The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Mitch K.
Date: 2003-01-21 03:17
Okay, what in the @!#%#$% is going on at Rico? A few weeks ago I asked my local music shop to special order some Rico Grand Concert Think Blanks (and some Evolutions, too) for me just so I could see what they were like. I found the box of Think Blanks to be surprisingly good; they weren't as good as good Vandorens, but the box was very consistent compared to VD. With that in mind I asked my local shop to order a LOT of them for me.
Friday, two of the boxes came while the rest were back-ordered. These two boxes were almost like a completely different reed! The cut is completely different--they seems to have been cut with something that left them rather shiny--the curve of the tip is inconsistant, and the quality of cane seems to be unimportant.
Can anyone shed some light on this? Did Rico change EVERYTHING on the Thick Blanks hoping that no one would notice?
From the results I got from the first box, I was ready to leave Vandoren forever. Now... now I have to crawl back to them and beg them to take me back.
thanks,
Mitch King
P.S. this also happened with Zonda with they first came out. Perhaps the problem is the reeds: it may be me, but I'm not ready to accept that yet.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-01-21 14:19
How much of this is natural variation in the raw material?
Have you investigated finishing your own? That way you could control the kind surface and tip shape you play.
I really liked the two boxes of Oliveri 'Elite' reeds made by Phil Muncy... and they were all playable out of the box.
For this kind of output, you get what you pay for (unfortunately).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
|