 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Aussiegirl
Date: 2006-03-21 23:22
Im looking for a Bonade inverted ligature on advice from my teacher and after playing his for a bit, but ive discovered that these seem to be impossible to get in Melbourne...someone at the music store i normally go to said that there is something with the importing company or something like that? Im looking at getting one over the internet and was wondering what companies were reputable and safe to order over the net from, in the experience of others here.
Thanks!
Fiona
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Author: larryb
Date: 2006-03-22 01:25
Fiona,
here's a partial list of retailers from the Leblanc website (Leblanc markets Bonade ligatures):
Brass Music Specialists
90 Appel Street
Graceville Q4075
Australia
61 7 3278 1311
61 7 3379 5146
http://www.brassmusic.com.au
brass@brassmusic.com.au
Eltham Woodwind & Brass
38 Kent Hughes Road
Eltham 3095 Victoria
Australia
61-3-94399583
Grevillea Distribution
26 Wallace Street
Albion Brisbane 4010
Australia
61-7-38628655
Melbourne Brass & Wind
572 North Road
Ormoud Victoria 3204
Australia
61-3-9578-0677
Theo's Music
4 Southport Street
W Leederville WA 6007
Australia
61-8-63801222
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2006-03-22 02:09
You won't find Bonade ligatures in stores in Australia (and if you do, let me know!).
I get mine from Woodwind & Brasswind (www.wwbw.com) but you're gonna pay more than the ligature in shipping.
I have a spare sitting around that I got recently and didn't play quite as well as my current one. If you would like it, just to try, let me know (I believe you can get my email address by clicking my name at the top of this post)
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Author: Dave Beal
Date: 2006-03-22 02:38
A word of caution. I just got a new Bonade inverted from WW&BW, and in my hurry to try it out, I didn't notice that it was rather misshapen and didn't match the shape of my mouthpiece. I put some serious scratches into the top of my almost new 5RVLyre when sliding the ligature on. Be careful, and bend the ligature to match the shape of the mouthpiece rather than forcing it on.
I have to agree with those who have complained about the quality control of these ligatures. It plays fine, but I'm pretty disappointed in the manufacturing quality. I doubt if I'll ever use it on another mouthpiece, for fear of damaging another.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-03-22 03:04
Dave Beal wrote:
> I have to agree with those who have complained about the
> quality control of these ligatures. It plays fine, but I'm
> pretty disappointed in the manufacturing quality. I doubt if
> I'll ever use it on another mouthpiece, for fear of damaging
> another.
Leblanc has made it painfully obvious that they care little about the manufacturing of the Bonade (inverted) ligature.
Mishapen, bent bands and vertical rails which are not parallel or flat are just 2 of the common problems found in the majority of them.
If you examine the original patent design of Bonade's ligature (Patent #2,791,929 of May 14, 1957) you will see the original design sketch of the ligature.
In the preface of the patent, Bonade writes: (the bold print is mine, for emphasis)
"...Ligatures which have been hitherto used for the attachment of reeds to mouthpieces of instruments compress the cross section of the reed along its entire or almost entire width. I have found that this prevents clean and strong vibrations of the reed and that much better tones are produced by a reed that has broad, freely vibrating margins. Hence, a more specific object of my invention is to provide a ligature which grips the reed only along lines nearer to the longitudinal center line of the reed than to the longitudinal edges whereby broad margins of the reed have free outer surfaces.
In the written description of its construction, he states:
"... According to my invention, two strips are permanently affixed to the inside of the ring and form rigid inward projections of this ring. The strips are positioned between the ring and the reed and space the latter elements from each other...
Later in that same paragraph it clearly states:
"...The strips extend close to each other symmetrically and near the longitudinal center line of the reed and leave free broad longitudinal margins of this reed..."
I have ordered and examined numerous Bonade (inverted) ligatures over the past 10 years and rarely find a ligature which does not need to be readjusted to work as originally designed.
