 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kchan ★2017
Date: 2004-07-11 21:42
I just sent this the klarinet list .. but since the user groups are a little different I thought I'd post it here.
Folks,
Just wondering how the community deals with reeds that are wider than one's mouthpiece. Is it worth your energy to profile? Do you use a special tool or do you simply give it a go with a flat file?
Thanks,
Kenwrick
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2004-07-12 01:21
It can certainly be worth your time to adjust the profile of your reed if needed.
Items you can use to do this:
- reed profiler (a special tool),
- sand paper (preferable to a file and very easy to use),
- razor blade,
- reed knife.
Tom Piercy
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-07-12 14:17
I'm confused. Why would one even attempt to use wider reeds? Or, do you mean wider at the heel than the lay at that end? Must admit, this is a new one for me.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-07-12 14:51
Rite Bob, the use of overly wide reeds for me is the use of tenor [and alto] SAX reeds on bass cl [and alto cl] where [to me] the diff. is negligable and may be desireable, as refacing may make the mp wider! On "www.bass-clarinet@yahoogroups.com", the discussions re:contra reeds often mentions mp sizes and what/how to use available reeds. A Problem there! Also could be a problem for very small mpss. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: William
Date: 2004-07-12 14:53
For profiling, I use Ben Armato's Reed Wizard and it really helps reeds that are too stiff or with asemetrical hearts. Although I have no personal experiance, there is also the Tom Ridenour ATG product that is less expensive and revered by many on this BB. However, if you are good with sandpaper of a reed knife (with both, I'm a klutz), than that is the best way to go as they give you absolute control over the desired profile. For balancing the "wings" to my mouthpiece, I always use my reed knife.
Over the years, I have used mostly VanDoren reeds (Trads & V12s) and I've never encountered a reed that was too wide for my mpcs--Charles Bay or Chicago Kaspar. However, if you find this is a persistant problem, perhaps it is your mouthpiece that is too narrow at the tip. On some mpcs, the butt of the reed seems too wide because of the finish of the lay being narrowed. This, you need not worry about.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-07-12 16:07
Another important point is to make sure the tip curve of the reed matches the tip curve of your mouthpiece.
Not all brands do ...GBK
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Author: woodwind650
Date: 2004-07-12 18:48
kenwrick:
here's my basic suggestion. all you need is 320 grit sandpaper and a piece of glass, preferably 12 x 12 [standard tile size]. put the reed on it's side, and use one stroke straight down the length of the glass. repeat on the other side. this should get the reed to your desired width. one way to really measure is to use a digital caliper made my MITUTOYO. you can find these on Ebay. hope this was helpful.
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Author: kchan ★2017
Date: 2004-07-12 23:12
Folks,
Thanks for all the replies. For those of you who wondered by I would consider using a wider reed, it wasn't my goal to use a wider reed, it's just that some mouthpieces are smaller in this area.
You always hear the debate is to if the material the mouthpiece is made of makes a difference. I was curious so I picked up a Chris Hill faced CH blank a year or two ago. I don't use this mouthpiece on a day to day basis, but a V12 or FOF reed hangs well over the edge of this mouthpiece (I'm not talking about the butt end, but the tip end). I don't mean to imply that all of them are this way, but this one is.
Kenwrick
Post Edited (2004-07-12 23:39)
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