 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: xpedx7342
Date: 2009-11-20 03:02
I have recently purchased 6 boxes of Gonzalez FOF 3.75s. However, because I have not seen a recent thread on these reeds I would like to know ifthese are still held as being good rivals to Vandoren in their quality. I know that Vandoren has had some "bad years" so want to make sure that Gonzalez isn't going through one of these.
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Author: HBO
Date: 2009-11-20 04:25
However bad the Gonzeles reeds are right now, they can't possibly be worse than Vandorens.
...at least as far as MY opinion goes...
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Author: Clarinetboy***
Date: 2009-11-20 05:20
Ok...I am not as knowledgeable on these reeds like GBK and L. Omar Henderson but...I do know enough about them that I can tell you some details. FYI, I'm only 14 y/o so bear with me. I purchased 2 boxes of Gonzalez Bb clarinet reeds: 1 Regular Cut #3 1/2 and 1 FOF #3 1/4. The regular cut I have is from the Harvest of 2003 and the FOF is from the Harvest of 1999. Now what I'm trying to imply here is that what is the Harvest date of your reeds? I could be wrong but I think the quality could depend on the age of the reeds. I feel lucky to have gotten an FOF box that has 1999 harvest of cane. The reeds play really wonderfully...Ohhh... Boy am I never coming back to Vandoren again! I like the FOF so much...the tone is thick but not too dark. It works EXTREMELY well with my Clark Fobes Nova mouthpiece, homemade fabric ligature, and my beloved Ridenour 147 clarinet. The reeds themselves play warm with just enough brightness to even out my slightly dark sounding setup. Basically, they're just right for me. Ok, sorry, sorry. That probably doesn't help. ^_^ ANYWAY, just wait and see if someone more knowledgeable than I can give you advice. I just wanted to give my two cents on these fantastic reeds.
Trust me, whether or not the Gonzalez reeds have slightly decreased in quality or other aspects, I doubt that it has degraded much. You should watch the video on the Gonzalez website showing how they manufacture reeds. It is SO COOL. Ok...Good luck, I hope you find some insight on this subject! PS: The Gonzalez reed video is more recent than the older one. I think this one is from circa 2007-2008. Good luck once again. Hope that somewhat helps. ♫♫
Here's the link to the Gonzalez reed video:http://www.gonzalezreeds.com/english/process.html
Post Edited (2009-11-20 05:33)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-11-20 05:44
Since 2001, I have been using Gonzalez reeds, with an ocassional short foray back to Vandoren Traditional reeds.
Over the years, aside from the packaging of the FOF reeds changing, there have been a few subtle differences between the older (brown/black box) Gonzalez reeds and the newer (blue/brown) ones.
1. The tip shape of the more recent recent reeds is a bit flatter (similar to the V12 reed), where in the past it was more rounded, like the Vandoren Traditional reeds.
2. I definitely think that the Gonzalez reeds have gotten stiffer/harder over the years by at least 1/4 to 1/2 strength. Why that happened, I do not know. But, if you played a 3 3/4 strength in the past with the older harvests, you may now find that today's 3 1/4 or 3 1/2 is equivalent.
3. Every so often, more than in the past, there may be a reed MUCH stiffer than the rest of the box. Not sure why that happens. I guess the grading system is not foolproof.
Speaking of harvests - the most recent batch of Gonzalez reeds I received are marked "Harvest of 2004"
I'll store those away, since I still have a good supply of older (brown/black) boxes from 1998 and 1999.
Overall, the quality of Gonzalez reeds still remains high. Sure, there are occasional duds in every box, but I still think that once you find your correct strength, the overall percentage of quality reeds is higher than any competing brand.
...GBK
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-11-20 11:24
Clarinetboy***,
I think for a 14 y/o, your analysis seems very honest and straight-forward. Your writing is clear and concise. Keep up the good posts.
HRL
PS I have two granddaughters using TR 147s that I picked for them; Good bang for the buck. So, how did you make the fabric ligature? Sounds like you enjoy interesting little clarinet projects.
