 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2008-05-30 13:40
Help!
Can anyone give me some tips on getting rid of the buzzy, stuffy, airy quality from a Vandoren V12 reed? A couple of new boxes seem to have this problem. Making them thinner (i.e. like a Gonzalez) seems to help but doesn't completely cure the problem.
Thanks in advance!
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2008-05-30 14:07
I've been having this problem too, and have heard the same from several other since Vandoren changed to the flow packaging. What a silly idea it is for them to have done this! Whether they have also changed something on the reed as well I am not sure. In any case, I would also be interested to hear if anybody has ieas to solve this problem.
By the way, I DO have the ATG system which worked well on my older V12s, but it doesn't seem to help this stuffiness of the new reeds much.
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Author: William
Date: 2008-05-30 14:37
Switch to trombone..........(??)
Seriously, you are experiancing the same thing I posted regarding the new "Flow Pacs" which I still am having troubles with. They just don't seem to have that old Vandoran "zing" and are thuddy in response. I did get better results after letting them cure on glass for a couple of weeks and by switcing mpcs--from my old Chicago Kaspar #14 to my Ithica Bay or newer Gregory Smith "Cicero" model. But they still haven't completely come around to where I would like them to be and I don't know what to do. I have been using some Rico Grande Concert Selects #3.5 which play well "right out of the box" and are consistant. However, for me, they do not last and die rather quickly.
I am going to try a couple of boxes of the traditional Vandorans with the more rounded tip configuration and see if they perform better. But I really think that with these new Vandorans, we are all going to be searching for answers for a long time to come. Why they redesigned the "good thing" that they had going for so many years is a mystery to me. And the new "Flow Pac" is just another bad idea, IMHO. It is not more "sanitary", does not provide humidity control--ever see condensation on the inside of a sealed clear container??--and simply addes expense to the production process which they pass on to us, the consumer. Those little sealed sleeves are a "pain" to open and ultimately only provide more plastic to our already overfilled landfills. Arrgggh!!!
I long for the "good ole days" when Vandorens came in boxes of 25 and were simply graded 21/2-3, 31/2-4, etc. When you found one of those "good" reeds, they lasted for more than one gig and let you sing with your clarinet. VD--over there--are you listening???
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-05-30 16:00
I started playing Vandorens in 1958, when they came loose, 25 or 12 to a purple box. The word then was that the current ones weren't very good compared to the ones made in the early 50s, and that professional players never used anything less than 25 years old.
I'm sure Stadler complained bitterly about reeds, and Denner probably did too, starting the day after he invented the instrument.
And see http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=197901&t=197808.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2008-05-30 16:17
Ken- so are you implying that there has been no change to the reeds whatsoever, and that our complaints are purely imaginary?
Or are you saying that reeds just get worse and worse as the years go by? Gee, imagine how good the reeds must have been in 1695! :-)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-05-30 19:02
My first suggestion should be obvious, change the style and or brand of reed. Otherwise try sanding the bottom of the reed on very fine sand paper and make sure they are sealing on the facing of the mouthpiece. Next, try sanding the bottom of the vamp slightly but make sure the tip is well balanced first. I put cuts in the bottom of the vamp and the bark near the end of the vamp too but it’s difficult to explain that in this format. If all else fails, the wall test will give you a good idea if it was worth the trouble. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-05-30 23:33
Wow I'm not the only one!!!!!!!!!!
That's why I switched to Zonda and I am very happy with that switch. Until Vandoren gets rid of the flow packaging I refuse to buy their reeds. One, It's an environmental hazzard. I mean come on, how many people actually recycle all that freakin' plastic? I did when i used them, but most don't. Two, they are a MAJOR pain in the butt to open. I rarely had problems with them in the old packaging.
oops. This thread gonna turn into a Vandoren thrasher.
I still like their mouthpieces though (although I don't play one) and their ligatures, especially the leather one which I do play.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2008-05-31 08:52
I really don't want this to turn into a Vandoren-bash, more just looking for advice on reeds in general.
I have an audition in a few days so it's too late to change brand, but will look into doing so VERY shortly after...!
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-05-31 16:16
I made some suggestions above, try them to see if it helps. It's either a cane problem or a balance problem. If it's a cane problem you can't do anything about it. ESP, www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2008-05-31 20:45
The new flow-pack packaging is definitely worse on the reeds, in my opinion. That said, the plastic wasted in the packaging does pale in comparison to industrial plastics waste. I don't think that arguement holds much water.
So I'll suggest this: buy what you need to make your own reeds and do it.
If that's not an option, from now on buy the reeds in larger quanitites, open up the flow packaging immediately and let them sit for a couple months before breaking them in. This usually improves some of the "oomph" of these reeds.
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Author: Snowy
Date: 2008-06-01 02:58
Morrigan,
Best of luck with the audition and please let us know how it went.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2008-06-01 07:24
J.J. wrote:
"the plastic wasted in the packaging does pale in comparison to industrial plastics waste. I don't think that arguement holds much water"
Yes, and single murders pale in comparison to full-scale genocides. J.J. I don't really get your logic here??!
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