 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Melissa
Date: 2003-12-14 00:03
I was wondering how does the optimum ligature play? Is it really worth the price? What types of styles do you think each plate is best for? Which plate is best for slow expressive pieces, which is best for fast "in your face" peices?
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Author: KLee
Date: 2003-12-14 01:12
Pardon my bluntness but the optimum ligature stinks!!!!
This is my opinion of course, but I think your money would be better spent on buying a BG super revalation lig if you havent already done so, but if you have, try a rovner, or my favorite the inverted bonade once you tweek the rails of the ligature to lay flat on the reed instead of around it(which is a production flaw by LeBlanc). The bonade is truly the best in my opinion.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-12-14 01:38
You have to think, the money on a ligature might or might not be worth it. Has your old ligature been working and you're just thinking about experimenting? Or is your mouthpiece really unresponsive and you're thinking a ligature could help that?
If you are looking at a new ligature, I'd recommend both the Gigliotti ligature and the Francois Louis ligature. I use the FL, but I previously used the gigliotti. They both worked great for me. I just wanted a ligature that wasn't plastic with plastic screws (I tend to overtighten and the screws kept snapping).
Alexi
PS - The gigliotti ligature is a great value for the money. With the FL, you'll be forking more over, but I thought it was worth it.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: krawfish3x
Date: 2003-12-14 02:07
i personally love the Optimum ligature. i think it plays great and and you can change the plates for any situation. definately worth the money.
heres a basic idea of the 3 different plates in a nutshell:
plate #1(vertical lines/wave): easier articulation
plate #2(horizontal lines): more centered tone
plate #3(four dots): more flexability
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-12-14 02:47
I have used three Optimums (clarinet + 2 saxes) for a number of years and like them mainly for their convenience/ease of use.
I've never noticed that changing ligatures had a significant effect on anything.
Hans
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-12-14 03:33
KLee said:
> the inverted bonade once you tweek the rails of the ligature to lay flat on the reed instead > of around it
Actually, the bigger problem with the newer generation of Bonades is that the bands encircling the mouthpiece touch the edges of the reed, thus defeating the intended design of the ligature.
Use two needle nose pliers to rebend the ligature so that the metal bars are the only thing making contact with the reed...GBK
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2003-12-14 08:12
the optimum is a great ligature. It depends on what you are looking for. Cloth can dull/darken the sound and what not. Not to offend the BG buffs out there but I don't see many people using them. The majority of people i have played with whom are good have played on the vandoren or the bonade. as far as the plates are concerned... i haven't switched plates, ever. Find one and stick with it. It is your responsibility to make the difference in tone and what not for a particular piece of music.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2003-12-14 13:09
I largely agree with Hans. The Optimum is well made and a pleasure to use, but whether it does anything significant to the tone is questionable. My other ligature is a BG standard (a soft lig with no insert) which is about is different from the Optimum as you can get, but the difference in tone is small. I find the Optimum very slightly easier for crispness of articulation, and the BG to give a very slightly darker sound. But I'm not at all sure I could tell them apart if I didn't know which I was playing.
If you get the Optimum, be aware that it is much cheaper to buy it with a plastic cap than with a silver one.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2003-12-14 21:21
actually don't buy the vandoren cap at all. The luyben caps are under two dollars and won't make a huge clang if dropped in a concert hall and doesn't warp or bend.
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Author: Burt
Date: 2003-12-14 22:55
I wonder...Do the German clarinetists have long discussions on what is the best string to use to tie the reed to the mouthpiece? Or how to knot the string? Or whether to wind clockwise or counter-clockwise?
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-12-14 23:26
In my experience Germans don't seem give a toot how you hold your reed in place. What comes out is what matters.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: John B
Date: 2003-12-15 23:04
I like this ligature because it's easy to loosen and tighten. I don't think the plates make any difference. I've filed down the one with 4 dots on it so that they don't dent the reed - then you're left with a smooth plate to hold the reed against the m'piece.
But, I've already got through two of these confounded ligatures - they both got metal fatigue at their weakest point on the lower collar, and split. I sent them back to Vandoren's hoping for a refund, or at least an explanation, but I've heard nothing (mind you - why should they bother? - I still went out and bought a third!). I'd be interested if anyone else has had this problem. I know I over-use them, with my excessive reed-trying habit, but I think they should be manufactured to a higher specification.
Oh yes - and I like the look of the silver/brass combination.
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2003-12-15 23:19
Yes, people who use string as a "ligature" do discuss which type string is better, how and where the highest point and amount of tension should be, how many loops, where to place the end of the string, etc... They are nothing as non-ending as the type of ligature discussions held here and in person between clarinetists.
I go back and forth between string and non-string (metal or rovner-type)ligatures depending on various factors such as how long is the concert, what type of music, which instrument, do I need to make a lot of changes, where am I playing (hall or studio) and personal feeling for how reed and ligature combination are sounding/feeling that day.
Tom Piercy
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Author: jo.clarinet
Date: 2003-12-16 05:40
I still vote for velcro - quick and easy to put on, and very effective!
Joanna Brown
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-12-19 11:09
I have recently tried using one of the Velcro "straps" and must say I liked it well enough that I'll continue. The idea of pre-setting it and just pressing it in place is very handy. It doesn't seem to slip either.
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