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2009-11-20 17:16
Based on my experiences of the last couple of months I would avoid RC with 2000 harvest dates. 1998/99 RC have been great reeds. Bass reeds from 1998/99 have been great too.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-11-21 23:30
I play on a variety of reeds, including the Gonzalez FOF 3.75. In my opinion, if you learn how to work on your reeds (I use Ridenour's ATG system) you can get decent to fantastic results from the reed brand of your choice.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-11-21 23:32
Claire Annette wrote:
> I play on a variety of reeds, including the Gonzalez FOF 3.75.
> In my opinion, if you learn how to work on your reeds (I use
> Ridenour's ATG system) you can get decent to fantastic results
> from the reed brand of your choice.
I agree.
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Author: Clarinetboy***
Date: 2009-11-24 05:32
Hank Lehrer...Thank you, I try to be more honest since I'm becoming more mature and older. I'm responding rather late since I just arrived back from the Western International Band Clinic but...about the ligature...I made it by cutting off a strip of a backpack strap. After which I rolled the backpack strap around my mouthpiece tightly to see how much I need to adjust/cut to get the right fit. Then, I eventually sewed the ligature together at the ends that I cut off. It actually works just as well as a Rovner dark ligature and it is a LOT cheaper. Even though it will probably wear out sooner, I can always just grab a strip of cloth and shape it into a ligature for much less money. Besides, who would want to pay $10-$50 for a ligature? That is completely outrageous and the reed/mouthpiece are much more important. Also, I found that if I want a slightly more buzzy type of sound I use thinner strips of cloth/fabric. Otherwise, I currently use a 3-layer ligature with a small strip of fabric on the inside which will press to the reed for a more muffled/warm tone. I actually don't experiment with stuff that much but at the time I was reluctant to shell out a considerable amount of money for a ligature that I could make myself. Sure, the Rovner looks nicer and has a screw, but hey, mine works just as well for a tiny fraction of the cost. Anyway, yeah, you get the point. ^_^
Thanks once again for the compliment.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2009-11-24 12:25
FOF doesn't beat a good V-12 which has more consistent sound and is not as overly bright and free-blowing in the upper register.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-11-24 14:44
Clarinetboy***,
Thanks for the information and your solution as well as your methodology is quite innovative. As a person that likes to find the "value-added" things in life, I recognize you as someone that seems to share the same perspective.
As far as the compliment, all I did was tell the truth.
HRL
PS There are several threads about using velcro as a ligature. Check them out and I think you will fell compelled tp make one up as well. Velcro is probably in better supply than backpack straps!
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Author: Clarinetboy***
Date: 2009-11-25 01:03
Hank Lehrer, thanks again. I might try using velcro to make a homemade ligature but I don't know...for now I'll use any old and unused backpack straps around my house. They are just the correct size and thickness to be made into a clarinet ligature. Also, since they are the right size I don't have to cut them as much, which is great since cutting them will make the cut edges fray and loosen up. Otherwise...yeah...thank you for the velcro advice, I will try that sometime when I get the chance.
PS: I actually used to be quite a spendthrift type of kid until I got a little older. Of course, later on I realized that not everybody is rich and I have to make do with what I have. Now...of course there are those times when I impulsively want to buy stuff during the holiday season. For example, earlier before I posted here I bought those Gonzalez FOF's and Regular Cut reeds that I was talking about in this post. I don't regret it one bit...except for maybe that it makes me want to try Gonzalez's Mozart reeds. Ugh, oh great...now I'm starting to get reed-crazy! *_* Oh well, it's all right, it will go away. I'm perfectly happy with my phenomenal FOF reeds. I also like my Regular Cut reeds but they are just not as deep or expressive sounding in the low and middle register. The FOF does become brighter in the high range but somehow, it doesn't sound that shrill as compared to when I use Vandoren Traditional 3's. Anyway, thanks...I'll remember this. ^_^
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-11-25 01:14
Clarinetboy*** wrote:
> that it makes me want to try Gonzalez's Mozart reeds.
