 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-12-01 07:39
Just a quick question for everyone...
There was a bit of a Gonzalez craze about 12 months ago, I rushed out and bought a few boxes and didn't like them, and I remember at the time how everyone thought they were great and everyone was switching to them.
So are you all still using them? You probably are, I'm just curious more than anything.
Thanks.
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Don't hate me because I play Leblanc! ![[down]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley23.gif) Buffet
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Author: jo.clarinet
Date: 2004-12-01 10:25
I still think they're great, and I'm still using them, although I have some Vandoren V12s on the go as well.
Why didn't you like the Gonzalez ones?
Joanna Brown
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-12-01 11:19
The sound didn't seem to have that 'floating point' or 'sweet spot' that vandoren has for me. Also I know how to adjust a Vandoren to be a great reed - I didn't really know what I was doing with a Gonzalez. Yes yes I know I know, I could learn, but I just didn't have the time. Besides, nowhere in Australia stocks them: I wouldn't want to waste a lot of money on shipping.
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Don't hate me because I play Leblanc! Buffet
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-12-01 12:52
I still use them.
As per your situation, LeWhite, just stick with what works. If you know how to adjust Vandorens to be great, stick with em!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-01 12:59
I think you would be surprised at how many "household name" players are using them, either exclusively or in their rotation of reeds, despite the fact that they are listed as performing artists for a competing company ...GBK
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2004-12-01 13:30
I only bought one box a few months ago. They were very good, but not better or worse than my regular reeds. They are more expensive, so I don't see a point in using them.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-12-01 14:32
(a short cybertime story) At symphony rehearsal last evening, during warm ups, I was particularily impressed with the quality of our principal clarinets sound. Knowing that she had recently purchased a new set of Buffets (Internationals), I said, "your clarinets are sounding very nice tonight--expecially your A."
To which she replied, "Oh, I'm playing my new Gonzalez reeds".
Which made me (& my Legere) go, hmmmmmmmm....................
(to be continued)
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Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2004-12-01 16:45
I'm still using them after 1 1/2 years. Haven't found anything as consistant.
RW
Best
Rick
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-12-01 20:01
Still using them and with satisfaction
Bob Draznik
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-01 21:28
Excellent advice by Bradley on Gonzalez reeds.
Very well written ...GBK (Gonzalez user)
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-12-01 21:44
To be honest I was kinda hoping to be convinced to give them a try again, and I think I will!
My problem was that they were too hard and didn't budge, even after a few weeks and even after minimal sanding/flattening of the table (which will normally bring a Vandy down in strength a little).
Obviously, I'll now try them softer. What's the approx equivalent in strength to V12 3.5's? THanks.
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Don't hate me because I play Leblanc! Buffet
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Author: Tom J.
Date: 2004-12-01 22:45
Not able to get the right sound out of them.
The cane seems pulpy and does not have the "snap" of a Vandy.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-01 22:47
LeWhite said:
> What's the approx equivalent in strength to V12 3.5's? THanks.
I would recommend trying Gonzalez FOF 3.25. If, after breaking them in they feel too light, move up to 3.5.
Bradley has nicely summarized many of the characteristics of Gonzalez reeds.
It is imperative to break them in slowly (over the course of a week) BEFORE making any adjustments (as tempting as it may be). In the first week, due to the dense cane, FOF's will change daily, from too soft to too hard, before finally settling in.
After a week of very light playing (increasing the amount of playing time by 5 minutes each day) they should be ready for any final adjustments. Remember - do not overplay them during the first few days!
In my experience - soaking them for any length of time in water during the first few days permanently damages the reed. Instead, briefly use saliva only for the first week. The reed will dry quicker after each playing session and stabilize at a consistant rate.
After the first week, adjustments (if needed) consist of taking off any stray fibers from the vamp and balancing the tip and rails. These adjustments should only take a few minutes.
Be very careful not to remove too much material in your adjustments, or the basic profile of the reed will be changed too radically.
Even Gonzalez doesn't bat 1.000.
If, after a week, the reed is not meeting your expectations, dump it and move on. However, I have found that with a consistant break-in pattern, the percentage of usable and concert quality reeds is much higher than any other current brand. ..GBK
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-12-01 23:54
I tried Gonzalez reeds when they first came and found them in some regard to lack the flexibility and brilliance of the Vandoren cane. I found the same reed in the Gonzos to play too differently from day to day.
I was dissapointed with them at first, but found that they required about the same amount of adjustments as the Vandoren line but did not last as long as the Vandoren reeds which I use...
this could also be due to the way I break in my cane. I also found the sound of the Gonz reeds to be a bit dark and covered...
not a bad thing but not with the ping I like in my sound either.
That being said, the Gonz are pretty decent reeds, but are not exactly enough to earth shattering enough to get me away from Vandoren...
which I use #4 blue and grey box.
David Dow
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2004-12-02 02:21
I first was introduced to Gonzalez reeds at this year's ClarinetFest and I'm so impressed with their consistency. They had a free samples table and once I found the strength that worked for me and was told about their consistency, I just had to try a bunch more to prove it to myself. The guy working the table was very patient and told me to try as many as I wanted to (freebies). I finally was hooked and bought 2 boxes of FOF. I'm still using them in rotation with my previously purchased V12's and Rico Grand Concert Selects (what a mistake--I can't stand them!) to make the Gonzalez boxes last longer.
