The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-01 21:08
A little back round first. I was the first player to ever use a Rovner ligature. He came to me many years ago with his "new design" and asked me to try it and give an opinion. I loved it at first play and began to use it from day one. It was revolutionary at the time but not widely accepted for several years. He's always upgrading trying to make them even better, and has several models on the market now. These days he asks me to come over when he has a new design to try out in his shop which is 20 minutes from my house and on my way to the symphony hall. Well last week I tried his newest model and I have to tell you I'm floored. Of course it isn't in production yet and doesn't have a name yet either, I'll let you all know when it does. It seems to make my reeds really sing, play with a bigger sound, play dark yet brilliantly, the whole nine yards. I've used many of his new models and have a draw full of prototype models that never made it to production, mostly because we agreed it didn't do anything for us. He's always looking to improve something, the material, the design, the shape, whatever. By the way, the only compensation I get is to have a draw full of his ligs that didn't make it and I get to use the newest model before anyone else. It's unbelievable how many ligatures he sells year after year. I understand that everyone has different needs and react differently to different equipment so like anything else, it won't do for everyone what it does for me but it is good, really good. I'll be in touch. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-02-01 21:45
Hmmm...........
You probably can't say (but it'll just be between the two of us), however, is it more like the platinum (a metal inverted of a "V" type design) or an EVO (pared down strappy thingy with heavy fittings) ?????!!!!!??????
.....................Paul Aviles
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-02-02 10:55
Excellent. I've always been partial to Rovner ligatures. I'll definitely give the new one a try when it hits music stores.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-02 16:46
He will eventually make it for bass clarinet as well, he always does. It has two gold bars that fit on the reed side, they are in the form of a rectangle but I believe has an insert inside of it. It presses the reed on each side of the bark part, there's no pressure in the center of the reed. There's something about how if holds the reed and allows it to vibrate yet dampen the highs that just makes the reed sound so good, at least for me on my equipment. I'll let you all know when it goes into production and what he calls it. ESP
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2011-02-02 18:24
It sounds like the Platinum model, only in Gold.
Can you take a picture?
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2011-02-02 18:39
So it sounds like it's a Turbo-Charge with an insert? What does the insert look like?
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2011-02-02 18:40
I have the Eddie Daniels Rovner for my Bb. I use it with the thick plate. I converted from the Vandoren Optimum. My other ligs are Rovners as well (Bass and Alto Sax are Rovner Dark and Eb is Rovner Lite; not sure why I went with the Lite but it works well).
Rachel
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-02-02 20:18
Sounds almost like the plate is similar to some degree to that of the Vandoren Leather ligature metal plate (which is what I use). It has kind of the same design where there's a small gap in the plate for either side of the reed. I'll have to try it when it comes out!
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-03 12:13
You will all have to wait until he decides if he's going to put it into production. It doesn't look much different from one he already makes so a picture won't tell you much. Let just wait and see, all I know is that I love it, but I've said that before when he came out with a new model that I liked. ESP
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-03 17:19
i just spoke to him and he said he is going to make me one for my bass clarinet. He also said it will take some time before it goes into production, now that I told him how good it is, because he has to get all the parts ordered and machined. Some times he has problems getting the metal parts made to his liking. ESP
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Author: ned
Date: 2011-02-05 05:46
Ed you wrote this in the post ''Materials taken way too far......''
''Well I got a new adjustable thumb rest on my clarinet last month and wow, my sound is darker, more vibrant, bigger and much better in tune. It's fantastic. I can't wait to get a new mouthpiece cap. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com''
I must say that I think this to be true of clarinet ligatures, as well.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-02-05 13:19
I got an upper front bridge a few years back. Even though I play double lip, I found that my sound changed, probably because the bridge was thicker at the bottom than my natural teeth.
Maybe if I'd had it made in gold, with little emeralds inset (diamonds somehow absorb the sparkle).
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2011-02-05 13:20)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-05 14:11
Ned, you obviously don't agree and that's your privilege but it is my opinion that anything that effects the way a reed vibrates, dampening, restricting or freeing the high or low frequencies in the reed will effect how a reed feels or sounds to the player and or the audience. It could be very subtle or very obvious to the discriminating listener and player but there is a difference between some ligatures and others. I can play five different styles and find almost no difference at all and I can play five others that make my tone a bit more bright, more dull, easier to play the high notes, easier or more difficult to articulate etc. True, for some players a ligature can make no difference to them and with some players it can make a big difference in feel, articulating and tone.
