 12 in stock. I believe they switched to the 10's about 10
years ago. I bought a box of 4 1/2 Mitchell Luries (12/box) on eBay myself
a couple of years ago. They worked great on my O'Brien OB* crystal, but I
don't play that mouthpiece any more (just couldn't get enough volume out of
it, especially at the bottom). I LIKE well-aged reeds. I have some old
Ciccone Symmetricut 4's that I had been using on that mouthpiece, but I was
almost out, so I tried the Luries. The Symmetricuts were some 35 years
old! I wish I had not given so many away because they were too hard for me
(with a different mouthpiece at the time, of course).

Mitchell Luries ARE generally softer than Vandorens of the same
number. According to Vandoren's chart, a Mitchell Lurie 4 1/2 is
equivalent to about a 3 3/4 Vandoren Classique or a 4 1/4 V12. You will
probably find that Mitchell Lurie reeds are, in general, pretty consistent
and play well out of the box, although some find they do not last
long. I'm using 3 1/2's with my Woodwind K10M these days (=Vandoren
3). For the record, inverted Bonade ligature, clear Selmer mouthpiece patch.

...And a recently acquired Kooiman Etude thumbrest. The jury is still out
on that, and with the summer clarinet gig over and the fall mostly-sax
season coming in, I won't know for sure until later, but the initial
impression is positive. One thing it does for sure is stabilize the
clarinet on those notes where you have only your right thumb and mouth
really supporting the instrument (F through A in the throat). I had been
using a Claricord neck strap, as my thumb sagged some under the relatively
heavy summer practice/rehearsal/performance schedule. I think I like the
Kooiman better.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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