 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: StephanieG
Date: 2006-03-09 16:24
hey guys,
I just bought some reeds from vandoren...56 Rue Lepic and was wondering if any of you have had any experience with them. my previous teacher suggested them saying that he currently has a student playing on them and loves them. I have been playing on V-12s... Just wondern...steph
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bnewbs
Date: 2006-03-09 16:30
The best vandorens in my opinion. They sound fuller and richer than V12s or blue box, more consistent as well. I used them for most of a year before switching to Oliveri elites about six months ago. If you liked V12s I think you will like the 56s alot.
Ben
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kchui999
Date: 2006-03-10 02:24
56's are definitely much more consistent than any other reeds ive tried. They play right out of the box too. Ive been playing with a lot of different reeds lately...glotin, vintage xl, hand selects, GCS evo, FOFs, but ive always went back to the vandorens because they simply sound better.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: MD1032
Date: 2006-03-12 02:24
I begged a couple of these off of my buddy and neither of us like them. We both use R13's, but he uses a 5RV while I use a Bay H2. And we basically agree that we don't like them as much as the V12's. For me, they're nicely responsive in all ranges and put out a little bit of a louder sound, but this comes at a price. We think they're very buzzy and unrefined in tone compared to the V12's, and for me, even the Traditionals, which tend to have a brighter sound than the V12's, but are slightly smoother in the upper range. They're also a little brighter than V12's due to the buzzy quality and I'm guessing they might be useful for jazz, but from a classical standpoint, I doubt any person aspiring for the "French" classical sound would like them.
I can't say how consistent they are since I haven't owned a box, but I can say that when I checked them out (I picked the two best ones from the box, of course), they didn't look too good. On one of them the rails were tapered oddly on one side, and on a couple of them the grain looked very low quality, with an extremely obvious brown vein running up one of them.
Stick with the V12's. The boxes I've gotten lately have sucked, but in every one there's always a couple of those wonder reeds that are perfect.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2006-03-12 04:03
MD1032 wrote:
> I begged a couple of these off of my buddy and neither of us
> like them.
Nothing like drawing a conclusion after trying 2 reeds.
> I can't say how consistent they are since I haven't owned a
> box,
Exactly...
> Stick with the V12's. The boxes I've gotten lately have sucked,
That's a ringing endorsement...
> but in every one there's always a couple of those wonder reeds
> that are perfect.
Learn to adjust your reeds and you'll find many more than "a couple" (your words) will be work with your mouthpiece.
This applies to all reeds - not just Vandoren ...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kchui999
Date: 2006-03-12 07:01
> Learn to adjust your reeds and you'll find many more than "a
> couple" (your words) will be work with your mouthpiece.
Agree 100%. I can usually adj 9 of 10 reeds in a box to be almost perfect for me. the cordier trimmers work extremely well, and all you really need to sand down is a flat surface and a brown paper bag.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nes
Date: 2006-03-12 08:52
Is there somewhere you can learn about how to adjust your reeds? Is there a rundown on this matter on the net?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-03-12 09:20
"Stick with the V12's. The boxes I've gotten lately have sucked"
I don't know where you get your reeds, but all V12 reeds I got lately are just fine.
"I can usually adj 9 of 10 reeds in a box to be almost perfect for me"
I usually get 10 or almost 10 playable reeds per box and I don't adjust reeds.
I personally think the "incosistancy" of Vandoren V12 is exactly right.
I've tried many different reeds in many different strengths the past year (Gonzalez FOF/RC, Xilema Pro/Artis/Classic, GCS Evo/TB, Lavoz, Marca Reg/PF, and probably more I forgot) and although some were more consistant than Vandorens (for example the most consistant were Gonzalez reeds, and they were consistantly bad with my mouthpiece) no reed had the sound I get from V12, and because of weather changes it is very good to have slightly different strengths in one box (we have drastic tempeture changes here).
I haven't tried the Rue Lepics seriously enough but it certainly didn't feel like something worth an extra $5 per box compared with the V12 (or even for the same price for that matter).
Good luck.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: MD1032
Date: 2006-03-12 11:46
Adjusting reeds works, and I have fixed many reeds that way, but then again, if the quality of the cane isn't there in the first place, or the grain isn't aligned right (And yes, I've gotten reeds like that). For me, it's not a question of whether they're playable. Ricos are "playable" for that matter. It's getting playable reeds that respond well enough for everyday use in addition to one or two "concert/audition" reeds. And if the reed itself simply isn't good, you can adjust it like crazy and it'll still never have the tone you want.