Ken, I don't think the emeralds would have done much, I don't know, but the gold, well that would have certainly given you a richer tone, especially with todays price of gold. ESP
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Author: William
Date: 2011-02-05 15:23
The only ligature I ever found to make a dramatic difference in the response and tambre of the sound was the old, original Winslow ligatures (detachable bands) with their six cushioned support pins allowing for free resonance in the reed base while still firmly securing it to the mouthpiece. It's too bad that John is no longer making these fine products, however, it's also good that new stuff continues to be developed by creative individuals. I would like to try the new Rovner, but must admit that I never did like the ones have tried--I'll try to keep an open mind. I do not use any of the many Winslows that I have--actually, too many overtones in the upper registers for me--but prefer the Vandoran Optimum with the paralell rails on my Kaspar & Grabner mpcies. Opps--on my Selmer HS** effer mpc, I do use a Winslow sop sax lig; also use Winslows on all my sax mouthpieces--metal and hard rubber.
(Forestone Reeds, exclusively)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-02-05 15:39
I have found recently (only recently due to pigheadedness) that a VERY light tension on a ligature has the affect of taking much of the ligature's inherent quality OUT of the equation by allowing the reed to do all the work. The con here is that one must switch at the barrel since the reed is barely held on by a "loose" ligature.
However, even with this approach there is still residual ligatureness to the sound (in my trials anyway). And though I hate to admit one factor in my above discovery, it was partly triggered in preparation for a switch to the Spriggs Floating Rail ligature. Of course I may now want to wait for Herr Rovner.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2011-02-05 15:50
I think, and have experienced, a dramatic impact from changing ligatures on sound quality, response, vibration range, and resistance.
I even notice a change between two of the same ligature of the Bay\Bonade types that can vary in shape.
How much gets into the hall? I think much of it can. The limitation of vibrational qualities of the reed (by the larger and especially fabric\leather ligatures) is noticeable at great distance. Many people want this (as with Rovners) to limit the upper "highs" in the sound.
If the reed is vibrating, the mouthpiece is also vibrating. The amount of material (and type) that is touching both the mouthpiece and reed is going to have an affect on the resultant sound. People will argue all day about what degree of affect it has, but it does make a difference!
My personal preference is for ligatures that have a somewhat equal amount of material on the reed as it does on the mouthpiece as well as a preference for light metal. I want the ligature to allow the reed to vibrate freely and to not dampen the mouthpiece vibrations.
To each their own.
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Author: William
Date: 2011-02-05 16:24
"I want the ligature to allow the reed to vibrate freely and to not dampen the mouthpiece vibrations."
Allowing resonance--and the resulting overtones in the sound--is what the Winslow ligatures do best. However, for me, there is TOO MUCH of the overtones series sounding from the soprano clarinet mouthpiece--a rather thin sound above G5 or so, that I do not like. The Winslows are great sounding ligs for the larger bass clarinet and sax mouthpieces--and for me, curiously, my little effer.
OK--done "beating the dead horse".
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-05 17:28
Well I know as well as anyone, having taught for so many years and having so many students try different equipment, that what works well for one person may not work for someone else. That was the reason that most of my students used different mouthpieces, different ligatures and different brands and strength reeds. It was always what worked best for them not me. So I know once this new Rovner comes on the market, could be some time though, that some people will love it as I do and some people will hate it and some will be indifferent to it. I always encourage everyone to try different equipment if you're not 100% satisfied with what you have, and even then to keep an opened mind to new things. It's truly amazing these days how many different ligatures are on the market today. Several of them are copy cats some a different innovations. Russianoff used to tell me to try to find a ligature that sounds like my thumb when I try out a reed so the ligature sounds as close to that as possible. ESP
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-02-06 20:07
When I came back to clarinet in retirement, I bought a number of mouthpieces at random along with a Rovner ligature.
I would set up two mouthpieces for comparison --one with a Buffet lig and the other with the Rovner (my only 2 ligatures). At one point, I noticed that interchanging the ligatures had a lot of effect; so I bought a second Rovner to make the difference between two set-ups just the mouthpieces and reeds.
These days, I find the two-screw Buffet style ligature a pain to use compared to the Rovner --and I can feel no difference in the response from changing the screw tension on the lig.
For me, the ligature can make a perceptible change in the "feel" of the clarinet.
Ed, I wish you hadn't leaked this information on the upcoming Rovner...
Bob Phillips
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-07 19:58
Sorry about that Bob, but you may not like his new one once it comes out anyway.
I'm getting like Wikileaks. in the world of ligatures, I just wanted to wet everyones appetites. I promise I won't do it again. ESP
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Author: AAAClarinet
Date: 2014-05-27 02:18
Was this model ever put into production? If so, what model was it?
AAAClarinet
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2014-05-27 02:42
I think most ligatures accentuate TOO MUCH high-end brilliance. I spend my time looking for the dark side, in the fashion of Darth Vador.
In that regard, I found a canvas-looking Rovner in my alto sax mouthpiece shoe box. It's heavy, a little stiff, no holes or slots, and fits the clarinet mpc to a T.
(After mounting the reed I gently pinch each end of the ligature next to the little rods to ascertain whether one end is tighter than the other.)
Best of all, it's dark . . . oh so dark! So that's my newest, strictly temporary I'mgonnauseitfortherestofmylife ligature.
Or at least until a new Rovner comes out.
bruno>
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