 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2009-05-31 18:11
Okay, so to conclude my previous topic about these reeds, I'm going to post my review, if you will. I finally got them direct from Legere. Here are my impressions:
Straight out of the box: WOW! These reeds, unlike my previous Quebecs, needed NO break-in whatsoever. My Quebecs always needed a few days of hard playing to soften them up enough. But these Signatures had that broken-in great-reed sound straight out of the packaging.
Day two in a lesson: These must be really good, because after my first notes of a scale my lesson teacher was already saying "I like that reed that's a great sound!" WOW! At this point I'm beginning to think that this will change the way we think about synthetic reeds.
Yesterday running through my solo for TSSEC: Man these reeds are good for all dynamic ranges, from very loud to extremely soft. I didn't play very loud (it was 11 at night) and the reeds still sounded amazing. It wasn't as fuzzy as my sound gets when I play that soft on the Quebecs. The tone was still crystal-clear.
I'm really looking forward to how well they will fare against the picky college professors that will be my judges at TSSEC tomorrow.
One more comment: For those of you who have tried the Quebecs, if you play on anything stronger than a 4 1/4 you might be out of luck. Like any Legere if your reed is too soft your sound will suffer. The hardest reed these Signatures come in is a 4 1/4, which was exactly what I had been using. I lucked out.
Feel free to add any other comments those of you who have tried them or have been thinking about trying them.
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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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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2009-06-01 01:28
Did you find Signature to be about a 1/2 size softer in how it plays in comparison to Quebec? I did. I typically use a #3 Quebec on a Walter Grabner K14. I started with a #3 Signature and quickly discovered that it was WAY too soft in how it played on my set up. I then spent time working with a #3.5 Signature and I had similar experiences as you described. Fantastic response! One problem, though, is when I used Signature in a large ensemble I did not like it as well as Quebec with respect to quality of sound and (in particular for me) thickness of tonal core. I prefer a dark and thick sound. So, I switched back to Quebec and remain happy.
Roger
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Author: Dileep Gangolli
Date: 2009-06-02 00:25
Where does one buy the Signature cut reed? I cannot find a dealer/vendor that has these and you cannot get them directly from Legere.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-06-02 01:23
Call Peter Randell directly for Legere's new Signature reeds.
He can be reached at:
1-905-640-4607
He can quote prices and availabilities of all the reeds Legere carries.
Disclaimer: I am a Legere Artist and endorse their reeds.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2009-06-03 02:49
Yeah, dealers don't quite have them yet.
On my set-up I didn't find them to run softer (thankfully). Other set-ups might be different but I can't say for sure.
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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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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2009-06-03 03:04
I meant to add to that last post how yesterday went at TSSEC. Also, I ordered mine with the faxable order form available on the Legere website. Moving on...
Yesterday: WOW! My judge was a tough one, a professor up at UT (happens to teach a friend of mine). Throughout the day he only had given two 1st divisions up to that point. I went in and played beautifully, got yapped at a bit for articulation and finger position (I was never taught correctly, or rather, no one bothered to try to enforce correct finger position for me). But he was really nice about it. He said I had "a lot of good things going" for me, and I walked off with a 2nd division! Not bad considering my circumstances. I think he might have caught a glimpse of my reed, so he might have marked me down for it just because I had a synthetic. :/ But considering most of the scores he gave were threes and there were only two first divisions, I'd say this is another score for these new reeds. I'll have to see what my comment sheet says to see what he said about sound.
On other notes I have much better control in all registers and the sound is much more even. I used to have more of a pinched thin sound in the extreme upper registers, but now that's been filled out and is much more full and rich. As a finishing note, to reduce rambling, these are outstanding reeds.
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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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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-06-03 14:05
John -
Are you playing solely on Legeres these days, or do you sometimes go back to cane?
Also, which model do you use? Have you gone to the Signature?
Thanks.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-06-03 18:10
Arnoldstang -
I meant John Moses, who wrote in this string that he's a Legere Artist.
Ken Shaw
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Author: reedwizard
Date: 2009-06-03 19:21
Arnoldstang,
What kind of set up do you play on? I think the cane is very good in the rico reserves but they are just too soft for me and I cannot use them.
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-06-03 20:44
It's a little off topic here.....I use rico reserve #3 1/2 with a NY Woodwind mouthpiece about 1.06mm opening. refaced by Ed Cabarga. I err on the side of a responsive/light reed because I play many instruments and do show work. I keep trying Legere but.....it's not there for me yet.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2009-06-03 21:45
John,
I'm curious about what ligature(s) you're using with Legere reeds.
A number of years ago you were very helpful to me with your FL ligature recommendation and I used FLs on my clarinet and saxophones for around 4 years. However, when I made a decision to use Legere reeds exclusively I sadly discovered that FL ligatures did not work well with Legere reeds...at least for me. One of the problems I had was Legere reeds not sealing correctly along the side rails with FL. It was my impression at the time that FL ligs do not have a large enough area of sealing pressure. I then tried other ligatures....
Eventually, I settled on the Klassik string ligature on Bb clarinet & alto sax and the Optimum (plate #1) on tenor sax and bass clarinet. I'm extremely happy with the performance results I get using these ligatures with Legere reeds.
I'd like to add that recently I went through a round of mouthpiece-reed matching to find the combination I felt best with on my backup clarinet. I tried #3.5 Signature and Quebec in different strengths on Grabner K11, K13, and K14 pieces. For whatever reason, I feel right at home with a #3 Quebec on a K14...more so than, as an example, a #3.5 Quebec on a K11. Guess it comes down to what works best for us as individual players.
Roger
Post Edited (2009-06-03 22:01)
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2009-06-03 23:55
As far as the altissimo goes I have the most ease in all ranges I can play. I don't know anything higher than G4 well enough to speak for that range, though. But if it's anything like lower altissimo then it should be a breeze.
Anyone wondering about my own set-up it's in my signature.
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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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