Klarinet Archive - Posting 000474.txt from 2003/10
From: Tom.Henson@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic Reeds
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 22:49:42 -0400
The following comments are subjective in nature and based only upon trying a
single box of the 56 Rue Lepic reeds.
My setup is as follows:
Greg Smith Chicago Kaspar Mouthpiece (Medium tip and lay)
Reed 3 1/2 strength
BG Gold plated Tradition metal ligature
66mm Chadash barrel
Buffet R13 Festival Greenline clarinet (original setup)
First let me say that I am very pleased overall with these reeds. I have
tried many brands in the last couple of years and the two brands that I have
come to rely on are Gonzales FOF and Foglietta. I have recently tried AW
reeds and like them also. I have several more brands on order and will try
to post my opinion for the benefit of the list. They are: Daniel, Vintage
XL, Olivieri Elite, and Xilema Artesana.
Here is a comparison between what I feel is the benchmark reed - Gonzales
FOF 3 1/2
Packaging
56 Rue Lepic - Excellent. Foil sealed at just the right humidity for
freshness. Should have a longer shelf life. The reeds soaked up very little
water in preparation. Package is very attractive, classy almost. Heavy
cardboard outer box with a plastic tray inside. Reusable box and can be
carried around like a wooden reed case, very strong.
Gonzales FOF - Looks like recycled cardboard. Cardboard is thin and not
really useful to transport reeds safely. Box can be crushed causing damage
to reeds inside.
Reed Holder
56 Rue Lepic - Traditional Vandoren plastic reed holder. Very strong and
reusable for a long time (what to do with all the ones stacking up in the
corner though-they never die).
Gonzales FOF - Heavy paper. Offers almost no protection for reed unless in
the box. I have heard of the reeds being damaged in the mail due to the
design of this reed holder.
Reed Blank
56 Rue Lepic - thick blank. I don't have a way to measure it, but I would
guess it is a 3.5mm blank. Length of reed is pretty much exactly the same
length as the Gonzales, maybe 1/2mm shorter. The heel is slightly wider than
Gonzales. The vamp is the same natural cut vamp like the Gonzales, not a
file cut.
Gonzales FOF - Very close in dimension to the Vandoren reed. About 1/2mm
longer at tip. Thick cut blank. Heel very slightly narrower.
Cane
56 Rue Lepic - Fibers are straight, very consistent. Density of fiber is
very similar to the Gonzales. Slight coarser fiber, but not by much. In
comparison to an original Morre, the fibers are not even as coarse.
Gonzales - Very similar to the Vandoren reed. Fibers are consistently
straight. Fibers are not any finer or coarser than the Vandoren.
Heart of Reed
56 Rue Lepic - This is where I see the biggest difference. The heart is
prominent at base of vamp and then about half way to tip gradually smoothes
out. Held up to a light most hearts taper out just past the half way point
to the tip. The heart appears to be a little narrow than on the Gonzales
which gives a very good vibration. Thus there is a little less cane on the
side rails than on the Gonzales.
Gonzales FOF - Heart is a little wider all the way to the taper point which
is about 2-3 mm closer to the tip than on the Vandoren. The Gonzales has
less taper as it gets closer to the tip with more cane in the heart. This
gives the reed a higher balance toward the tip which slightly reduces the
vibration of the tip. The heart adds more stiffness in the tip than on the
Vandoren, but only in the center of the tip.
Sound/Vibration
56 Rue Lepic - Very good vibration as you would expect from the quality of
the cane and the cut of the vamp. This is typical of the best French reeds
and is what Vandoren is known for. The thick blank along with a good heart
result in a very rich vibration of overtones. I would describe it as a
centered, but woody tone. The resiliency of the cane leads to good
articulation, very good spring back of the tip. Overall, excellent. And here
is the most startling discovery. EVERY SINGLE REED PLAYED VERY WELL RIGHT
OUT OF THE BOX, every one. There was not a dud in the 10. Several were
concert quality right away. Very little work will be needed on these reeds.
There are a couple of reeds that are thicker on one side due to the cut of
the blank, and will need to be balanced, but not by much.
Gonzales FOF - Very good vibration, but due to the heart being higher up
toward the tip, these reeds have a more compact or compressed sound. The
Vandoren is a little wider and woodier. The tip character tics mean that the
vibration is more centered in the tip and thus your get a more compact sound
without the woody edge. Some may describe the sound as being smoother than
the Vandoren.
Price
56 Rue Lepic - The more expensive reed. At about $26 dollars US they are
about $6 more than the Gonzales. However, most of that money appears to have
been spent on much better packaging.
Gonzales FOF - About $19 US. Use the extra money left over to buy a good
reed case or two.
While it is extremely difficult to describe the sound of the two reeds in a
non-subjective way, I feel it can still be helpful. Hopefully some will
think so too.
I know that this comparison is not scientific in absolute nature, but if
more people could comment on their experience one might be able to see a
pattern emerge. All things are subjective though in the end, and every one
has a unique setup.
The 56 Rue Lepic reed works extremely well on my setup and would make
Vandoren happy that at least for me, they have succeeded in making a
consistently good reed that I feel can compete head to head with the
Gonzales FOF.
Tom Henson
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