 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill G
Date: 2011-07-25 02:44
What brands of reeds are most compatible with short lay mouthpieces such as Vandoran B44 (now discontinued)? Most of the discussion I have seen concerns comparative strengths, but doesn't mention style or profile of cut. It seems to me that it should be possible and helpful to describe reeds so as to make it easier to find brands correlating with the length of lay of particular mouthpieces.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2011-07-25 03:06
For shorter faced mouthpieces you need a reed with a shorter scraped area (vamp).
Three brands of reeds which work especially well with shorter faced mouthpieces are Vandoren Regular Blue Box, Gonzalez RC (regular cut) and Rico Reserve Classic.
Of course there may be others, but those are the ones I'm most familiar with and have had success with on shorter faced mouthpieces.
...GBK
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2011-07-25 22:50
GBK is right. Generally speaking the shorter facing means less of the reed is vibrating and there is more resistance and also less flexibility.
The B44 (or 40 or 46 or whatever else) dictate a softer reed due to the tip opening being so open. You say you've read discussions regarding reed strength, so you already know that the open tip means a softer reed. You can take the idea of a softer reed compensating for the open tip (resistant) and expand it to the inherent resistance of a particular reed style\cut.
I would recommend (a different mouthpiece.....but that's another story) a reed that is overall a thinner blank and a cut that lends itself to vibrancy and ease of response.
You should try:
Vandoren Blue Box in 2.5 and 3
Rico Grand Concert Evolution in 2.5 and 3 (a thinner blank with thinner side rails).
Rico Grand Concert Select in 2.5 and 3
I wouldn't recommend the Reserve Classics (Purple box) since they are not a thin cut reed (overall thickness is similar to a V12). They may work in a 2.5 strength, but wouldn't be my first choice.
As far as a specific brand being best for short facings, I don't think you can make that broad of a generalization. I think it's appropriate to say that with a large tip opening and short facing, you would want a soft reed that is as vibrant of a cut as possible (thinner blank,etc...).
Hope this helps...
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2011-07-25 23:05
Portnoy, years ago, told me that thick cut reeds do not have the proper cross section for most mpcs.
richard smith
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-07-26 16:09
Gebhard Steuer (GS) reeds, if they're still available in sizes for French-type mouthpieces, have very short vamps.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2011-07-26 19:50
I'm not sure what David means by "very short vamps," but none of the Vandoren facings is really extreme (AFAIK) to the point where they'd require anything special other than a very vibrant, not too resistant profile. Back when French mouthpieces were pretty much standard (at least in the U.S.) at a 16mm - 17mm curve length (measured with a standard .0015" feeler), everyone I knew in the Philadelphia area used Vandoren blue (purple back then) box "traditional" reeds on them. As players began to use longer facings (I think at first in order to accommodate Vandoren #5s more easily), more and more started experimenting with the thicker reed blanks and more resistant profiles, in response to which Vandoren started producing the V12 model.
Karl
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-07-27 17:20
Karl,
I meant "short scraped area" (or conversely, "lotta bark length"). I'm not necessarily recommending Steuer reeds (they've never worked very well for me on any instrument, something about the cane that I just don't care for, probably), but they do have a short cut area.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2011-07-27 17:21
If the mouthpiece is narrow enough, you could also try Vandoren White Masters (made for German mouthpieces). They have short vamps. I used to use them on a Gigliotti P34 and they worked nicely then.
I would first try the Grand Concert Evolutions, though. When I tried them, they seemed similar to the White Masters. They aren't as narrow, though, so they are more likely to work on a French-style mouthpiece. (They are also going to be less expensive, especially if the value of the dollar continues to fall.) I currently play on an Eddie Daniels ED1 mouthpiece, which is not as narrow as the Gigliotti, and the GC Evolutions worked well on it (whereas the White Masters, while similarly responsive, tended to make chirping noises on the Eddie Daniels)
Rico Reserve (the "plain" Rico Reserve, not the "classic") is another good choice. The classics did not work all that well for me, but the non-classic Reserves did. (They are what I'm currently playing on.)
Post Edited (2011-07-27 17:27)
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Author: Bill G
Date: 2011-07-28 00:52
Thanks for the thoughtful and helpful comments. I am currently playing Vandoren traditional #3, having found that neither the V12 nor the Rico Grand Classic Reserve worked on this mouthpiece. I plan to try some of the suggestions made here, although I like what I'm playing now.
I notice that the Vandore trad's have a profile that extends the flat portion nearest the tip quite a ways before curving up more sharply toward the bark. To what extent does this profile contribute to its suitability for a short lay?
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2011-07-28 09:07
I played on a B44 for a month and I used it with Mitchell Lurie 3.5 and Grand Concert Select Thick Blank 3 with good results. Later I sold that mouthpiece, because I felt the sound is not flexible enough for me.
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Author: Bill G
Date: 2011-07-29 18:15
Since I made my original posting and reading the replies I have become interested in the elements of reed design, and have found an interesting chart Howarth Clarinet Reed Cut Comparison Chart.
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Author: Bill G
Date: 2011-07-29 18:30
Also interesting is the material at reedhelp.wordpress.com.
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