 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Noverbuf
Date: 2010-12-09 17:37
Recently on one famous auction site there were two "large" lots from the same seller: one included 21 boxes of #2 Rico Royal alto clarinet reeds, another one was 31 boxes of #3 alto clarinet reeds, the same new style blue boxes.
I watched both auctions from the very beginning, they were long-type "buy it now" listings at the same very affordable price. By the end of the first listing round the #2 reeds were sold completely, all 21 boxes and none of the 31 of the #3 boxes were sold.
They were re-listed and now make the second round.
Can anyone please tell me why? I'm not very familiar with common reed strength requirements for alto clarinet so I wonder if #2 reeds is the max strength that's usually used.
The #2 reeds were sold out in 2 to 4 boxes per "buy it now" to different people.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2010-12-09 18:17
The proper strength depends on the mouthpiece you are using. I personally wouldn't waste money buying alto clarinet reeds. Alto sax reeds will work just fine on an alto clarinet and are generally cheaper and available in a much greater variety.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-09 18:36
Rico Royal reeds are awful. I wouldn't even attempt to play an alto clarinet with anything below a #5 in this brand/style. And Steve G is correct that a much better variety is available in the "alto sax" size, which is either identical or nearly identical (depending on manufacturer) to the "alto clarinet" size.
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2010-12-10 03:26
I recently played a concert on a basset horn that I borrowed. I was surprised to find that I could use only a No. 2 Vandoren, or 2 1/2 Rico Royal alto sax reed on it. (I typically use a 4 or so on clarinet). It was kind of a stuffy horn. Not sure if an alto clarinet plays similarly to basset horn, but if so, has to do with some bore dimension that makes it resistant. I think the Leblanc I used has a larger bore dimension than other basset horns, and I'm told it plays more similarly to an alto clarinet. I used a good mouthpiece, a clark fobes.
Lori
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Author: Noverbuf
Date: 2010-12-10 05:56
The only thing I know about reed strength that was recommended by manufacturer of the David Hite alto clarinet MP that it "works best" with the alto saxophone Java #2 reeds. That's what officially was suggested in the sales advertisment for that MP.
However as far as I know the DH alto clarinet MP is modified to accept the alto saxophone reeds which should be wider than alto clarinet reeds.
Lori, what you say makes sense to me.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-12-10 12:26
Vandoren V-16 alto sax reeds fit my Selmer HS* mouthpiece with no modification. On my alto (a pro wood model, Selmer series A, from 1979), I prefer those sax reeds to the alto clarinet reeds I've tried. The alto sax reeds seem to me to give a tone that's clearer, with more consistency throughout the range. With alto sax reeds, I get a tone quality similar to that of a clarinet in A. I think reed numbers, brands and preferences are such an individual deal that I'd never buy a whole lot of reeds online in a brand and size I'd never tried before.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2010-12-10 15:40
I might have found the #3 Rico Royal suitable, but didn't have any on hand to try. I liked the Vandoren #2 alto sax reeds better than the RR 2 1/2 alto sax reeds, and I had a box laying around, so I used those. I also tried Vandoren alto clarinet No. 3 and 3 1/2, both were much too hard. The orange box Rico 3's alto clar. reeds were just bad. (The owner of the instrument provided me with the alto clarinet reeds to try, but they didn't work well for me.)
I agree with Lelia, not to buy a big shipment of something you haven't tried. I once bought 15 boxes of Xilemma strength E reeds because they were on clearance for a good price. They seem like good quality, but just the wrong strength or profile shape for me, and not something I prefer over other brands. I do use them occasionally when I experiment with my reed machine, or I find a softer one in the box. So, best to buy just one box if you haven't tried that kind before.
Lori
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2010-12-16 18:00
I play both bassett horn and alto and use a 2 3/4-3 Gonzalez Sax reeds using a Lomax bassett horn/ alto clarinet mouthpiece and a VanDoren Optimum ligature. That combo seems to really make the alto and baseett horn SING. I get lots of comments like "I didn't realize an alto could be PRETTY."
Have also used with success VanDoren 3's (both alto sax and alto clarinet) and several others.
Eefer guy
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-12-16 18:16
FWIW I bought some boxes of 2.5 Royals off a "grab bin", and am still using them with my stellar Bundy Alto / Spiegelthal mouthpiece combo.
And yes, the Alto sings, at least when I'm playing Christmas Carols in godawful weather. (next show is this Saturday, if anyone of you makes it to the Zurich Bahnhofstrasse)
--
Ben
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-12-16 19:40
> Ah, the Zurich Bahnhofstrasse! I'll be right over, Ben, please save me a seat.
Only if you promise to bring some mulled wine. Last year it was so cold that the valves of the trumpets froze.
(For the uninitiated - we're volunteering for the Salvation army - they provide the venue, we play the carols and get some exposure)
--
Ben
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-16 20:17
Sounds like you'll be getting the kind of 'exposure' that leads to frostbite, Ben! Will you be playing your singing alto clarinet with gloves on? And by all means, don't let the trumpeters waste that good wine on their valves, you'll need some of that internally to keep yourself warm....
Did we digress again? Don't you just hate it when we get off topic? Let's get back to the subject of Rico Royal alto clarinet reeds immediately.
Even though somehow Ben can make them sing, I can't use those reeds, unless they're about a #5 or harder (which doesn't exist, I realize). They're cut so thin that I would think they'd only work with very short facings on the mouthpiece.
OK, thread is back on track again. We can all sleep better knowing this.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-12-16 20:38
Hmm, I wonder what makes you think you'd need a #5. That's the equivalent of a condom carved out of a truck tyre, I guess. I must be missing something then.
(to be fair, RR reeds are รง&%*, I too prefer something less of a "PITA Royal". They're the musical equivalent of self-flagellation or the wood plank of the "pie iesu" monks in the "Holy Grail".)
--
Ben
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