 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jacoblikesmusic
Date: 2010-03-21 04:05
Has anyone had any experience with the reed wizard? How does it work?
How does it differ from others say like the ridenour ATG system, (besides price)?
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Author: CK
Date: 2010-03-21 04:19
I have been using the reed wizard for the last 3 years, It is amazing how it balance's the reed from the vamp. I get reeds that are good or OK to be great. I also use the ATG system with it as well when needed.
You can't go wrong with the reed wizard, the best 225.00 I have ever spent!
Professor of Clarinet
Broward College
PS I use Gonzalez 3.5 FOF Reeds
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-03-21 05:21
I get OK reeds to be great in less than a minute with the ATG system. I get around 9 good reeds in a box of V-12's but the last 1 or 2 I can most of the time use for scale practice.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-03-21 14:45
It's fantastic for some things. It balances the reed in the place you can't tell needs balancing. It's not a total reed adjuster though but it's great. It balances the reed below the tip where you can't tell the reed is unbalanced any other way. When used correctly it's a great tool in your reed adjusting arsenal. I only have to use it once in a while but over the years it's more than paid for itself. It just takes the guessing out of where and how much to take off BELOW the tip. Sure you can do the same thing with other tools but you can't tell how much or exactly where to do it, this takes the guessing out of it. If you can afford it, it will eventually pay for it self. No, I don't sell it or get a commission, I just think it great. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2010-03-21 15:45
Does Ridenour's device do as nice of a job of adjusting a reed as the more exensive Reed Wizard? If so, why spend the extra $150 or so?
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-21 15:57
I was never that good with a knife and the Reed Wizard made most reeds, out of a box of ten, at least playable for practice. And made many more concert ready, in an instant. Before the RW, I rountinly went through box after box just to find a few *good* reeds, and then was usually unsuccessful in saving the rest with a knife. I would throw out over half a box of VDs every time costing me "big time". The Reed Wizard, for me, was a very wise investment.
However, now that I am using Forestone reeds (about a year), my RW has become inactive. If I ever return to cane--which seems highly unlikely--it will be put to good use again, I'm sure. BTW, since spending about a $100 on Forestone reeds, I've saved over $200 on cane--and that's just one year. Think about that!!!!!
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-03-21 16:04
Everything is fine here in Iceland. People living around the volcano erupting are though not allowed yet go back to their homes but those with farm animals are allowed to check on them. Historically this eruption is one of the smallest one in hundreds of years but it begins quiet differently from others we had in recent decades.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2010-03-21 22:05
Ben Armato demonstrated the Reed Wizard to me a decade or so ago. We tried it on a dud FibraCell reed and I got 20 weddings out of it.
It is a pretty amazing device, especially given as simple it is.
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-21 22:17
It worked on a FiberCell?? Maybe I should run a couple of my harder Forestones underneath it as they are made from a bamboo/rensin combination. I did not have ANY success with any all-plastic Legeres I tryed to fix. They just tended to shred and get all prickely on my lip.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-03-21 22:43
You know, the thing is, and I've said it many times before, you can't make a really good reed from a bad piece of cane, period. Ice and some others may get 9 out of 10 reeds in a box but that depends on their standard. They may tell me their standard is very high but I seriously doubt it is anything like mine and my symphony collogues. I can make just about any reed play using my knife and reed clipper. Having a few tools like the Wizard just makes adjusting some of my reeds easier, but it is expensive for most people. The secret is not being able to fix most of your reeds but making them sound very good and you just can't polish a turd. No one will ever convince me otherwise when it comes to reeds, or by the way, to wine. Bad grapes makes bad wine, bad cane makes bad reeds, period! By the way, bad oranges makes bad orange juice. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: salzo
Date: 2010-03-21 23:41
"Ed, when I played with Bill J. , he used every single Vandoren in the box as a matter of principal."
I heard the same said about George Silfies.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2010-03-22 00:56
(Disclaimer - I sell the Reed Wizard and ATG System)
Recently the suggested Reed Wizard MSRP has gone up but several places still?? are selling it at the older price.
