Klarinet Archive - Posting 000109.txt from 2008/05

From: Martin Baxter <martinbaxter@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Reeds
Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 07:50:27 -0400

I used to find that the Rico Royals were generally consistent through =20=

the box both for saxes and clarinets. Their strength 2 Soprano sax =20
reeds also worked well on my Tarogato You never seemed to get a bad =20
one but they were never as good as the best Van Doren. However I =20
could usually play on every reed in the Rico box. As most of my work =20=

was as a doubler in the pit consistency was what I needed.
I had some very nice clarinet reeds from Reeds Australia but I don't =20
know if they are still available. I'm now using up old stock.
Rico produced some excellent Bass Clarinet reeds which they =20
circulated to CASS members for evaluation but the ones I liked never =20
seemed to appear commercially.
On Bassoon and Contra I generally make my own, although when I could =20
get Cecil James, bassoon reeds I didn't bother; his reeds were superb.
For Bassoon Brittania offer a good range and do trial packs of =20
various types which you can return if unsuitable - probably unhygenic =20=

but very handy. I don't know of a similar service for clarinettists =20
but they don't have to pay =A310+ per reed.
Martin
On 19 May 2008, at 03:37, Marcia Bundi wrote:

> Can we have a discussion about reeds?
>
> The recent thread on Vandoren's cost and taste has prompted me to =20
> say that
> the last box of V12s I've been working through has had absolutely =20
> terrible
> quality. The debarking cuts are cockeyed, and the cane's fibers are =20=

> extra
> coarse and stick out of the face of the reed. (The fact that I =20
> don't know a
> lot about adjusting reeds is yet another source of frustration but =20
> not what
> I'm aiming at on this thread.)
>
> So, what do you use and why do you like them? Not, "because they =20
> make me
> sound better!" What is it about the quality of the cane and its =20
> handling
> that you like?
>
> To start with, players whose opinions I respect have recommended =20
> Glotin for
> the high quality of their cane, and Legeres for their consistency and
> stability.
>
> Marcia in MT
>
>
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>

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