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 Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: Mario Poirier 
Date:   2003-12-29 20:22

Happy New Year everybody:

Has anybody out there tried (and stayed on) the new Vandoreen M56 or the Vintage XL? If yes, would you kindly post am informal comparision with the V12 both in a chamber music context and in an orchestral context?

Since they are difficult to get in Canada at the moment (no local distributor so custom clearing is an expensive pain), I want to see if getting them is worth doing at all by polling a few actual users first.

Regards,

Mario Poirier

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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: lyn 
Date:   2003-12-30 00:41

My husband and I have both tried the 56s, and are not too impressed.... bought several boxes in several different sizes a month ago. LOL we haven't even gotten as far as "a chamber music context" because we haven't found any that work all that well in our studios, let alone be able take them out the door yet. Truthfully, they are ordinary at best. One box lent one good reed, you know? SOS

Stick with the V-12s....it's just another marketing gimmick, like the "hand select" reeds (you know, they stick their hand in a basket of reeds, pull out a bunch and "select" them).......

They may not be available in stores in Canada, but you can buy them online and usually they will ship there. BTW if you buy them from Weiner's, they cost almost half what a friend of mine paid for them in a store.....so it's an even smarter move. That is, if you want to spend the money on iffy reeds to begin with!

~L



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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: GBK 
Date:   2003-12-30 00:50

I wrote about the Vandoren 56 reeds when they first became available.

My review is here:

http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=121293&t=121293

Since that time, I have resampled them and my opinion has not changed...GBK



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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: Alseg 
Date:   2003-12-30 01:39

I also tried the Rue Lepic.... ho hum. On the UP side is, well...the price.

Now what is the Vintage XL?
A coupe?
Does it come with a Hurst shifter and a Hemi?

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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: Mark Pinner 
Date:   2003-12-31 03:17

Even in Australia the supply of Vintage, Vintage XL and the other Reeds Australia products are a little unreliable. I try to use, when they are actually available, the Vintage D, German Cut, non filed, and have been waiting over a month for a box. It may be the fault of the wholesaler rather than the manufacturer but 1 month + to get a box of reeds from one Australian city to another is ridiculous. I would order more if they were guaranteed to arrive.

I know the exact model of reed is not the same but some of the comparisons I have made may apply. The Vintage reed is durable, I would get about twice the length of use over a Vandoren, in my case White Masters. The Vintage, which have very dense cane, take a little more time to break in and it is advisable to work in advance on this. Sound wise, the main characteristic of all the Vintage models is the woody sound. The sound has a little more character than other reeds. Strength wise the Vintage tend to play a little harder than the corresponding Vandoren number, especially with thicker blanks. Another advantage of the Vintage is that they handle a lot more air, this is important in my field, Jazz. For reference I am using a Zinner J95 or S90 with a string lig and #3-4 reeds.

If you read this board Michael please hurry, I have managed to get 2 boxes of White Masters while I have been waiting. You are doing yourself out f business!

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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: larryb 
Date:   2003-12-31 15:30

just bought a box of rue lepic 56s and have tried a couple. too early to pass judgement, though they remind me more of the traditional than the V12 that I use (thinner and narrower in my judgement).

one thing that attracted me was the availability of a 3.5+ strength - somewhere between 3.5 and 4. Is it possible that this fine tuning of strengths might lead to a higher rate of playability out of the box? I don't fiddle with my reeds - they either work or go in the trash.

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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: GBK 
Date:   2003-12-31 15:34

larryb wrote:

> one thing that attracted me was the availability of a 3.5+
> strength - somewhere between 3.5 and 4.


Gonzalez FOF reeds are also graded in quarter size strengths ...GBK

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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: EEBaum 
Date:   2003-12-31 21:14

The 56 seem to run a quarter soft compared to V12s. My box of 56 3.5s is a bit soft... I'll have a more definite opinion once a box of 3.5+ arrives.

-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com

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 Re: Reeds: M56 and Vintage XL
Author: Alseg 
Date:   2003-12-31 23:08

I mentioned the Rue 56 above
I don't know anything about the XL

But...Recently I tried Rigotti Gold (strength $4-m) and liked them. The tip shape is slightly more arched than the V12s, so I thought I would have trouble with my mouthpieces (which have a more V12-ish arch), but they played nicely. I may order another box.

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