 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-09-03 02:01
I bought a box of Xilema reeds (Artensana, strength D) several weeks ago and thought I might post a few thoughts and see if anyone has had similar or different responses (yes, I searched past posts and read the previous review).
I broke the reeds in, following the instructions on the insert in the box.
I found that the reeds were relatively consistent in their strength (about 80% where approximately the same strength, with a few that were harder/stuffier).
The shape of the end of the reed is kind of odd. Both Gonzalez and Vandoren reeds fit my Chedville Mouthpiece quite well, but these reeds seemed to be more sharply curved, so that less of the tip of the mouthpiece is in contact with the reed... I don't know if this necessarily causes problems, but it is something that I noticed.
The reeds tended to have a nice sound, resistant enough to be controlled, but soft enough to allow for clarity/flexibility of sound.
On a few of the reeds, the throat tones were considerably more resistant than the other ranges (the a in particular was very stuffy). This struck me as odd, because I would be playing a scale that would sound beautiful and I'd hit the throat tone A and it was suddenly fuzzy and overly resistant. This had never happened to me before.
Overall, I was impressed with many of the reeds aspects. I didn't like the Letter-based strength ratings, which made it harder to pick reeds of the right strength (the Ds were slightly too soft for me, I normally play about the strenght of a Vandoren 4). They gave an approximate number equivalent for each letter, though a brand wasn't specified, so it wasn't all that helpful. I don't think I'd switch to these reeds permanently. I can't put my finger on it, but I just didn't think that they were better than Vanodrens or Gonzalez (I actually switched back from Gonzalez to Vandoren, blue-box, but that's another story...). They had some good qualities, but I think a good Vandoren (if you can find one) is still probably the best reed for me.
Just wanted to let people know what I thought and see if my experiences were consistent with those of others who have tried them. Thanks
DH
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-09-03 02:19
Last year, I wrote to the very nice people at Xilema reeds asking for some samples of the different types of reeds. They very generously sent me (from Spain) a number of boxes and strengths.
I wrote a review of my impressions on this thread:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=118492&t=118483
At this year's Clarinetfest, I spent some time at their display, retrying and talking to them about their reeds. Again, they were most gracious and generous.
Of the 3 models tried, I still prefer their Artist style reed.
Although Xilema reeds are not as widely available as other brands, they definitely should be given a try, at least to see if they would be a viable alternative to your current preferred reed...GBK
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