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Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic reeds - Review

Author: GBK
Date: 2003-07-25 21:01

Through the generosity of a few colleagues I have assembled enough samples of the new Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic reeds to now give them a preliminary review.

All reeds tested were the 3.5 strength. The reeds were broken in and prepared during the course of a week.

Observations:
The packaging is a bit more elaborate than the traditional or V12 reeds, but the reeds still come in the same individual plastic holders found in other Vandoren reeds.

The 56 reeds are single cut, as opposed to the the straight file cut of the V12's and Blue box.

The blank is thick (slightly more than the V12) and tapers to the butt end (similar, but not as tapered as the Gonzalez FOF or older Morré)

The tip seems to be thicker than the V12.

The tip is more rounded than previous "flat tip" V12s - they now are reminiscent of the older Vandoren reeds with the more curved tip profile.

Playing (after break-in):
The 3.5 strength of the 56 reeds seem to play a bit softer than V12's of the same strength, but the thicker tip makes them a bit darker and initially less responsive. To achieve the response I prefer, the tip needed to be slightly worked down.

Of the samples I tried, the consistancy of grading was only fair - a few played much harder than the median 3.5 and a few much softer than 3.5.

The quality of cane seems the same as the V12 - a few reeds had a nice fiber pattern extending to the tip, but the majority had inconsitant grouping of fibers, some with large gaps. Many had fibers that did not reach the tip area at all.

There were no severely miscut reeds in the samples I tried.

Most reeds played adequately right out of the box.

Conclusions:
The inconsistant fiber pattern initially troubled me, and as suspected, many of the 56 reeds had a short useful life.

Of the reeds that were the most promising, the sound is more compact, and seemingly one dimensional. I never was able to get the "ring" that previous V12's or Blue box reeds would often give. I am also a bit tentative about their projection in a large hall, however I was not able to test them in a large stage setting.

Thus, as I did not see a vast improvement in the cane quality, but merely a different cut and profile from previous V12 or Blue box reeds, at this time I do not think the suggested retail price is justified ...GBK

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