 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ashley
Date: 2000-12-29 20:58
I just got back from the music store (needed some new reeds), while I was there i figured "hey, everybody seems to love vandorens, i should try a few". so i got some, brought them home, and they sound awful!!! I know theyre probably not supposed to play playable right out of the box (even though my LaVozes are...) but they sound terrible!! Everybody's been telling me "get vandorens, theyre so wonderful, why in the world are you using LaVoz, theyre horrible, blah blah blah..." I dont get it... somebody enlighten me please...........
-ashley-
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Author: Al
Date: 2000-12-29 21:34
Nothing.
Use what ever plays best for you.
Did you know that Rico makes:
Rico Royal
La Voz
Plasticover
La Voz Valentino
Mitchell Lurie
Fredrick L. Hemke
Rico Select Jazz
......and their highest quality, Grand Concert
So use what you like, as long as it plays for you.
Al
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Author: Al
Date: 2000-12-29 21:46
Nothing.
Use what ever plays best for you.
Did you know that Rico makes:
Rico Royal
La Voz
Plasticover
La Voz Valentino
Mitchell Lurie
Fredrick L. Hemke
Rico Select Jazz
......and their highest quality, Grand Concert
So use what you like, as long as it plays for you.
Al
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Author: Mike B.
Date: 2000-12-29 22:20
I just got back from the music store (needed some new reeds), while I was there i figured "hey, everybody seems to love vandorens, i should try a few". so i got some, brought them home, and they sound awful!!!
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Vandoren reeds usually play just fine, but they often require some work with sandpaper or a reed knife to make them play their best. Also, some reeds will require a "break-in" period for optimal performance and sound. And finally, some reeds sound better on certain mouthpieces. Your actual milage may vary. My personal preference is for the Rico Grand Concert's.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-12-29 22:28
You probably got the wrong strength. Vandorens run harder for the same number than almost anything else on the market so the reeds are probably too stiff for you. In general a person should get a 1/2 strength lower (in some cases even a full number lower) in Vandorens than what they would choose in other brands.
By the way, I have no trouble playing the Vandorens straight out of the box but they do play better after a little breaking in.
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Author: Anji
Date: 2000-12-29 22:56
I have had roughly the same experience with Vandy (blue box) #3- #3.5.
I found 10-20% really good out of the box, and maybe 10% as salvageable.
The rest never played well. I now play the V12, which I like better for overall tone and buy a heavier strength (#4-#5) and sand them down.
The Rico Grand Concerts are quite good, but need the same sort of attention as the heavier V12.
Here's the bottom line, play whatever gives you the best compromise between cost and quality. Some of the big dogs will go through a THOUSAND to get concert quality reeds. I certainly don't have that kind of money.
If you prowl eBay, you can find some really good values which is a cheap way to try different brands.
Drop me a note off-line and I'll hook you up with one of my sources.
anji
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Author: Yusuf Zaid
Date: 2000-12-29 23:07
Discussions on reeds are frequent. What it usually boils down to in the end is you play whatever suits you. Reeds, like ligatures and mouthpieces, have characteristics that suit some people and not others. It's a personal thing.If you are dissatisfied with what you have got, play around a bit, see what's on offer and try them out.
Myself, I tried several combinations and settled for Rico Grand Concert, a nameless used mouthpiece and a Rovner ligature. I later changed the reed to a Legere plastic reed and I am happy , for now, with that setup. I have ordered a Hite Premere mouthpiece and I shall try that.
When all is said and done, it still remains a personal thing. Your playing technique may change, your embouchure may change. Who knows!
We are fortunate that there is so much on offer and the combinations are endless.
There isn't one perfect setup for everyone, there is only the perfect setup for yourself.
Have fun and take care.
Yusuf
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Author: Rob
Date: 2000-12-29 23:27
The best Vandorens I have ever played are some that I bought in high school (25 years ago, in the little purple boxes I'm sure you old timers remember) and forgot about until my mother was cleaning out her attic last year. It seems a little aging did them a world of good. Out of two boxes, nearly every one (to varying degrees, of course) was pretty good to wonderful. I decided to not open the new box I had just purchased for another year. When I finally opened that box a few weeks ago, they were also much better than I had been experiencing with Vandoren. I had heard from some folks that none of the manufacturers seem to age their cane long enough anymore. Maybe it's true. I never thought much of the advertising claims that some made about cane aged for som many years, blah, blah, but maybe there's something to it.
Play what works for you and if something doesn't, put it in a drawer for a few years and try it again. Who knows?
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Author: William
Date: 2000-12-29 23:47
IMHO, VDs have a certain refined sound that is not found in other reeds. On the downside, it is hard to find a reed "out of the box" that will play superbly for you. Most have to be worked on to perform and some will not play no matter what sanding, burnishing or balancing heroics are inflicted upon its face and back. Regulars (blue box) are good, but I prefer the V-12s because of the thicker stock gives me more cane to "work" with. The upside is that once you find a reed that plays well, it will probably be better than any other commercial reed available and it will last longer. Opinions vary, but this has been my experiance with VanDorens over the years. For the record, I have also used Ricos (regular, Royal and GCs), LaVoz, Zondas and Marca. On my mps, VDs have played the best--but you have to search for the "right one" and "play them in." But, it might be prudent to remember what the great Duke Ellington said, "If it sounds good, it is good." He wasn't referreing to reeds, but he might have been. Use what works for you--it may take a while to discover which reed that is. Good luck, and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!
