 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-06-17 20:15
i bought gonzalez reeds, FOF(i don't knmow the difference between the different gonzalez reeds), and they wre wonderful, i instantly fell in love with them. I had to shave them down because, despite what everyone says, the size i use with vandoren was too hard with Gonzalez, that size being 4. I shaved them down a little bit with my need reeed resurfacer by Vandoren which basically made them all playable. Probably for that that day and maybe 2 days afterwards, the reeds still played very very well.
OK, i left them in the box taht they came in because, i have the vandoren reed holder that holds 8 reeds, but it seems like it helps the reeds warp, so i left them out in there original little paper holder in the box. They all warped. Thats not the problem though, because whem my Vandoren reeds warped, i straightened them out and usually they played fine. SO i straigtened them out and they don't play so well. Staccato is hard, the tone is not good, more prone to squeaking, its just bad, i feel like im playing on Rico reeds.
So my question is, do gonzalez reeds not play well after they warp? Was the reason that they went bad is that i didn't have them in a case and instead left them in the original box and original packaging?
Also, i've heard that there are Mozart Gonzalez reeds, what are these? are they more intended for classical players? I could def. use both, since im in high school and have all sorts of things involving many different kinds of music.
Who ever takes the time to read all of this, thank you very much and i will truly appreciate what ever comments you guys have to offer.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-06-17 20:29
I use Gonzalez (FOF 3 1/4 and Regular Cut 3 1/4 ) reeds exclusively.
I suggest you read the suggested break-in procedure for Gonzalez reeds as outlined on the Davie Cane site:
http://www.daviecane.com/Pages/FAQ.html
You will notice a very important sentence written by Phil Shapiro:
"Stop adjusting reeds that aren't broken in yet!"
I think that may have been your mistake as to why your reeds are behaving erratically.
I good rule of thumb to follow is that your reeds, when first tried, should play at the correct strength for you or just slightly harder. If you find yourself needing to appreciably shave or sand down the reeds to get to a playable state, move down in 1/4 size increments until you find the correct reed strength.
The Gonzalez Mozart reeds have a different template design than the Gonzalez FOF or Regular Cut reeds. They are a bit shorter in overall length, are slightly wider at the butt end and have a different tip thickness. I find that they produce a dark, centered, and slightly covered sound. They are packaged 12 to a box, in 1/2 size strengths and are produced in smaller quantities because they are hand finished...GBK
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-06-17 20:34
just to keep the variables straight, do the reeds immidiately start behaving unusual after u shave them when they arent broken in yet?
o, and thank you very much for the advice, would have never known that
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-06-17 20:54
All reeds need to settle into their "playability" state. This takes between a few days to a week.
During this initial time they will play differently each day, until they finally stabilize.
All adjustments, in my opinion, should be avoided until the reeds break-in...GBK
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Author: DavieCane01
Date: 2004-06-17 22:30
Chris,
Glenn, as always, has given you the right advice. You're basically doing the last step of your reed prep at the beginning. Bad news.
Call me sometime, 866-292-5037 and we'll se if there's a better size for you to start on. We can also discuss break-in and handling if you're so inclined.
-Phil
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-06-18 12:54
I use the 2 3/4 FOFs and they work fine for me. I think maybe the thicker butt explains the problem you're having.....in conjunction with maybe more than the usual amount of shaving.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-18 13:34
Bob, if you have a thick butt and need a lot of shaving, you have bigger problems than your reeds.
![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-06-18 19:07
lol@msloss
anyway.....yes, ill see if i can get in touch with u , and i think i am so inclined
Post Edited (2004-06-18 20:59)
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Author: Valley Clarinet Girl
Date: 2004-06-19 07:56
Gonzalez reeds are extremely moody and unstable until they are broken in. But the results can definitely be worth the wait. Do NOT even think of taking out the reed knife until they have stablized. What I usually do is soak a box (in saliva or tap water) for about a week before I play on them. While you're checking email is a great time to do this. Then, during my warm-up, I play on them one by one for no more than 5 minutes each. I place them on a flat piece of glass (picture frames are great) after I've played them. I place them in order of best to don't even bother with. Because of their moodiness, my order changes from day to day. After a reed feels like it has been playing the same way for at least 5-7 days, THEN I take the knife to it. These reeds seem like a lot of trouble but they do seem to hold up really well once they are broken in. I really appreciate the cane quality.
Hope this suggestion helps.
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