 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bartmann
Date: 2008-12-09 18:03
I just went to the Woodwind and Brasswind website. They listed Vandoren V12 reeds as:
Starting @ $27.99
List: $52.95 - a 47 % Savings
When I did my major reed buying in 1999-2000 I recall the reeds were around $13 a box. Granted the dollar was strong then. The reeds I bought back then, Strenth 4, reflected my playing skills at the time: practice every day for several hours - alone and with groups, and concerts.
But since I long ago abandoned any illusion of making music professionally, changed careers, and gradually my playing time diminished to mostly weekends, my embouchure has become weak. So blowing on a V12 strength 4 reed is like blowing a popsicle stick. Yet I still have lots of boxes of strength 4.
I had some boxes of 2, 2.5, and 3's that I had as I moved up in reed strength. But long ago I reached that point where I have no more boxes of soft reeds and will actually have to buy them. After a decade of playing a 4 reed and the "Ideal" tone in your head, playing a 2 reed sounds sickly. And using an open mouthpiece further deteriorates the sound by making it breathy.
I've tried sanding 4 strength reeds, but they really have to be sanded down a lot; long after the logo has vanished. And then these reeds don't last long and even don't sound as good a weaker reeds.
I've tried Legere reeds and I really hate them for many reasons.
So I'm not too sure I want to spend almost $30 creating a sound that is not what I perceive to be ideal.
The decision to buy reeds is further complicated because I also play flute which has no ongoing reed expense. Because the flute has a longer history than clarinet, I've been happily exploring the early music repertoire. Yet from time to time I want to feel the throaty depths of the chalumeau register shake my belly.
What have you been doing to mitigate the expense of reeds?
Bartmann
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2008-12-09 18:27
$28 is a bit on the pricy side for V12s.
To mitigate the expense somewhat, I have a fairly diverse rotation... about half a dozen different varieties. Conditions vary, which can make a bunch of them sound horrid on one day and great on another. This way, I'm very likely to have at least a couple good ones at any given time... as opposed to just playing V12 4s, which may all sound lousy on the same day, leading me to toss them all.
A good break-in procedure also helps them last longer, and working on them (which I don't do much, though I should) makes more of them playable.
Compared to oboe reeds, of course, we have quite the bargain.
I might be interested in buying some boxes of nicely aged V12 4s, as those are among my current ideal reeds. Contact me offline if you're interested in unloading some...
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-12-09 18:33
"What have you been doing to mitigate the expense of reeds?"
Nothing.
Please quit whinging.
Do the maths like this (do the "math" in dollars for yourself)...
One box of Rico Reserve (which cost more than V12) - £9 for 5 reeds.
Suppose only three are satisfactory - pretty pessimistic. That's £3 per reed.
Suppose you get one week of playing from each reed - again, pessimistic for most amateurs. That's £3 per week. And that's a significant over-estimate.
Put that against:
Cost of an hour's lesson - £30.
Fuel and wear-and-tear on the car to drive 10 miles each way to band practice, say 20p / mile - that's £4 just for the dubious pleasure of a two-hour band practice.
Cost of a weekly trip to the supermarket - £150, like as not.
And, of course:
- cost of a pair of top-notch professional clarinets: £6000
- cost of a top-notch professional flute: £15000, or whatever you want to pay, really.
I'm only joking on the last point.
But please stop whinging.
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Author: malanr
Date: 2008-12-09 18:47
"So blowing on a V12 strength 4 reed is like blowing a popsicle stick."
I LOVE IT!!!! lol
Just another muscian
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2008-12-09 19:17
V12"s are going for $22.68 a box at Fred Weiner.
Although a packet of popsicle sticks is bound to be cheaper still.
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Author: Sambo 933
Date: 2008-12-09 19:53
I actually use traditional vandoren reeds, and i guess being in high school has some perks....my band director sells them individually for a dollar flat. I guess you have to consider how worthless the dollar is these days...
I can get most of them to play well without sanding.....
My band director even somehow has boxes of reeds that aren't individually packaged in those flow packs.
Post Edited (2008-12-10 01:30)
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2008-12-09 21:26
Aw NorbertTheParrot, that`s not nice. It`s Xmas time. Do you sell reeds?
Post Edited (2008-12-09 21:29)
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-12-09 22:04
Rusty - no, I buy them.
But I get a bit sick of people going on about how expensive they are (sometimes "not like in the good old days"....)
If you are one of those people who reject nine reeds out of ten from every box, then sure, it might get a little expensive. If you are sensible, the cost is pretty minimal. Few hobbies are free of charge. Even walking requires you to buy new boots from time to time. Compared to most leisure activities, clarinet playing works out pretty cheap in pounds per hour.
