 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-12-04 21:02
For any pros out there, do you still search for a good brand of reeds or do you have one brand that you just love? I was wondering if the search went on forever, or if most people eventually find a brand that works for them better than the others.
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Author: Stephane
Date: 2001-12-04 21:51
I am not a pro, but I mostly use Vandoren and Rico Royal, but mainly Vandoren. The thing is with reeds, when you buy a box of 10, only half of it and sometimes less will work fine and produce a good sound, so even when you stick to a brand, the story doesn't end, you still have to find the right one out of the box, and start the process all over when that particularly good one that you had found will have died from too much playing...
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-12-04 21:57
I know that only a few out of every box work, I was wondering if pros ever found a brand that worked good enough for them to stop trying other brands.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-12-04 22:06
Other than making my own, which I do not find justifiable for the amount of time invested, as I'd rather practice instead, Vandoren V-12's (love them or hate them) still give my R-13, with either a Vandoren crystal or Fobes mouthpiece, that ideal sound.
Granted, the consistency of the reeds in a box is atrocious, but when the right one is found and adjusted, the sound is breathtaking...GBK (who is opening 2 boxes tonight - searching for a performance reed for Sunday)
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Author: William
Date: 2001-12-04 23:46
VanDoren V-12s for me!! I have used Marca Trads and "auditioned" a few other brands, but none seem to deliver to sound and respond as well as a good VanDoren. I do start with reeds that are slightly stronger than I need (3.5 or 4.0) and work them into playing condition with my reed knife and Reed Wizard. This usually provides me with three "concert level" reeds and the rest from a box of ten as playable for practice and rehearsal. My mpcs are an original Kaspar #14 and a Greg Smith "Kaspar" model, which plays the same but accepts slightly stronger reeds. VD Optimum lig with the parallel bar insert. Guess thats more than you asked for, sorry for rambling--Good Clarineting!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-12-05 06:34
Sarah, I believe pros are using different reeds from for amateurs even if brand names such as V12 are the same. Reed manufacturers put aside the best lots for pros. For example, Vandoren may pick up their best for Paris Concervatoir solists.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2001-12-05 12:26
I like the traditional cut Vandoren. Learn to do some work and you can get a greater number from the box. More important is that play whatever works for you. Each mouthpiece is defferent.
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-12-05 15:34
Ed, I know that everyone is different. I wan't asking what brand pros use, I just wanted to find out if they ever found one brnad that they liked and stuck with it.
Hiroshi, read some of the earlier posts. They say that this is far from true and quote vandoren himself.
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2001-12-05 17:00
MITCHELL LURIE PREMIUM......the most consistent reed I've used. Nearly all are good. (4 out of 5 anyway).......
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-12-06 02:57
ML's are good consistent reeds, but I've always thought of them as rather short-lived. If Vandorens could only be more consistent...
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Author: Wes
Date: 2001-12-06 03:29
V12's are great but one can never expect all reeds to work without making adjustments to them as you break them in. I wish people would send me for free all the V12's they say they reject. Usually, I use most of the reeds in a box.
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Author: Lisa L
Date: 2001-12-06 04:49
Sarah:
I am no pro either, but I've used Vandoren V-12's and Vandoren regulars for a long time. I've heard good things about Zonda reeds (from South America), and I've also used Black Masters.
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Author: Benny
Date: 2001-12-06 21:33
I like Black Masters and get about 8 or 9 per box. I never play a reed straight from the box, however. I find that they last longer if you go over them with a knife. (This seals the capillary tubes and the reed lasts longer because it does not become quickly saturated with saliva.) I also sand the backs and the tip. (Don't try sanding the tip unless you know what you are doing.) When I'm done I taper the bottom. I find that tapering the bottom allows the reed to vibrate more freely, well at least on my mouthpiece anyway.
Benny
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-12-06 23:15
You might want to search for and read Gregory Smith's comments on what he uses (after all, you asked for a pro's opinion - I sure don't qualify ...)
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-12-07 20:12
i have to say that i've spent some time "auditioning" different brands.... and always seem to go back to Vandoren (i like a mix of V12s and Trad). I often find something interesting in other brands (most reccently GC Evolution) but i have to say that i end up going back to a good Vandoren. On the other hand- out of my "stable" of reeds there are probably only 2 or 3 that i haven't worked on (out of about 15 i carry around in my case- only 4 or 5 would be concert reeds).
Other players (students and professional) have said to me "don't waste time trying out other stuff" and "don't waste time fixing them, just spend more money and use the time to practise"...... and, well, i'll never take that advice but there have been times when i've wised i'd done more playing and less messing around!
so..... Vandoren wins, although i have about 3 or 4 GC Evolutions that i liked, and i wish that you could still get GC Thick blank (old Blue box) 3 3/4 or 3 1/2 reeds- i actually really liked these (i have one box of 3's left but they are too soft).
donald
(i'm not exactly a professional, but i get paid to play reasonably often....)
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-12-10 13:32
I am also not a professional musician, but, for what it's worth, I have generally been using Vandoren traditionals and some V-12s, although lately I've been leaning towards Glotin for my clarinets and have tried out some Marca reeds for my saxophones, which have been pretty good.
Although I have mixed feelings about them all, I really like the Glotin reeds and will probably start using them more as I run out of this large supply of Vandorens I'm slowly, but surely working my way through.
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