 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2022-08-22 06:20
(I recognize this might be a bit of a stupid question given that Légère probably wouldn't make a Bb contrabass reed if it weren't moderately equal in size to what another reed manufacturer is producing, but I'm not actually aware of the size difference)
I've been tasked with playing Eb contra alto clarinet, and I'm looking to get a synthetic reed because of how easily the cane reeds warp due to their size.
My instrument came with blue box Vandoren Bb contrabass reeds which fit the mouthpiece (no clear model details on the mouthpiece because branding has worn off), but I'm not entirely sure if I get a Légère contrabass reed it'll be the correct size.
The closest argument I've found to my question is here:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=263734&t=263734
where it says you can use bari sax reeds, but how close in size is a Légère bari sax reed to a Vandoren Bb contrabass reed?
I'd rather avoid buying both a Légère contrabass clarinet reed and a bari sax reed "just to be safe" since they are on the expensive side.
Post Edited (2022-08-22 18:01)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2022-08-22 21:33
The Legere and Vandoren contrabass clarinet reeds are roughly the same size and are interchangeable. The Legeres do seem to be a bit stronger however and a 2.75 Legere feels more like a 3 Vandoren to me. Bari sax reeds work on Selmer/Bundy instruments but if you have a Vito or Leblanc it will not fit.
-JDbassplayer
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2022-09-06 07:57
Attachment: 20220905_224555.JPG (565k)
UPDATE! Since I couldn't find a picture that compared the two reeds side-by-side, I will help answer this question for the next person who has to ask this question.
See the attachments for a comparison on size. In short, @JDBassPlayer was correct. For a Selmer Bundy E♭ contrabass, you can use Légère contrabass clarinet reeds.
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Author: Jarmo Hyvakko
Date: 2022-09-08 16:44
Don't hesitate trying sax reeds in clarinets. For example some old warriors thought, that Rico tenor sax reeds were the best bass clarinet reeds. The whole legere european cut thing started from mr Morales trying legere soprano sax reeds in the clarinet. I was delighted to find out, that legere american cut alto sax reeds are superb in the basset horn (got a tip from legere). The classic double base clarinet reed by legere is quite stiff qnd stuffy like all the legere classic clarinet reeds. If i ever would end up in situation that i was forced to play the double bass clarinet i would definitely try legere american cut bari sax reed.
Jarmo Hyvakko, Principal Clarinet, Tampere Philharmonic, Finland
Post Edited (2022-09-08 16:45)
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Author: manuel78
Date: 2022-09-08 21:07
In my opinion, Vandoren's blue box reeds are kind of the standard for manufacturers when creating a classic french style Clarinet reed. Then, it is very easy to find which reed would be the equivalent in other manufacturers, you just have to find which is their "classic" model.
Legere has the Classics, which would be like vandoren traditional, but it is aplicable to other brands too:
- D'Addario Reserve Classic
- Gonzalez Classic
- Marca Tradition
...and so on.
The key words are filed cut, classic, french style, regular french blank.
If it has a narrow blank or a thick blank, then the approach is not the same as Vandoren's Blue Box.
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