In my experience the Reed Wizard is the first step in adjusting reeds but the final adjustments I make using the ATG System, sand paper, or reed rush. As noted, I doubt that you can tell from looking at a reed if the physical shape is balanced or not - the Reed Wizard corrects that. If portions of the reed are stiffer than others and the playing characteristics are askew then Tom Ridenour's DVD will tell you how to test for that and correct it with the ATG. Really experienced players can do everything with a knife but IME this takes a lot of practice and experience.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2010-03-22 04:27
I also had the Reed Wizard demonstrated to me in person by Ben Armato at his house when Jody Espina and I visited him about 8 or 9 years ago. I had already bought the RW before this session with Ben, but his personal explanations were extremely helpful. He's a wonderful person who played in the Met Orchestra for many years; he has some of the most fascinating and unique ideas on reed adjustment that I have ever heard. I would highly recommend any and all of his tools and/or publications, or a lesson for that matter (he lives just north of NYC.)
AB
AB
Post Edited (2010-03-22 04:29)
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Author: spartanclarinet
Date: 2010-03-22 14:57
I purchased a RW at the Kansas City convention a few years ago. Ben demonstrated it and it improved the feel of my reeds enough to convince me that it was worthwhile. The trouble was, when I got home, I was not able to reproduce the same good results. The reeds seemed to feel strangely harder and less vibrant than beforehand. I was getting much better results with my usual knife techniques. I since set it aside and it collects expensive dust. Now I think I've forgotten the specifics of how to use it, especially in terms of how to position the reed on the certain points. Maybe I should dust it off and give it another go. Would someone be able to remind me of the procedure? Any advice from frequent users of the device?
Justin O'Dell
http://web.mac.com/clarinetquintet/iWeb/MSUClarinetStudio/MSU.html
http://www.music.msu.edu/people/detail.php?id=83
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-22 15:17
"he [Ben Armato] has some of the most fascinating and unique ideas on reed adjustment that I have ever heard"
Ben is a master at reed adjustment and he describes many of his really unique approaches in his book, "Perfecta Reed.....and Beyond". He also shares some amusing stories from his days at the Met. A good reed....pun intended.
And Ed P--you Bostonites certainly have a unique way with words: "you just can't polish a turd". I know what you mean, but this just made me smile :>)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-03-22 15:47
William, I live in Baltimore, the other BSO, and I was born and raised in NY. That's an old saying I've heard all my life, maybe it's a NY thing.
Anyway for David and Salzo, I too use just about every reed in a box, or the ones I make, well maybe not all of those, but not in the concert hall. Sometimes the cane is just "not good enough for the concert hall but good enough other wise". ESP
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-03-22 15:58
Spartan, the way I use it is this. Place the reed agains one of the pins on the side with the tip up to the metal line and keep it secure. Than run the blade handle up and down a few times to balance the middle of that side. Then do the same thing on the opposite side of the reed on the other side of the base. Of course you can experiment with placing the tip higher of lower on the Wizard. Since I balance the tips by hand I just use it to balance the middle of the reed where I can't tell by the touch and feel method as I can at the tip of the reed. I hope this helps. Make sure you keep the reed secure with your fingers so it doesn't move when you scrape the reed. It's quite simple to use. ESP
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Author: gwie
Date: 2010-03-22 16:07
I've used the Reed Wizard for over a decade...as someone who doesn't enjoy spending tons of time fussing over reeds, the RW has made a huge difference, both for me and my students. I would say though, meeting Ben and having him demonstrate the RW is invaluable. Some of his tips aren't included in print with the device.
Yay Justin, you acquired one! I agree, getting it to function is all about reed positioning, and there are a surprising number of things you can accomplish with the RW given the relationship of the reed to the line/edge markers.
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Author: spartanclarinet
Date: 2010-03-22 18:51
Hi Gene! Yes, I think you were a big influence!
Justin O'Dell
http://web.mac.com/clarinetquintet/iWeb/MSUClarinetStudio/MSU.html
http://www.music.msu.edu/people/detail.php?id=83
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Author: gwie
Date: 2010-03-23 16:51
Dude, *you* are a big influence.
I point kids looking at teaching careers in music all the time towards your web pages to see how prepared and organized an instructor can be.
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