 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2008-08-22 09:01
I have tended to think that the synthetic reed had always been exactly uniform in shape, dimentions, hardness etc. but I read in a post that the Legere reeds have some unique problems of their own. Is anyone aware of any? Also after about an hour`s playing the read seems to be getting softer. Am I imagining it?
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-08-22 09:41
From the Legere website:
"Some players have reported that after an hour or more of intense playing, the reed softens a little."
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2008-08-22 13:46
I've been using Legeres nearly exclusively for about 8 or 9 years now. I've heard of the softening issue but haven't noticed it myself.
The only "unique" problem they seem to have is that when they die, they're dead. No "revival for one more gig" tricks. Dead.
And for me it takes at least a couple of hours of intense playing to break one in.
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2008-08-22 16:04
Yes, I've noticed a softening at times after about an hour of heavy playing as Guy Legere describes on the website. That said, I've also gone beyond an hour and the reed continued to perform perfectly fine. I remember one time going over 2 hours. Thus, the one-hour thing about Legere reeds is relative.
I use Legere reeds in rotation -- keeping 3-4 reeds in a Selmer reed case. When I'm playing a performance I'll swap reeds during a break after it's been about an hour. Thus, I change reeds before I notice anything different in my playing.
This approach works fine for me. I'm so used to it that I don't give changing reeds a second thought.
As to your question about if there are any other quirks or issues with Legeres.... For me, once I saw how good Legeres can sound and perform, it took me a period of time to adjust my chops to them and to fine-tune my set up in order to get optimal results. Legere reeds do not do well with certain ligatures and mouthpiece facings. On clarinet and bass clarinet I switched to Walter Grabner's mouthpieces. I discovered that Legere reeds -- especially, the Quebec cut -- can have a stunningly beautiful sound on his facings. Legere reeds certainly can sound fine on other mouthpieces. But, for whatever reason, I find Walter's mouthpieces to be a good match for me. On saxophone, I actually had more problems with Legere reeds than on clarinet. I'm a big fan of Morgan mouthpieces and I sadly discovered that Legere (regular cut) saxophone reeds do not do well on some Morgan facings. I found that I got the best results with Legere on a Morgan 6C. Then, I went a step further and sent the mouthpiece back to the Morgan mouthpiece guys (Brian & Erik) along with a new Legere reed to see if they could adjust the facing to optimize it for Legeres. When I received the mouthpiece I was amazed at how beautifully it now works with Legere reeds. Drop-dead gorgeous!
So, yes, there are some quirks to working with Legeres. For me, it was a matter of trial & error and following my intuition in order to reach a point where I'm completely happy with them. Now, I have no desire what-so-ever to return to cane.
Roger
Post Edited (2008-08-22 16:20)
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2008-08-22 23:02
Very interesting! I`m glad I raised the post. I only have low cost MPCs a Hite, a B45, a Vito Leblanc and one that came with a low cost clarinet. With a cane reed I can tell almost no difference in the tone on all four. Perhaps any slight diff. comes from the basic MPC tone. With the Legere reed tho` the B45 is harder to blow and sounds stuffy compared to the other three. There is a major difference.
OK on the softening. I`ll buy another Legere and do a mid performance swap after an hour. Love the sound.
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Author: William
Date: 2008-08-23 14:52
One of the best things about Legere reeds is that if you buy one that isn't quite right for you--too hard, soft, etc--just mail it in to Guy and he will send you a replacement for free. Try that with a box of V12's. LOL
[one time, he even sent me a "complimentary" Quebec cut reed "try it--see if it works for you"]
BTW, I just opened up another box of V12 "Flo-Paks" and (again) did not find a single reed that played with the same clariety, response and range as my older oner non-flo paks--which I am running out of. In frustration, I put on an old Legere #3.25 and WOW--it played right away with better tone quality, response and all the way up to C7. I'm getting back into that "why put up with the cane hassle" frame of mind all over again, especially with the kind of reed Vandoran is marketing these days. Anyone else feel as I do................??
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-08-23 15:54
William -
Not to change the direction of this thread, but for me, the Vandoren Flow Pack reeds have been a huge step backwards.
Everything about them is just wrong - from the excess packaging, to the fact that you can not see and visually judge the reed until you open a hermetically sealed foil wrapper, to the mushy cane quality of many of the recent reeds I've tried, and to the shorter than normal lifespan of any potentially playable reed.
Vandoren marketing gives numerous reasons for the change to Flow Pack packaging, but I think it's all smoke and mirrors to hide a few recent years of bad cane.
