 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2010-12-12 16:58
They look similar, but are pretty different it seems. I've seen some posts from before about the Luyben, but there I found more about the opaque/black dispute than performance. How is the response and general feel of the Luyben compared to a Bonade? And does the plastic affect tone much?
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2010-12-12 20:33
I find them to be extremely different ligatures, but you need to try them for yourself. They're cheap enough!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-12-12 23:09
I've found no difference between the clear and black Luybens. Be sure to follow the instructions that they have to be as tight as possible. In general, the Luyben doesn't fit my way of playing, but no two anatomies are the same. Certainly it's inexpensive enough to try without regret.
A Bonade is quite different. It's metal, while the Luyben is plastic, and it has two vetical bars that sit on the bark, while the Luyben has four plastic dots.
Bonades are invariably made crooked, so you must be prepared to take needle-nosed pliers and bend things so the two bars lie flat on the bark of the reed.
Ken Shaw
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2010-12-13 02:54
Quote:
Be sure to follow the instructions that they have to be as tight as possible.
Also follow the included instructions that tell you to stretch out the ligature for a few days on your mouthpiece before you play on the ligature. When you don't follow those instructions, the Luyben will not be adjusted for optimum performance.
I think the Luyben is a great ligature for kids - it's cheap, close to indestructible, and when properly stretched to accommodate your mouthpiece and sufficiently tightened, I find it allows a greater ease of articulation compared to other cheap ligatures on the market.
The Bonade, which I used for years in both traditional and inverted forms, seems to be made of a cheaper metal than in the past. They come maladjusted - so you have to know how to properly bend the ligature so the metal bands don't touch the sides of the reed and dampen vibration. Eventually, the metal begins to fatigue and stretched to a point where it will slide up the mouthpiece. I've had this happen to me while playing...and knew I had to find a different ligature.
I now play on Vandoren Klassic string ligature...but still use my Luyben on occasion.
Post Edited (2010-12-13 02:56)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2010-12-13 04:02
Quote:
Eventually, the metal begins to fatigue and stretched to a point where it will slide up the mouthpiece.
A lot of them come that way from the factory now. I had one that was too big to fit any mouthpiece right out of the box even with the screws tightened to the point where the lugs were touching.
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Author: PrincessJ
Date: 2010-12-13 13:52
From my experience using a Bonade inverted ligature, the need for adjustment was very minor, and since adjusting it hasn't lost it's shape quite yet (I've only been using it for a few months, most definitely not long enough to judge).
It's a chance - either they ship a perfect one, or they don't. That's your risk to take, if you're willing to noodle around with pliers.
Once you get it right though it's not too shabby. I like mine, I do.
-Jenn
Circa 1940s Zebra Pan Am
1972 Noblet Paris 27
Leblanc Bliss 210
1928 Selmer Full Boehm in A
Amateur tech, amateur clarinetist, looking to learn!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-13 15:26
The black Luyben has a clearer sound, while the clear Luyben has a darker sound. The Bonade will make you sound like Jack Brymer.
All seriousness aside, the Luyben is great for the price, my gripe with it is that there is so much friction between the screws and the plastic threads that it is difficult to feel how much pressure the ligature is putting on the reed.
Bonades work well too, but as noted their quality control leaves a lot to be desired.
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Author: clarinettist1104
Date: 2010-12-13 20:27
I know it doesn't answer the initial question, but one more ligature to consider is the Rico H ligature. I have not played a Luyben, but own a Bonade inverted, and a Bonade regular. The Rico H is to this day the best ligature I have ever played. They only come in inverted, and they cost about the same as the Bonades do, but I have found an extreme consistency from Rico to Rico. I bought one in gold and one in silver, and they are both phenomenal. Just something to be considered...
best of luck!
-alex
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Author: GBK
Date: 2010-12-13 20:57
clarinettist1104 wrote:
> I know it doesn't answer the initial question, but one more
> ligature to consider is the Rico H ligature. I have not played
> a Luyben, but own a Bonade inverted, and a Bonade regular. The
> Rico H is to this day the best ligature I have ever played.
> They only come in inverted, and they cost about the same as the
> Bonades do, but I have found an extreme consistency from Rico
> to Rico. I bought one in gold and one in silver, and they are
> both phenomenal. Just something to be considered...
The Rico H ligature is a poor imitation of the original Harrison. The metal is thinner and completely different, the dimensions are different, the "H" which contacts the reed is different, the screws, threads and diameters are different, and the resulting sound is thin and bright.