If the cost of V12s is really an issue for you, try Gonzalez RC, which are little more than half the price - where I buy them, anyway. They're also sold in quarter-strengths, and are more consistent than Vandoren so wastage may be less.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-12-09 22:41
I say it once over again Why do people play Vandoren and complain!!!!!!!!!!. Stop playing them and you will stop complaining. There are lot of better and cheaper reeds out there. I'm so getting sick of this.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-12-09 22:51
Iceland clarinet wrote:
> I'm so getting sick of this.
Don't get sick into your clarinet. It leaves a residue. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
But you're right - one cannot complain about XYZ yet continue to buy them, unless it's a sort of self-flagellation.
--
Ben
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2008-12-10 04:33
I make my own reeds, and they cost like 12 cents. They also sound good.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2008-12-10 05:49
-- Please quit whinging. --
I didn't think Bartmann was whinging at all! Boxes of reeds aren't cheap and especially in the economic crisis we have now, spending $27 may not be easy to justify.
I agree with the comments about trying cheaper reeds. If you take the time to prepare them properly, they're fine.
Steve
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Author: Bartmann
Date: 2008-12-10 16:30
I am certainly not complaining. It's just a shock to see commodities (such as Vandoren reeds) rise so much in such a short time. And certainly when one's currency is weak, as they are for both small islanders, one has to pay attention to cost.
But we clarinetists are by nature discriminating. We have many different mouthpieces, ligatures, barrels, reed brands, and clarinets; all because of our quest for the perfect sound. And I like Vandoren V12s and I can work on almost every reed to get it to playability.
And yet the practice of sanding down a nicely aged Vandoren V12 strength 4 reed to make it playable for my enfeebled embouchure is akin to taking a bottle of 1982 Bordeaux and adding seltzer.
The silver lining is that with economic downturn I've actually had more time to practice and as a result my embouchure is regaining its former robustness.
Bartmann
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Author: Lynn
Date: 2008-12-10 16:42
1 Stop Clarinet and Sax Shop consistently has low-priced reeds. They offer V-12s at $21.99. Recommended!
http://1stopclarinet.stores.yahoo.net/basclarreed.html
MLM
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2008-12-10 17:44
Don't know if it's still on, but WWBW.com was having free shipping on orders over $50. I hopped on that deal and ordered three boxes of reeds.
Now, if you want to complain by jolly, I bought OCB papers--two folders for 29 cents--in 1977. Now, I pay 79 cents for one folder of OCBs!
**rant, rave, whine, stomp foot**
:P
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-12-10 19:27
I second Ed's and Lynn's recommendation. Even overseas orders are comparably cheap.
--
Ben
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-12-10 23:48
(Disclaimer - I sell the Reed Wizard and ATG Systems, Gonzalez and Xilema reeds)
I have found that I can get 90% of reeds (from Vandoren to ___ to Rico - no particular pecking order) to play decently to great with adjustment using tools - either reed knife, sand paper, Reed Wizard, ATG, bastard file, etc.) and throw away very few reeds anymore even though I get them for free from manufacturers. It takes some practice and patience but most will be able to attain similar statistics IMO if they try. There are many worthwhile threads about reed adjustment in the BB archives to get you started. Even with increased costs, saving many more reeds will bring down your total outlay of cash.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-12-11 01:05
The doctor is so right. Every reed brand need some tweaking. My experience is that it's better to get a number which is a bit to hard for you and work it down rather than have reeds that are good right out of the box. And they last longer and are just plain better. It's another story to clip the reed. You can do it but I've never gotten more than just decently result from cliping a reed.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2008-12-12 01:07
I tend to rotate at least 5 at a time..with weather so variable as of late it is a must to do this.
David Dow
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2008-12-12 01:12
I will also add that reeds that are great in dry conditions tend not to be so good for humid weather....
right now we are at -2 degree Celsius and the temp is dropping...but I have a box where I know at least 2 are good for warmer weather a few seem to work around zero and most work good below zero.
David Dow
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2008-12-12 12:04
I hate to say it, but don't forget to scour That Infernal Internet Auction Site Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned (TIIASWNSNBM) for reeds. Especially if you can 'think outside the box' (bad pun intended) and/or play harder strengths (e.g. 4 and up) that are in less demand, there are tremendous reed bargains to be had there. In this way I've bought literally a lifetime supply of Olivieri #4-1/2 and #5 reeds for pennies a reed --- these can be made to work very well with just a bit of scraping in the right places.
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