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Re: Rovner Versa

Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2010-10-20 15:11

I too have an ED-II and would say that the Versa is exactly the same design.

I thought the ED-II brought clarity, control and precision to a reed's performance but the reeds seemed to play a little on the bright side. I almost always put the rubber flaps over the metal "rails" (I'm not sure what to call the spring-like piece that holds the inserts) to mitigate this effect. I could not tell a huge difference between any of the plate configurations, including no insert.

Ultimately, I stopped using it because it didn't fit easily in my case.

I bought a MKIII and use it and a Rovner Light as my two options. The former seems to perform just as they describe: a heftier, darker sound. As Alexi points out, it does reduce the responsiveness of the reed a bit in the process, but (for me) not as much as most metal ligatures. Based on recordings, I would say that the Rovner Light actually allows a (well-balanced) reed to respond more easily with a much fuller, livelier sound. Consequently, I will use it in an orchestra more often and the MKIII for chamber music.

As an aside, both my ligatures are the ones for Alto Sax because (1) they use brass fittings that match my CSG-Hs, and (2) they seem to have a bit thicker material than their clarinet equivalents. I have a sense that the thicker material performs better, but I haven't done any real experiments to confirm this.

I would consider both the MKIII and Light over the Versa (for both cost and performance), and would recommend the Light to anyone as perhaps the closest alternative to tying the reed on with string, which I think beats everything else hands down (except for convenience).

Bob

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