 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: myrnabs
Date: 2006-02-25 22:25
Can anyone tell me how the Gonzalez reeds are? Size wise and sound wise. Also can anyone tell me if they have tried any Clark W. Fobes mouthpieces? I hear they are especially good, just wanted some feedback cause they are rather expensive.
Post Edited (2006-02-25 22:25)
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Author: Bnewbs
Date: 2006-02-25 22:37
Gonzales FOF reeds are thick cut with really mellow sound. I like how consistant and smooth they are, but I like a darker more clear tone so I use Oliveri Elites. I have only tried one Fobes mouthpiece (CF), which had pretty unbelievable resonance through the range. I like Grabner mouthpieces (more reed friendly, better articulation for me anyway) better but thats just me. remember that different mouthpiece/reed/clarinet combinations will have different results but thats my two cents.
Ben
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Author: seafaris
Date: 2006-02-26 00:13
I have played both Gonzales type reeds. Also I have a Grabner mouthpiece and Fobes. My clarinet is a Leblanc LL.
The FOF's are very consistant slightly darker sound. I think the thin blanks play a little brighter more like a regular vandoren. I also think they both play at about the same strength as the regular vandoren. They are more consistant than the vandorens, but when you get a good vandoren they just have a certain ring to them.
I love my Fobes 4L, it is very free blowing and plays brighther than the Grabner which is his older jazz model. The Grabner is just slightly darker and has a little more resistance. They both seem to be reed friendly, but with cane reeds the Fobes was easier for me to play. Lately I have been playing #3 Legere reeds, and the Grabner mouthpiece plays better. I am going to try a slightly harder reed with the Fobes to see how it plays.
The bottom line for me is if you want a free blowing brighter mouthpiece the Fobes would be my choice. For a slightly warmer sound with a little more resistance Walter Grabner would be the winner.
From everything I hear Walter is very accessable and would do what he could to make your happy, the same with Clark Fobes.
Hope this helps.
...Jim
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2006-02-26 01:06
Hi,
The gonzalez FOFs work best on mouthpieces with a short facing. The Fobes is a 30-32 or so, so you should have some pretty good results with this combo.
Good luck
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-02-26 01:36
RodRubber wrote:
> Hi,
>
> The gonzalez FOFs work best on mouthpieces with a short facing.
Actually it is the other way around.
The Gonzalez Regular Cut reeds work best on mouthpieces with either a medium or a shorter facing.
The "Regular Cut" Gonzalez reeds are one of the most overlooked reeds in the Gonzalez line. They are made from a slightly thinner blank than the standard FOF reeds but with the same cane.
The reeds (as mentioned above) are built on a thin blank template, with no tapering toward the butt end of the reed. The blank thickness is similar (or perhaps even a bit thicker), than a Vandoren Blue Box blank (2.8mm) The reeds are single cut (one scrape) with a pronounced U shaped cut on the bark - as opposed to a flatter shaped bark cut which the FOF reeds have. The difference in the U shaped scrape is similar to what you would see when comparing a V12 and a Blue Box reeds, although those brands are both file cut type reeds. When compared to an FOF type reed, the tip curve is identical, but the blank does not taper to the butt end, and the reed is slightly longer.
One aspect of them which I like is that the initial scrape starts slightly higher up on the reed, thus making them an ideal match for those not using a mouthpiece with a very long facing.
If you play a medium length facing these reeds work perfectly. I also like the fact that these reeds seem to break in a bit quicker than the FOF's, but last as long, or in some cases, even longer.
As most younger students are not using very long facing mouthpieces, these are, IMO, a much better alternative than regular Blue Box Vandorens, but at the same relative price point.
Personally, I think that today most clarinetists (amateur and professionals) are playing reeds which are just too hard - trying to get that elusive dark sound.
Remember - In the era before V12's and aside from the small percentage that played Morre and Olivieri, the majority of players did use (and had great success) with the original Vandoren Purple Box (now Blue Box) reeds...GBK
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Author: clarinetgirl09
Date: 2006-02-26 02:30
I just bought a box of the Regular Cut Gonzalez reeds, and, personally, I don't like them. Maybe I just had a bad box or something, but none of them play. My mouthpiece has a medium facing, with a closed tip openning. But these didn't work, I was really dissapointed. I had expected them to be of better quality; at least worth the $15.00 that I paid for them, but I was wrong.