GBK, do you really think my opinion would change if I tried another box? Because I'm certainly willing to do so, but to be honest I doubt it would change the character of the reeds, which I simply cannot get used to with these two. I'm used to a smoother sound, and these are much buzzier in tone than I'm used to. Buzzy doesn't mean they sound crappy like a Rico or something, it just means that they're a little reedier in tone, which might be the personal preference of some.
I'm curious to try something non-Vandoren also. Anything decent out there besides Vandorens that I can order from WWBW?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2006-03-12 12:39
MD1032 wrote:
> GBK, do you really think my opinion would change if I tried
> another box?
Your opinion may or may not change. However, proclaiming that the reeds are not for you after only trying 2 of them is a bit premature.
What if you had originally gotten 2 "bad" V12's when you first tried those many years ago? Would you have not tried any other samples before dismissing them completely?
For the record, I am not a fan of the 56 Rue Lepic reeds for a number of reasons, however I drew my conclusion after trying more than 2 of them...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-03-12 12:44
MD1032 - when I said "I usually get 10 or almost 10 playable reeds per box" I assumed it was obvious I meant something like "I usually get 10 or almost 10 playable reeds that respond well enough for everyday use in addition to one or two "concert/audition" reeds per box".... to quote you....
Actually I usually have much more than 1 or 2 of what I would consider "concert/audition" reeds per box. Usually at least half the reeds in a box would be good enough for playing everything, depending on the situation.
Post Edited (2006-03-12 12:51)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2006-03-12 16:35
MD1032 wrote:
> Adjusting reeds works, and I have fixed many reeds that way,
> but then again, if the quality of the cane isn't there in the first place,
> or the grain isn't aligned right
The Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic reeds and the V12 reeds use the same quality cane.
However, there are many differences in the 2 reed models which have nothing to do with the cane quality. These include (but are not limited to) the thickness, profile and taper of the blank, thickness of tip, the swoop of the vamp, the initial scrape (single, instead of French file cut) and various measurements along the vamp...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: MD1032
Date: 2006-03-15 03:28
Makes sense to me. But I've still had reeds that regardless of modification still sound utterly dull. I'm assuming it's just what's underneath.
GBK, I'll beg another Rue Lepic off of my friend and if that still sounds the same as the two I have right now, I'll know it's not worth buying a box.
The two I have frustrate me because no matter how much I've broken them in (a lot), they still have that buzzy quality. I asked my friend what he thought of them now that he's used a bunch of them for a while and he simply replied "they suck".
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ElBlufer
Date: 2006-03-15 13:32
I am a big fan of 56 rue lepic reeds. Although I do not seem to have as many concert quality reeds as some claim...I can use 10/10 in a box (or 30/30 the way I buy them)..and I would consider about 3-4/10 to be concert quality. Do not play on one reed for too long on the first day you get it, as I have noticed that this often gives you a bad feel for the reed. Give it two or three days, and the reed will come alive and start playing like no other reed (that I've tried) does.
My Setup:
R13 Clarinet (Ridenour Lyrique as my backup/marching instrument)
Walter Grabner K11 mouthpiece
Rico Reserve 3.5's
Bonade ligature
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-03-15 14:54
I too can use all the reeds in a box if I buy the right brand / strength. Maybe I'm just not picky - I'll acknowledge they all vary slightly. Or maybe I'd have a revelation if I got heavily into reed adjustment - I don't know. But I have to say if I get two complete duds in a row I'm not inclined to persevere with that product. I keep the box and maybe try again in the future when I'm looking for a change.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: MD1032
Date: 2006-03-16 02:09
Yeah, I know what to do thanks to that clarinet repair guy I mentioned (who uses the V12's). He told me when you first get it, play it for no more than 10 minutes, seal the pores, set it aside. A few days later, play a longer time and again seal it up (I use my thumb, my first uses a spoon). This will age the reed well and he says they last an extremely long time this way.
Oh, I finally found a use for these today. Me and my friend were playing this Benny Goodman arrangement and we were wondering why we were getting such a great, bright, reedy, jazzy tone, and voila, we were both using our formerly useless Rue Lepics. Wow. I'm telling you, these are amazing for jazz.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