It is a shame that Leblanc has allowed Bonade's original concept to get lost in sloppy manufacturing...GBK
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2006-03-23 02:15
Undoubtedly I'll hear from diz on this. Why the fuss about inverting a Bonade? I thoutht things in OZ were inverted anyway? Buy the regular one, won't it then be 'down-under'?
Bob A
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-03-23 06:34
"... According to my invention, two strips are permanently affixed to the inside of the ring and form rigid inward projections of this ring. The strips are positioned between the ring and the reed and space the latter elements from each other..."
I just had a close look at my Bonade inverted lig and I noticed that the ligature does touch the edges of the reed slightly as it curves round. I've never tried to adjust it, but it looks like, in any case, it's going to touch the edges when the lig is tightened. Is this right?
I also looked at my old BG Revelation ligature. I looks to me as though it's no different from the Bonade, ie a thin strip holding down the reed in the middle and not touching the edges.
As for postage to Australia, the Bonade is very light so I wouldn't think it would be too expensive.
Steve
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-03-23 07:28
stevensfo wrote:
> just had a close look at my Bonade inverted lig and
> I noticed that the ligature does touch the edges of the reed
> slightly as it curves round. I've never tried to adjust it,
> but it looks like, in any case, it's going to touch the edges
> when the lig is tightened. Is this right?
No
The two long inside rails are the only thing that should be making contact with the reed.
If the metal bands are touching the outer edges of the reed, the ligature is not working as it was originally designed...GBK
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Author: donald
Date: 2006-03-23 08:20
it's kind of difficult to explain- which is why i've previously suggested someone post or publish a photograph- you have to take the screws out, bend the strip out, then make a kink to bend the strips back up, then put the srews back in..... that didn't make sense, did it?
meanwhile
shipping from many US stores is ridiculously expensive as they will only send international via courier, and sometimes with as much as $30 minimum freight (IMS once sent me a Zinner blank, $30 for the blank, $30 for shipping).
Aussiegirl- try phoning KBB music in Auckland NZ (KBB stands for "Kirk, Burnand and Brown", but i think that it's in the phone book as KBB)
i think they have Bonade Inverted, not sure. The phone call won't cost much.
donald
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2006-03-23 09:44
I've tried bending them properly many times, and they usually break if not straight away then after a few week's use. An email to Gregory Smith begging him to send me a 'good' one resulted in him telling me that maybe I was tightening them too hard. And yeah, I think I was.
At the moment I'm really enjoying the Brancher ligature, and I find that the more I use it the more it bends to the shape of my mouthpiece and doesn't slip off like everyone complains that it does. I'll probably go back to the Bonade; it IS the best ligature ever created. That's opinion to you, fact to me.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-03-24 19:54
- "No
The two long inside rails are the only thing that should be making contact with the reed.
If the metal bands are touching the outer edges of the reed, the ligature is not working as it was originally designed...GBK" --
Thanks for that. I had a good look today and yes, the metal is definitely bent and gripping the sides of the reed.
However, it's easy to fix. I always have some toothpicks around for cleaning and poking those difficult places. (On the clarinet I mean!!)
I loosened the lig, then slipped a toothpick either side of the reed to keep the metal from touching the reed sides, slid the lig back down, fiddled with the reed etc to get everything in place, then tightened the ligature while pressing it hard against the reed to keep those thin plates in place. Left it for a few minutes and loosened the lig to remove the toothpicks.
Result - a Bonade ligature that does what it's supposed to.
The weird thing is, I'm a pretty cynical person, and the reed I used was one that I was going to throw away, but I have to admit that now it sounds great! I don't why this should be though.
Steve
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-03-24 20:26
stevensfo wrote:
> The weird thing is, I'm a pretty cynical person, and the reed I
> used was one that I was going to throw away, but I have to
> admit that now it sounds great! I don't why this should be
> though.
Because, as Bonade found (and I personally agree) "that much better tones are produced by a reed that has broad, freely vibrating margins".
...GBK
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