They're tough to find since they've been discontinued for a while.
...GBK
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Author: CK
Date: 2009-11-25 04:00
I find that the Gonzalez reeds for me are the best reeds in the market today.
I recently tried the Rico Reserve Reeds and they are pretty good, but I still
prefer the quality of sound from the Gonzales FOF. Thyt do tend to take
a break in period longer that Vandorens , but it is worth it
I am able to get 6-7 great reeds out of a box of ten. I do use Ben Armato's
Reed Machine(works wonders) and use Tom Ridenour Methods when
necessary and use 600 grit sandpaper to sand the back of the reed .
Break in period for me is 5-6 days
Professor of Clarinet
Broward College
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Author: Clarinetboy***
Date: 2009-11-25 05:53
GBK, so you say that the Mozart Reeds have been discontinued for awhile? Are you sure?...because I saw them being advertised at Muncy Winds. Or maybe they've been discontinued and Muncy Winds has them in limited supply?? Shoot! They look promising although I probably don't need them since the FOF's give me a "thick but not too dark" type of sound that I really like. Plus, the FOF's work better than the Regular cuts on my Clark Fobes Nova mouthpiece and my Ridenour 147 clarinet. My tone is full and vibrant like you mentioned in your review for those reeds. I guess I should probably just stick with the FOF's even though the Mozart's are pretty tempting. Thanks for telling me that though! ^_^
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Author: JEG ★2017
Date: 2009-11-25 20:25
On the recommendation of my repairman I tried Gonzalez RC 4's instead of my usual V12 4's. I wasn't quite satisfied with the sound and tried some FOF 3.75's after looking at the website comparison chart. They've been a little stuffy and I've been wondering if 3.5's might be a better fit. Have other people found that the comparison chart is accurate? The reeds seem to have potential though.
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Author: CK
Date: 2009-11-26 04:06
Yes, you should try the 3.5 Gonzalez FOF if the 3.75 is hard or stuffy. Most of my students that had played Vandoren V-12's ended up using either the 3.5
or 3.75. But it will really depend on your mouthpiece and set up. Try the 3,5 if
the 3.75 are to hard.
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Author: Doug
Date: 2009-11-28 17:24
Iceland clarinet posted that V12 is a better reed than Gonzalez FOF etc,etc
A few months ago I attended a master class being given by a well known
clarinet professor from a well known university and was very surprised to
hear him state that he had recently visited the Gonzalez plant in Argentina
and he saw a large bundle of freshly cut cane bundled with a sign attached
Van Doren standing in a yard. I have been using Gonzalez reeds on sop
clarinet, bass clarinert, alto and tenor sax for the past three years. There is
nothing better in the market.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-11-28 18:09
It's fairly well known that Vandoren buys cane from outside suppliers, like Gonzalez.
Why else do you think you get one good reed in every box? ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
...GBK
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2009-11-28 22:16
Doug I said that a good V-12 is better than a good FOF. The cane used for FOF is better in overall but the cut of the Vandoren is just better in my opinion with more focused,round and consistent sound and better control(at least for me) in the upper register. I'm able to use almost all the reeds in the box of V-12 it's just that I get more concert quality reeds in the box of FOF but the cut of FOF is not worth it in my opinion.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2009-11-28 23:41
(Disclaimer - I sell Gonzalez F.O.F. Reeds)
I used to be a Vandoren V-12 player for many years but after switching to F.O.F. I will never go back.
There are however a number of reed companies, mouthpiece companies, ligature companies, etc. because there is significant variability between players in their pleasure for each item. If one reed or mouthpiece or any other combination was "THE BEST" then there would be only one surviving product or company per catagory - obviously there are many because the best for each player may be different from another player.
I believe that Gonzalez only uses their own cane grown in Argentina - Vandoren uses multiple sources mostly from the Med countries.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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