It's humorous how Vandoren touts the benefit of the Flow Pack as getting news reeds (to play) at consistant humidity (right from Paris) directly out of the box, but then recommends NOT TO PLAY new reeds more than a few minutes during the first few days.
Wouldn't that defeat the so-called purpose of the Flow Pack packaging? ...GBK
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2008-08-23 15:55
I was just tempted to buy some Vandorens when I read this - I've been using Rico Royal 3's (french cut) for a while and they nearly all play straight out of the box - but I do find they get waterlogged too quickly - fine when they dry out but not ideal when there's still an hour of the gig to go. I went back to some old Vandorens and found they were better - but I agree they are too variable from wonderful to useless in the same box. Anyway, so I'm going to try the Legere 3 again - I've never had the nerve to use them in a gig - to me they do sound different - and they are a bit harder on the tongue - but will the audience notice as we belt through Moonlight Serenade in the open air? ![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif)
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2008-08-23 21:00
Yes I`m aware that if you buy a Legere and it`s too hard or soft they will exchange it for you. A great gesture, however I live in Australia and I`m not sure I would ask them to post to here.
I think all the Legeres I`ve used on sax and clarinet have been the Std. type. Does anyone find a difference between them and the Quebec cut?
I like the 0.25 incremental changes Legere use. Much better than some makers who just mark Soft, Med or Hard.
I have a negitive comment tho`. I have to give the side edges ,on a new reed, that contact your lips an emery wipe as I find them too sharp.
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Author: Nancy_S
Date: 2008-08-23 21:44
I have a Grabner K11 and the Legeres do sound really nice with it. The only unique problem I have had is if some saliva gets onto the back of the reed, it doesn't absorb it at all (like cane would) and it starts to sound a bit like a kazoo.
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2008-08-24 02:14
Rusty,
Quebec has a thick-cut profile (usually described with cane reeds as having more "wood" in the heart). I've tried all of the Legere clarinet reeds -- regular, Quebec, Ontario, and German -- and, for me personally, I get the most vibrant quality of sound and overall performance with a Quebec.
While I use a regular Legere on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, I don't like the regular cut Legere on soprano clarinet. I just don't like the quality of sound I get with it. But, with a Quebec I'm entirely happy.
Good luck!
Roger
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-08-24 09:40
I agree with Roger about matching the Legere with a mouthpiece, but I guess that's true for any reed. I've tried both the Quebec and the regular ones, and with any Legere I've tried I had a response problem of the upper clarion A, A# and B. Must be a problem of my mouthpiece with Legere because I don't have this problem with my regualar reeds. OTOH I didn't have a problem with the reed becoming softer after an hour or even much more than an hour.
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Author: Mike Johnson
Date: 2008-08-24 20:59
I'd be curious to know if the 1-hour softening effect varies with reed hardness. Does a 2.5 Legere soften quicker than a 3.5 Legere?
Mike Johnson
Napa, California
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2008-08-24 22:32
Don`t know Mike `cause I can`t blow a 3.5 Legere. Mine is a 2.0. It certainly seemed to soften because it was starting to close off after an hour.
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2008-08-25 00:52
Mike,
It's my understanding that the softening is due to properties of the material and has nothing to do with the reed strength.
Roger
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2008-08-25 02:26
FWIW, I don't like the Quebec cut Legeres at all with my Borbeck 13 (I think...I always forget numbers like that...).
The standard ones work great and also used to be great on my B45dot. I don't know why I stopped using the dot, just did, and am fairly happy with the Borbeck.
I use 3.25s.
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2008-08-27 21:36
After reaching a full year of using them (about 6 months of using them exclusively), I've learned several things to keep in mind with Legere reeds.
First and foremost, I had to give myself time to grow accustomed to the different voicing, feel, and even reed placement before I finally got the perfect sound out of them. They do require a slightly different voicing, and are quite picky as to their placement (dead center and slightly above the mp tip has worked well for me).
Secondly, I've found these reeds (both standard and Quebec) to play slightly on the flat side compared to a cane equivalent.
These are just two of the main things to know. There are others that have been mentioned already.
-----
Current set-up:
Classical:
Strength 4 1/4 Legere Signature Series
Vandoren M13 Lyre
Jazz:
Strength 3 3/4 Legere Quebec
Pomarico Jazz*
Clarinets:
Buffet E11 Student Model
Buffet R13 Greenline
<http://operationhighschool.blogspot.com
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