It was probably just a bad box, but I probably wont be trying them again until I get a different mouthpiece that might suite them. I guess I'm just the only one so far who doesn't seem to like them.
But I'm just going to stick with the Vandoren V12s for now. Until something better comes along. I do, however, like the Vandoren 56s. But, they don't work too well with my mouthpiece (Pomarico Crystal, Emerald M), they don't quite cover up the width of the facing. I get the best results with the V12s.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-02-26 03:33
clarinetgirl09 wrote:
> I just bought a box of the Regular Cut Gonzalez reeds...
> but none of them play...
> But these didn't work, I was really dissapointed.
I've had (and currently have) students using Gonzalez Regular Cut reeds quite successfully on Pomarico crystal mouthpieces
Please try and elaborate as to why you think they didn't work for you.
Too hard? Too soft? Wrong tip shape? Disliked the projection, sound, response, etc...
Thanks...GBK
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2006-02-26 15:43
GBK, you said
<<Actually it is the other way around.
The Gonzalez Regular Cut reeds work best on mouthpieces with either a medium or a shorter facing.>>
I know thats what you, and many others have been saying on this board from time to time, however, it is not the case.
I have tested those reeds extensively, and they work best with a mouthpiece facing that is 32 or less. That is why daviecane website also sells a hawkins mouthpiece, which actually has a facing length of 29 or 30. If you try the fofs on a mouthpiece that has ab out a 34-36 legnth, which is actually my preference, a large part of the reed does not vibrate.
This may only apply to me, but i don't think so. If you look at the people who are succesful with these reeds, most of them are playing the short faced zinner style mouthpieces.
My theory is also supported by many of the custom mouthpiece makers who i have spoken to about these reeds.
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2006-02-26 17:52
Just to add another item into the mix in hopes of bringing a little insight regarding this subject....
Zinner mouthpieces generally require what measures as a shorter than average facing and seemingly closer tip opening compared to all other mouthpieces...and those unorthodox combination of numbers belie the actual feel of the facing. They can be misleading for several reasons.
The most important reason being the "swoop" of the tip baffle and it's relationship in distance to the vibrating reed. If one put traditional longish breaks and openish tips on these mouthpieces (especially the "A" models), they would feel too loose and open - much like a closer saxophone mouthpiece might feel.
So it is always problematic to compare ANY facing number from one type of blank to another since the interior dimensions of the chamber - especially the tip baffle - effect the feel of the facing to a very large degree. Comparing Zinner numbers to Vandoren numbers for instance, is like comparing apples to oranges insofar as how they feel relative to one another.
And this doesn't even take into account several other factors that don't allow strict A/B comparison by way of facing numbers only.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2006-12-07 23:31
I was just wondering I play now on Grabner AW-personal mouthpiece and Gonzalez FOF no.3.25. reeds. I used to play on BAY H1 MO-L and H2 Medium M-M with V-12 no.3.5 reeds. I find that V-12 works better on BAY and FOF better on Grabner although on his website he recomends V-12 and FOF reeds for his Kaspar and Chicago mouthpieces but only V-12 for his AW,AW1 and AW2 personal mouthpieces. Then I've been trying Alexander Superial DC reeds which has slightly longer facing than V-12 and they don't work on my Grabner AW or AW1 mouthpieces or my Zinner 421*M which is Medium facing with 1.09 tip opening at all.I even reject them as horrible reeds on the Zinner blanks but accept them as outstanding reeds on the BAY blanks(Babitt blank I believe). My teacher use Grabner KXZ_13 (which has medium facing as my AW and also similar or even the same tip opening) and V-12 reeds,AW said to be 1.04-1.06 opening and the KXZ_13 1.05-1.06 opening. Why when we both used before BAY H1 MO-L and had very good succes with V-12 reeds but not now when we are both playing the Grabner ? The facing length of my Grabner is about 17mm but the BAY MO-L facing is around 22mm. Does the facing have to be only 1-3 mm longer so I would have better result with V-12 reeds or is it just the different blanks?
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Author: susieray
Date: 2006-12-08 00:21
FWIW I use Gonzalez FOF 3.5 reeds on a Grabner Chicago mouthpiece. This mp has is a fairly short facing on a Zinner blank. I normally play mouthpieces with a longer facing, but this mp happens to work best on my C clarinet (not that that has anything to do with the subject at hand).
Anyway, the FOF reeds work great on this mouthpiece (for me)
Sue
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