Klarinet Archive - Posting 000115.txt from 2008/05

From: Tim Roberts <timr@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Reeds
Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 12:44:47 -0400

On Sun, 18 May 2008 20:37:56 -0600, "Marcia Bundi"
<msbundi357@-----.net> wrote:
> Can we have a discussion about reeds?
>
> The recent thread on Vandoren's cost and taste has prompted me to say that
> the last box of V12s I've been working through has had absolutely terrible
> quality. The debarking cuts are cockeyed, and the cane's fibers are extra
> coarse and stick out of the face of the reed. ...
>
> So, what do you use and why do you like them? Not, "because they make me
> sound better!" What is it about the quality of the cane and its handling
> that you like?
>

This is exactly the reason I'm trending more and more to synthetic
reeds. Whereas there used to be one or two brands, with a rather
unappealing reputation, there are now almost a dozen kinds of synthetic
reeds. I've heard some people dismiss the whole genre, but I doubt
those people have really explored the array of choices today. Many of
them look like cane, many of them feel like cane, and because there are
so many choices available, you can generally find a couple that mate
with your setup.

Once you start using synthetics, it's hard to go back. The sound is
rock-solid consistent, week after week, and they last for a very long time.

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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