 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: AAAClarinet
Date: 2013-07-17 20:40
Hello, I have another question about reeds. A while ago i switched to #4 V12 vandorens.I was wondering what difference i would experience if i tried the regular cut reeds. I've only ever played on thick blanks. my mouthpiece is about .96mm with a lenght of 17.5 if that helps. thanks for any info.
AAAClarinet
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-07-17 20:50
Buy a box and try them. If the #4 V12s are comfortable, then try a box of #4 Traditional and see how they feel. Vandoren's comparison chart places #4 V12 and 56 Rue lepic reeds in between #3-1/2 and #4 Traditionals. To be more certain of the difference you really should try some #3-1/2 and some #4.
You can't tell from a single reed, but if you can find a local supplier who will split two boxes and sell you 5 of each, you could make a reasonable decision. Otherwise, spend the money on a box of #3-1/2 and see how they feel. You can clip any that respond well but feel too soft. If most are too soft and you want to continue the experiment, next buy a box of #4.
Karl
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Author: Vova Doob(UA)
Date: 2013-07-17 21:13
....mmm....
May I ask what is the difference betwen V12 and regular cut in practice(during play)? (not those words written by manufacturer)
I never choose reeds by cut or number, I need to try, feel and hear, doesn`t matter what written on reeds, I`ve tried many many many different reeds to find MY REED and when I played in Vandoren 5RV Lyre mtp, best for me were Australia Vintage (XL) reeds, also Rico reserve 3/ Now I use Clark W Fobes Europa mtp. Facing 5 (1.16mm 5rv lyre is 1.09mm) and the best reeds for me is Rico reserve 3.
Dont look at cut or number try, try and try, and you`ll find your combination.
I try to give you an advice, try mouthpieces with bigger tip (1.15mm) and try to make a better sound by your air stream, not by mtp. opening. Yes, harder reeds gives and closed tips gives better sound but in bigger lips you`ll have more control and more air stream and after few time, when you`ll feel it, you`ll understand...
Sorry for my mistakes in text, i don`t know English so good!)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-07-17 21:41
Vova Doob(UA) wrote:
> May I ask what is the difference betwen V12 and regular cut in
> practice(during play)? (not those words written by
> manufacturer)
>
> I never choose reeds by cut or number, I need to try, feel and
> hear, doesn`t matter what written on reeds,
Exactly.
But in re-reading what I posted earlier, I realize it was maybe a little confusing - I was typing too much as I thought and didn't re-read it as I normally do (dinner was calling ).
If you don't mind risking the cost up front (there's no way to avoid some money risk), buy a box each of #3-1/2 and #4. You will find more of one or the other more comfortable (every box of reeds contains a range of resistance levels and these sometimes overlap). Then compare those to your V12s. If you want to go a little more slowly, start with the #3-1/2. You're more likely to be able to use the softer reeds even if you don't ultimately decide to use them regularly.
The only way to select your most comfortable fit for regular use is through trial and error.
Karl
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Author: Vova Doob(UA)
Date: 2013-07-17 21:50
Karl, you`re right. And if we speak about Vandoren products, as usually nit more than 3-4 reeds from box are good. When I use another reeds, at general 7-8 reeds from box are good for me.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-07-17 22:17
If you look at the butt end of a V12 or a 56 Rue lepic it's thicker from the flat back up to the top of the curved bark surface than a Vandoren Traditional. Other brands are made with thick blanks (the piece of cane that results from quartering the cane tube and then flattening the inside) - some of the Grand Concerts and the Rico Reserve Classics, Gonzalez, Morres, I think Olivieris. Vandoren Traditional, Zonda, Mitchell Lurie and some of the Rico Grand Concert reeds as well as the regular Rico and other less premium student reeds are made from thinner blanks.
Karl
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2013-07-17 23:59
Reserve Classics, morres, and zonda are definitely thicker cut reeds. As are V12's.
There seems to be some confusion here as to what a thick cut reed really means. The most basic way to see it is the thicker cut have a thicker piece of cane (thicker than blue box (which is around 2.85mm, while V12's are around 3.10).
As to what the results are with a thick or thin, or anything in between, you have to understand what the cane is doing.
Cane closer to the bark is harder, so a thinner reed like a blue box will work since the design is made to make hard cane (stable may be a better way to talk about it) to play well with good vibrancy.
Thicker reeds (like V12's) are made from larger tubes, supposedly alto saxophone sized cane. These reeds are much thicker at the heel. With that thickness you get a mixture of the harder cane towards the bark and softer cane as you go down toward the flat side of the reed. Their design of the cut is different than a blue box because of this thicker cane.
There are a few exceptions: When you can find a really good zonda 3.5, it will treat you well. Rico GCS Evolutions are also thick. Zondas are inconsistent - not just one or two in a box- but times when all of them in every box are playable, 6 out of 10 being pretty good. Other times, it's box after box of marginal.
It's worth noting that EXPENSE does not mean much with reeds. V12's costing more than Blue Box doesn't mean they're better because of it. The same is true for the Rico GCS evolutions, since the Rico Reserve classics are pricier.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-07-18 02:03
I haven't bought Zondas in a long time. Are they thick blanks? I have an image in memory that they aren't, but if you have them in hand, I stand corrected.
The (perhaps) interesting thing about reed thickness is that thick blank reeds I've actually measured (V12, Rue, Reserve Classics, F.O.F.) actually can range anywhere from 2.7 mm to 3.6 or 3.7 (VD Traditionals don't seem to get thicker than 2.6 or so, but I don't have nearly as many of those around to measure). Some are thicker at the end of the vamp, where the bark starts, than they are at the end of the heel. So, thick blank really is a fairly general description that seems not to mean much more than "thicker than thin blank reeds."
For me, the real surprise was that the resistance of the reeds I measured seemed to have no relationship at all to how thick they actually were. I'd be interested to read if someone else has had a different experience. I take that as a clear demonstration that rated strength is based on a measure of the cane's stiffness and that the dimensions (within limits) have little or no effect on response.
Karl
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-07-18 02:07
You're right. I just dug a Zonda out of a drawer of very old discards, and it definitely is made from a thick blank.
Karl
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Author: Wes
Date: 2013-07-18 05:14
If you don't get 10 reeds out of a box of 10, try sanding the unresponsive ones tips with a bit of #400 silicon carbide abrasive paper from the hardware or tool store. It is so simple, is not "rocket science", and you don't have to waste good reeds. I like #3 V12's and even they require sanding before they all play well, usually up to C4. When they get worn out from a lot of use, they may not play so high and get slightly flatter. Good luck!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-07-18 14:56
Can't speak about soprano clarinet reeds, but I've recently tried V12s on bass clarinet and they don't seem to work as well for me on that instrument as do the traditional Vandorens.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2013-07-18 15:37
I think most walk-in music stores do sell individual reeds or partial packages. Usually there's a better per-reed price on a whole package, but I've bought partial packages locally several times when I wanted to try out something different. It's hard to generalize about which reeds work best, because there are so many variables other than just the brand and type of clarinet -- your embouchure, your personal style of playing, the exact characteristics of your mouthpiece, how that mouthpiece fares on that particular clarinet, etc..
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: morbius
Date: 2013-07-19 02:04
"Regular reed blanks usually run 2.8 mm thickness; so called thicker blanks run about 3.2 mm thickness. I find thicker blanks work better with closer facing mouthpieces, but that's only a generalization.
John Dorch
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