 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-04-26 01:40
Ok, so one of our friends decided to show our clarinet studio how to use the ATG system to fix our reeds. I swear he was like an infommericial. "WOw, this really does work!"
Lately, my problem with Bb reeds are that they are just dead. Like fluffy, unresponsive, etc etc. So the ATG system didn't really help me. And this reed issues has been going on for about 2 months. Once in a while I find one awesome reed, but lately that hasn't been the case. I have had 0 good reeds.
I could blame the weather, cuz it has been going psycho: too cold one day then sunny and hot the next! But I can't keep blaming it if this keeps up!!
Now I was wondering, how do you know if the reeds are too soft? I use a #4 Vandoren regular, and it used to be too hard for me. Before, I used #3.5 V12s and was happy with the switch to regulars (after I got used to them).
I'm afraid if I move up my reed strength, they will be too hard. And I just hitting a dry spell? The ATG did kind of make my reeds a little better, but I felt that they still weren't great. That maybe they started out too soft, and I just made them softer then balanced.
AHH! I'm going crazy.
-Contragirl
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-04-26 02:16
If you would like, mail me 1 reed.
Just one
I'll fix it for you with the ATG system and you tell me if you still don't like it.
blummy@(NOSPAM) comcast.net is my address to get my snail mail address.
All you have to loose is the stamp and the reed.
My guess would be that you are starting off with taking too much wood off of the reed (at the tip).
That is collapsing it. I would use a full strength harder with the regular vandoren than the V-12, but I wouldn't have switched from it - or would switch to the Rue Lepic or hand select, not the regular.
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2005-04-26 03:14
Contragirl,
I think im familiar with your set up, and the "ATG Spokesman" (Initials possibly TP) that you mentioned. Many of the tips of V12 reeds are totally inferior. A little flex is good, but many, even amongst the size 5s that i use, have a tip more like tissue paper. The illustrious LK brought this problem to our attention last yr, as the vandoren cane crop seemingly hit an all time low, rendering most of the reeds unplayable for more than 30 seconds.
Before you ATG the heck out of the reed, see if the tip isn't already too thin to begin with. Also, remember that TP plays on extremely soft reeds, and plays about 19 hours a day, and is generally a maniac.
Blumberg is probably right that you are taking too much wood off, if there is even enough wood to remove in the first place. Because of the inferior tips, when you do a side to side test, the side of the reed you find "too hard" may actually have a tip that is too weak to vibrate. To confirm this, do the following:
If the right side is hard, move the reed to the left, so as to bring more of the right side of the reed to the center, thus allowing more of the right to vibrate. Many times, just doing this makes the reed play a lot better. Sometimes it makes it play better for fifteen seconds, and then totally collapses the next time you play the reed, or if you move it a little more. BUt if the tip is altogether too weak, just trash the reed, and cry like i do.
Ill be around UMD on wednesday night if you want some help adjusting reeds.
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-04-26 03:33
Hott, thanks Rodrubber. You were correct with the TP assumption. I ATGed 3 reeds, and they turned out pretty well. I did the left and right test and figured out which sides of each reed were heavy, and followed the instructions to fix them. I also got the C-G-E-A out great.
But I think my "too soft" reed problem has been a problem before the ATG system fixer, which the ATG thing was about a week ago. All of my reeds have been crappy.
I also haven't used V12s in about 2 yrs, I've never gotten hand selects before, and I got the regulars for free from a friend. I've tried Austrailian VInatge, Glotins and Gonzalez, and don't like them any better.
--CG
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-04-26 05:56
From a new box of Vandorens I received about two weeks ago, I have to use a different reed almost every day becaue of the weather. I played a good reed, the next day I could barely make a sound with it, took another from the box and it was good. The day after that the new one was bad and the former was good again.
I use size 3 Vandorens, and the reeds are rediculously varied in strength. Suddenly I realize it's a good thing 
Also, I found the Vandoren regulars are slightly harder than the V12. Maybe you can try 3.5 regulars.
About Gonzalez reeds, I can understand why you idn't like them, but this is what I found about them, and it was true with all three boxes of them I've tried. They are great right out of the box, then if you play them even once or twice for just a few minutes (I checked all reeds imediately) they will become much softer in a few days. About 2-3 days after I opened the box and tried all reeds, it's like all of them dropped half a size. Now I have two boxes of Gonzalez with unplayable reeds (reeds that felt perfect right out of the box). Those were 2.75, so I am going to try Gonzalez strength 3 and maybe 3.25 too.
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