 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-10-18 05:44
Bb Clarinet Pilgerstorfer Dolce clarinet reed.
Has anyone played these reeds. I heard that these "Pilgerstorfer Dolce clarinet reed," were to replace the old Morre's.
If so how were they? Can they be ordered in the US?
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Author: Buster
Date: 2012-10-18 06:34
Yes. and save your money.
The cane isn't even close to what you'd be searching for if golden-era Morres were your measuring stick.
-Jason
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-10-18 06:47
WOW - Many thank Jason. I used them from 1972 to about 1982. I heard his secrets were buried when he died, machines were destroyed. I can't find proof of this; machines being destroyed. He was based in Austria.
Anyone have hints or true stories about the whereabouts these machines may be; if they weren't destroyed. Even pictures will help.
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Author: Buster
Date: 2012-10-18 07:26
I think the true 'magic' was in the cane that was used...
Much like the soul-baring Hilengstadt [sic] Testament Beethoven passed on to the ages, the source of Morre cane has likewise grown deaf for us all...
Likewise, I've heard that Morre quite literally destroyed his equipment/machinery when he retired. Substantiating those claims are beyond my knowledge, but I am sure there are others more acquainted with the entire history than I am....
perhaps fortunately I was weened on Vandoren's in my youth (90 or so) as the Morres were increasingly scarce from the prime years.
Though, I do have to say that the few opportunities I've had to sample prime-era Morres were quite eye-opening. There was a quite positive quality that I have not felt in any other cane/reed-profile.
But all good things seem like they must come to an end.
Que lastima....
-Jason
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Author: Bill Patry
Date: 2012-10-18 13:47
Clark Fobes is the U.S. distributor for Pilgerstorfer reeds. There are three different types, Dolce, Rondo, and Morre. See here: http://www.clarkwfobes.com/reeds.html
The Morre comes in a box that looks like the old ones. I have a few boxes of the old ones, and with a fair amount of work, they play wonderfully. I have also tried boxes of all three of the new Pilgerstorfers and like them a great deal. The Morre is the most resistant, IMHO. You can get a sampler of all three and for those who are curious, that's the way to go.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-10-18 15:32
Two questions come to my mind as I read what has been posted so far:
1. How many source areas of reed-quality cane are there in the world, and how many reed manufacturers over the past 75 years have cultivated their own exclusive crops? In other words, how unique could the cane used by Morré (or any other reed manufacturer) have been?
2. How difficult with modern measurement tools and cutting machinery is it to backward-engineer a reed profile and produce duplicates of any given manufacturer's design (leaving aside the question of cost)?
Karl
P.S. I'm curious to know how other people's browsers handle the HTML I used to make the accented e in Morré. Does it cause problems in anyone's browser?
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2012-10-18 16:49
I had been using the Pilgerstorfer Dolce reeds over the summer. They do produce a nice warm sound and are very easy to play on. However, like the Rico Reserve Classics, they don't seem to last very long. I swtiched back to V12s, and when you get good ones (which I was able to get 4-5 great ones out of my last box) they outshine pilgerstorfer ten-fold. Still can't find anything better than the Vandoren V12s.
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2012-10-18 17:38
I wanted to echo Clarimeister comments on Vandoren reeds. I've tried recently the Dolce reeds, also the GD reeds from Gonzales as well as the RICO reserve.
I can't tell you why but my experience has been that I am able to get a very nice "ring" to the sound or stronger overtone series from the V12s that other brands come close to but never equal or surpass.
I'm not a spokesperson for Vandoren by the way. Just my two cents...
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2012-10-19 06:04
I just got my latest batch of reeds in yesterday's mail. With shipping, they came out to about $4.43 each; making it necessary to recall my youth when a Rico cost $0.25, and I had two in my case. That was so that I'd have a spare when I put the mouthpiece cap on crooked and split one, or it developed its second little bitty square-shaped notch in the tip.
Bob Phillips
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2012-10-20 04:07
I believe that Gonzalez is the only large reed maker that uses exclusively their own reed production. Others may have their own plantations but also buy Arundo Donax cane at auctions from areas mainly around the Mediterranean to meet demand. Reed cane grows in many areas of the world and may have acquired various genetic variation such as cold tolerance which in some areas like the Var in Southern France has seen catastrophic crop failures due to freezes at times. The Var region has a dubious historical mystique IMO for the best quality cane to make reeds.
No doubt that growing conditions including soil and environmental terroir affect reed quality but other factors such as sun drying conditions, aging, and selection for quality structural aspects are important. The reed cutting or filing process as well as shape are also important.
Ideally I feel that it should be possible to reproduce any reed present or antique with proper manipulation of the right variables.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
www.chedevillemp.com
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