Other than all of the above, they are identical. ![[right]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie8.gif)
...GBK
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2010-12-13 20:59
Nothing wrong with sounding like Jack Brymer David...
Peter Cigleris
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2010-12-13 22:00
FWIW, I tried a Rico H, Bonade Inverted, Vandoren Masters, and BG Revelation ligature for about a week in the past. I found all to be extremely similar in sound to each other.
I ordered 3 Bonade inverted and all had problems with screws and sides touching the reed.
The Vandoren Masters also touched the sides, and I'm pretty sure this isn't how it was designed to be.
The Rico H held the reed on the sides... Don't know how it's supposed to be designed like, but I always thought the original Harrison was designed to not touch the sides of the reeds and only at 4 contact points. (I've never tried the original Harrison)
The BG was built fine, except a little big, and I was concerned about slippage if I had to take the mouthpiece off.
I ultimately went with 1 of the Bonade ligs (really for price) and somehow the screws fixed themselves. Bending the sides was quite an annoying process for me.
As for Luyben vs. Bonade... I find Bonade ligatures are very slightly more responsive than Luyben ligatures. Luyben ligatures seem to have a slightly more spread and bright sound than Bonade ligatures. But the differences are very very small.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-14 01:33
Peter wrote "Nothing wrong with sounding like Jack Brymer David..."
Of course not, I love the sound of Brymer, I was merely being ironic in that his sound was substantially different than Bonade's (to my ear, anyway). All in good fun!
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2010-12-15 11:47
I have been playing an inverted Bonade for several years. It plays great after the modifications discussed above. However, when it was new, it would slide up the MP at the worst times, on any and all MPs. I was about to trash it. Instead, I worked on the inside surface with 220 sandpaper to break the smooth plating surface. Now it stays put, even on a crystal MP. Dave, I don't sound like Jack Brymer! Could you give me some pointers?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-15 16:29
Tony, can't help you sound like Brymer (can't even do that for myself), but at least I know how to make a trumpet sound like a French horn: stick your hand in the bell and miss a lot of notes.
All ligature discussions aside, my current fav lig is the Rovner "mass-loaded" type with the screw on the reed (bottom) side and the large, heavy rods through which the screw goes. I don't believe he makes this model anymore, but I like the way it works and sounds on both my soprano and bass clarinets.
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2010-12-15 22:53
Actually Dave, they've applied that to the Evo-5 and Star-Series ligature with that "Turbo-Charger Kit." I've yet to be able to get the kit, but my Evo-5 with the screw against the reed is my favorite ligature right now. Great tone, response, stability. It's kind of ironic, since this ligature ONLY touches the sides of the reed.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2010-12-22 14:23
I think Luyben is a great choice for students/parents whose finances are tight. Especially for middle school and high school students, the advantages of the Luyben: economical, sturdy (won't bend if dropped), dependable. I played on a Luyben longer than any other ligature I've had in the past. I don't play one now, but I still have the one I used in high school and college and it is still very much playable.
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2011-01-04 05:07
After some dispute with receiving my new Luyben Ligature, it is finally here. So after so many ligature trials in my past, I've extremely impressed! My Luyben is opaque, and I am loving it! Definitely my best selection for articulation, along with great response. And my plastic worries are gone, because the tone has a darkness that rings. I NEVER got that with my Rovners. No longer will I be prejudice against design. $9 works.
And I can't argue with such a cool cap. ;-)
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2011-01-05 18:21
My teacher used to swear by Luybens until they became hard, if not impossible to get in the UK. So much so that she always wondered why they only made them for B flat clarinet, not eefer, bass etc. as well. I used one myself quite happily for many years.
Vanessa.
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Author: Brunoclarinet
Date: 2013-05-05 22:59
I'm going to London on May 14.
Would you know where I can buy a Luyben ligature for clarinet ?
I'd really like trying one (it seems the white plastic color sounds darker than the black one...)
Thanks for answering,
Bruno
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2013-05-06 12:11
I used both for many years but liked velcro even better and especially for plastic reeds. I posted making instructions a few years ago. They will cost you about 30 cents, and take about 5 minutes to make.
richard smith
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Author: MoonPatrol
Date: 2013-05-06 13:48
Just played a concert with the black Luyben and it lets the reed vibrate more than my Rovner. It plays great and my bottom third has a nice even tone. The Rovner actually had a thicker sound in the upper registers. The Luyben is actually a dark sounding ligature.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2013-05-06 21:30
Did Robert Marcellus use a Bonade inverted ligature with the center cut out?
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