And I have the link bookmarked to mailorder more, probably as a nice Christmas present to myself. My only complaint is what GBK described above about how they can turn hard overnight during the breakin period. I hate the feeling of "but this one played great yesterday..." but you'll get that with other reeds, too.
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Author: Ben
Date: 2004-12-02 03:04
Yes!!! I wouldn't switch back to Vandoren's unless Gonzalez went out of buisiness.... In fact, I think I may sell my old stash of unopened Vandoren Boxes on Ebay sometime soon.
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-12-02 07:12
Ohh Ben are they very old V12 3.5's? I keep buying boxes of an 8-year-old stash off my teacher... WAY better than new/current ones!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2004-12-02 16:11
My experience has been much like that of David Dow's. Maybe I am looking for something different in a reed than some. I agree with him about the characteristics that can be found in a Vandoren. I have tried some of the Gonzalez reeds, but none so far have made it for me as performance reeds. I suppose it is possible that after many years working with Vandoren reeds that I am so used to the feel that it is hard for me to adapt to something different.
I am wondering if when we are talking about density if we are talking about different things. My impression of the Gonzalez reeds is that the cane is perhaps less dense than the Vandoren cane. It seems somehow softer and more porous.
I think these reeds have some good features, but have not found them to be the "answer" as some have found. For me, the jury is still out. I have actually found that their regular cut reeds may work better for me and give more the results I am looking for. However as they always say, your mileage may vary.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2004-12-02 19:12
By density do you mean mass per cubic cm ....OR... the number of longitudinal fibers per cross-sectional area?
Or is the way the matrix between the fibers absorbs moisture?
The crystalization of the intrinsic silicates may be different, and since this crosslinkage occurs in the presence of saliva, the percentage of silicates and other inorganic compounds might be a factor. (Perhaps Omar Henderson could weigh in on this)
The Gonz seem to have less lignin than the French reeds. It is rare to find a Gonz with a lot of speckling. Some people put great stock in the presence of lignin, and prefer speckled reeds.
I dont think it means much.
I have good luck with FOF, and treat them the same as Rue Lepics....slow trial and slow breaking in. I find it helpful to keep them in a moist environment...in my case a desk drawer with some humidistats. The V12s and traditionals seem to break in quicker and are less variable over the first few days, but once the FOFs and RLs stabilize they are equal if not better, seem to require less balancing, and perhaps have a more warm sound.
Prior to his death, Abe Galper was enamoured of the Australian Vintage reeds (Reeds Australia). To me, they behave more like the FOF but seem to have larger longitudinal fibers, spaced widely apart. I dont have enough experience with them to comment, but they seemed promising.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-12-02 19:41
I've tried to use the Reeds Australia reeds on bass clarinet and they've haven't worked too well for me --- the cane may be nice (can't tell) but they're cut too thin and the tips are not consistent IMHO.
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-12-02 20:18
Reeds Australia are horrible... It's what I used as a beginner, as did eveyone else, because they were very cheap. In my opinion, not worth trying for the intermediate student right through to professional.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2004-12-02 21:37
Actually, the speckling on the reed bark is due to fungus growth while the reeds are drying (first hand observation on a trip to the Var Region of France). If all of the leaf sheaf is not removed from the cane and the weather conditions are damp a fungus, which causes no harm or foul to the reed structure, grows on the decaying leaf matter and causes the speckling. It seems as if the Gonzalez reeds are "cleaned" more thoroughly and there are few with the speckling. The density of the cane itself can be expressed in 'vascular bundles per unit mass' . I do not know of anyone who has done a correlation of this density measurement with reed performance but anecdotatal observations abound. There are a number of factors - too complicated as yet to be unraveled - which affect reed performance.
The Doctor
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Author: jez
Date: 2004-12-03 12:38
I started using Gonzalez about a year ago and have used nothing else since. I was interested to note that, having acquired 4 boxes last November, I still have about 20 reeds left in my case, so I've only used 20 in a year. This is playing in a full-time job in a professional symphony orchestra and compares very favourably with the rate of success I've ever had with other brands. I think the most important attribute they provide is consistency.
To contrast; I believe the unfortunate guy who sits on my left has 100 Vandorens delivered every month.
jez
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-12-04 22:22
jez- that's an amazing story! I currently go through about 40 Vandoren's a month. 20 a year is amazingly little for a professional player!
Has anybody tried the Regular Cut Gonzales reeds? Are they similar to the cut of the blue box Vandorens? I didn't have much success with the FOF's.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-04 22:53
Liquorice wrote:
> Has anybody tried the Regular Cut Gonzales reeds? Are they
> similar to the cut of the blue box Vandorens?
I use a combination of Gonzalez FOF and Gonzalez Regular Cut reeds.
The "Regular Cut" Gonzalez reeds are one of the most overlooked reeds in the Gonzalez line. As you stated, they are made from a slightly thinner (2.8mm) blank than the standard FOF reeds but with the same cane. I believe the tip thickness is .10mm ( Vandoren Blue Box is .09mm)
One aspect of them which I like is that the initial scrape starts slightly higher up on the reed, thus making them an ideal match for those not using a mouthpiece with a very long facing.
If you play a medium length facing these reeds work perfectly. I also like the fact that these reeds seem to break in a bit quicker than the FOF's, but last as long, or in some cases, even longer.
When these reeds first came available, I wrote a review which you can find here:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=140279&t=140260 ...GBK
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