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Author: Julia
Date: 2000-12-30 00:28
Vandorens are good reeds--kind of a standard. Just as a note, there isn't really a difference between regular vandorens and V12s other than the fact that the V12s are thicker at the bottom(like william said)--and this doesn't change the sound really.
I find vandoren reeds actually fine to play out of the box...of course with reeds it always depends on the reed and on the weather of the day. Also, what mouthpiece are you using? Vandoren reeds tend to need an open mouthpiece. Also, what Dee said is true...what strength did you buy? One other point in fact is that vandoren reeds, in relation to lavoz reeds, last a lot longer. Lavoz reeds are very playable out of the box and for me atleast are far too soft and are no longer playable within maybe a week. (that also depends on how much you practice though)
Anyway, thats my story...I like them--its just a matter of what you're used to.
Julia
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Author: Ashley
Date: 2000-12-30 01:53
I have a B45 mpc, and the reeds i got were 3.5s... youre right, one of the problems was they were too hard... but after i sanded them waaaay down so they werent too hard, they still sounded really bad....
-ashley-
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-12-30 13:40
Julia wrote:
>
> ... Also, what mouthpiece are you using?
> Vandoren reeds tend to need an open mouthpiece.
Whether you need a more open or closed mouthpiece depends on the reed strength not the brand. For example (for me), I find a Vandoren 3.5 to be just right for my B45 mouthpiece. For the 5RV, I need to clip the reed a bit as the 3.5 is a bit soft for this mouthpiece. I tried a #4 on it but that was too hard for me.
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Author: Anji
Date: 2000-12-30 16:28
Hey Ashley,
Are you breaking the reeds in over a week or so?
Alot of these need a little exercise to get into playing shape.
Mario LeMieux laced up for less than 20 minutes on his return to the ice, but will probably play longer as the weeks pass.
Even the great ones need a little "tune up".
anji
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Author: mw
Date: 2000-12-31 02:16
Tom Ridenour & people like him who know how to work reeds (& break them in) get many, many good reeds from Vandy boxes of 10. I think all reeds are somewhat alike in this respect, although the Vandy's have that left side characteristic.
fwiw, I recently tried the (new) Grand Concert Select Evolution by Rico and **REALLY** liked them. Have only tried 2 thus far, but I was very pleased.
I don't think any reed plays perfectly 100% of the time. Change humidity, change reed or reed attributes.
Happy New Year to all.
mw
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Author: Gene Wie
Date: 2000-12-31 11:22
Give the reeds from Peter Ponzol a shot. Haven't tried his clarinet ones yet, but I use his reeds for alto sax (3.5) and out of my last three boxes (in a nifty cylindrical packaging I might add; but no, this has no influence on my assessment of these reeds =) I've gotten at over half of them good to play for performances. This is in stark contrast to the Vandoren 3.5's I was buying before, which gave me just as much irritation as my clarinet reeds...one out of a box made it to a concert.
But then again, you can find Vandoren's in any music shop that stocks stuff for wind players. I've only found Ponzol's by mail order through the Woodwind and Brasswind.
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Author: Robert Carrillo
Date: 2000-12-31 19:38
I like Vandoren V-12s (I play on strength 4) and I've found that some are usually playable right out of the box, but there is no doubt that you need to work on them with sandpaper and a knife to have them function up to their true potential. Also Rico Grand Concert Select Evolution is a good brand, but they seem to be consistently stuffy.
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Author: Roger
Date: 2000-12-31 23:59
I usually use V12's -- and recently tried some Vintage XL's -- I was pleasantly surprised and even my teacher commented on the "nice reed " -- I have to fiddle with them same as the V12's . The XL is a thicker reed like the V12.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2001-01-01 01:59
We use VDs (my son plays as well, and will play better within the year), and I have found that I learn to play each reed in some sense. I am certain that I am not breaking them in but learning to get around them. I have used the Rico Royals (again changing my technique to accommedate the reed, as best I can), he would not.
Is this normal (changing yourself to work the reed)?
My son has grown very fussy and loves to smash the bad reeds. We decorated some bad reeds and put them on the Christmas tree this year, but we are bit eccentric.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-01-01 02:24
Ginny, I quit fussing with reeds several years ago and just play them. If a reed doesn't play well on a given day, I just go to another one in the rotation. The one I put back will play well on some other day. After I've rotated through all the new reeds a couple of times, it seems they all play reasonably well. So I would have to conclude that I adapt to the reed rather than trying to change the reed. It seems to work. Compliments on my tone are frequent.
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Author: Robert
Date: 2001-01-01 19:50
Here is my speel.... I used to be a hardcore Vandoren user, for all of my reeded insturments. The proboblem with Vandoren is they are never constant... I mean in box you can find anywere from only 1 good reed to them all being good reeds to having no good reeds. Currently I use Mitchell Lurie clarinet reeds on my soprano clarinet, Hemkes on my Alto Sax. I still use Vandorens on my Bass Clarinet though, because I think that they actually close to a constant quality. I think that the Lurie's and Hemke's, are a little less quality than a good Vandoren, but in a good about 99% of them are good reeds, and they require little to no preporation. When I used to play Vandorens they took about a week stright of an hour per day, playing on it before it sounded good. Which is a long break-in time, which I don't have the luxury to do anymore. I find that Lurie's and Hemke's are ready close to out of the box. Well that was my speel on reeds.
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