Klarinet Archive - Posting 000187.txt from 2004/06

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Reeds
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 10:19:27 -0400


Ormondtoby Montoya wrote,
>But over the years, I haven't (to the best of my memory)
>encountered even a single reed that lived up (down?) to
>the dire warnings. Most reeds need a bit of adjustment,
>of course; but no reed that I've purchased has approached
>the extreme disasters described in the book.

Bill Hausmann wrote,
>>That's just it. People HAVE made that calculation,
>>and found that it is worth the money, or the lack of
>>aggravation, to buy pre-made reeds. That is why
>>virtually everybody uses them nowadays.

Usually, my experience is similar. I rarely find a commercial reed that's
unplayable enough to throw away unused, but I encountered one of these
rarities just two weeks ago, while trying out a four types of reeds on the
Bundy 1440 EEb contra-alto with Selmer C* mouthpiece that I just bought
from Jim Lande. Several brands and types of reeds will fit (or can be
adjusted to fit) that mouthpiece. I had some here already, since most of
the same reeds also work with my mid-1920s Buescher 2 bass sax mouthpiece
that I use with a 1926 C. G. Conn bass sax. The factory defective reed was
a brand-new "plain old Rico" no. 2-1/2 (box labelled for contra-alto /
contrabass clarinet and bass sax). This particular reed was unevenly cut
and also had an irregularly-shaped, raised ridge, about 1/4" long, near the
right edge of the shoulder, just below the heart of the reed. Otherwise,
the cane quality looked okay. I thought maybe a little bit of sanding
might save this reed, but no. As it dried after I soaked it for the first
time, before I'd ever played on it or attempted any adjustment on it, it
split wide open, lengthwise, from the tip about halfway down to the bark!

By the way, this list turned out to be a great time-saver in finding the
right reed for this new-to-me clarinet. The list Archives include messages
from several different people, recommending the Rico Royal no. 3 baritone
saxophone reed for the Selmer C* mouthpiece on a Bundy 1440 contra-alto.
Since none of the reeds I already owned for bass sax quite satisfied me on
the contra-alto, I went down to Foxes and bought some Rico Royals, a brand
I've never used on another instrument. You folks were so right, at least
for my embouchure on this particular mouthpiece. Changing to the bari sax
reed made a startling difference: cleared up stuffiness in the lower part
of the clarion range, nearly eliminated a problem with crossing the break
upwards (the rest of that problem is my fault, because it's improving with
more practice as I get used to this instrument), and gave me much better
overall balance in tone quality between clarion and chalumeau.

There are some fairly drastic differences in cut and cane between different
brands. It pays not to get too stuck on the idea that one brand is "best."
For me, "best" depends on the brands of instruments and mouthpieces.
Differences that may not be too obvious in small sizes of reeds for soprano
clarinets add up to major differences in the larger sizes. Here are the
measurements I got on the four types of reeds I tried on contra-alto
clarinet, before adjustments:

Vandoren CR153 French cut, no. 3:
(labelled for contrabass clarinet; tested best on 1957 Selmer contra-alto
with Fobes mpc)
Total length: 3-3/8"
Length from tip to end of taper at shoulder: 2-1/8"
Total width at end of stock (Bark end): 11/16"+
Maximum thickness at the stock (bark end): 3/16"

"Plain old Rico" American cut, no. 2-1/2:
(labelled for contra-alto and contrabass clarinet, and bass sax; I
alternate wiht no. 3 for bass sax)
Total length: 3-5/16"
Length from tip to end of taper at shoulder: 1-13/16"
Total width at end of stock (Bark end): 11/16"
Maximum thickness at the stock (bark end): 5/32"

"Plain old Rico" American cut, no. 3, very old stock:
(labelled for contra-alto or contrabass clarinet and bass sax; my best for
bass sax)
Total length: 3-5/8"
Length from tip to end of taper at shoulder: 2"
Total width at end of stock (Bark end): 11/16"
Maximum thickness at the stock (bark end): 5/32"

Rico Royal French cut, no. 3:
(labelled for baritone sax; my best for Bundy contra-alto with Selmer C*
mpc)
Total length: 3-9/16"
Length from tip to end of taper at shoulder: 1-13/16"
Total width at end of stock (Bark end): 5/8"
Maximum thickness at the stock (bark end): 5/32"

The baritone sax reed was the only one of the group that needed no
adjustment to fit the lay of the C* mouthpiece. The others were enough
broader that they squeaked until I sanded them down.

Lelia Loban
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/LeliaLoban
Re-defeat Bush in 2004!

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