 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarial
Date: 2016-01-25 19:34
Hello,
Does anyone know were I can purchase a RPM 68 here in the US?
Thanks,
Albert Hunt
www.AlbertHunt.net
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2016-01-25 21:54
Albert...I don't.
Still more, your right to own this machine, whether as a collector's item, or because you believe it to give you results you can't find in the marketplace is your right--and I respect that: the right to make lawful purchases.
Maybe you're in possession of quality cane, the likes of which you've never seen before, and want to craft it into reeds. Maybe you've come across this reed profile design that just surpasses all those you've seen the reed producers make and want to recreate it.
Maybe the item's a gift. Maybe someone you know swears by it.
I make all these stipulations because now I'm going to get to "brass tacks."
Why? Why do you want to own this? You will not be able to create reeds (at least those made out of Arundo donax) more accurately than the less than a human hair's thickness accuracy that makers like Vandoren produce--anymore than if you could, does exact physical replica translate to exact playing replica reed. No machine you can buy as a player will have the precision of machines used by top reed makers.
Mother nature adds variability to cane. She, not reed cut, determines strength, both between reeds and within a single reed. Reeds cut as close to symmetrically as we can make them, paradoxically enough, make for inferior reeds right out of the box, because the underlying material being cut (the cane) is not strength symmetrical. That's why we adjust them.
Synthetics--where quality control can be brought to the production process..THAT's a different story.
Spend the money on etude books, better teachers, more free time to quality practice the clarinet, or the ATG method of reed adjustment, not on pipe dreams.
If I may steal from Winston Churchill's thoughts on democracy https://richardlangworth.com/worst-form-of-government...cutting reeds symmetrically is the worst form of profile design, except for all the others.)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-01-26 04:22
I have to say that agree with the above. Even Karl Leister is on record saying that we don't have [commercially made] reeds to blame any more for playing problems.
Back in the '70s and '80s you'd have been on point with all the other top university and conservatory students. But today, you can save SOOOO much time and sweat just finding a good commercial reed (which is Vandoren - either the Rue Lepic or V21s in my book).
Of course, if you're getting into it to become another supplier......go for it. We can always use another upstart company........as long as you are at least as good as Vandoren.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2016-01-26 05:03
The US distributor for these can be found at http://www.reedworkshop.com/pages/contact
It is currently listed as out of stock, but I would contact them directly.
I purchased one of these several years ago from another BB member, and find it to be a beautifully made profiler, enabling one to make a well crafted reed in about 10 or 15 minutes.
I've used it successfully in combination with commercial reeds in the past, and find that it gives me a nice degree of control over the finished product, depending on cane selected, and the specific profile cut used.
It certainly would be a lovely thing if people would answer questions on this Board about subjects on which they actually have knowledge or experience.
AB
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Author: Joseph LeBlanc
Date: 2016-01-27 00:43
Hey everyone! I have run REEDWORKSHOP.COM for the past few years but I'm winding down the business. I sold my last machine recently and will soon be directing all sales to:
http://aw-tools.com/
From now on all tools and accessories will be sold directly from the manufacturer AW-Reeds. This situation now is much better because it was difficult for me to keep the right ratio of products in stock etc.
To address a few points about the machine and why some players(some!) might want to make their own reeds:
The machine IS incredibly accurate but so are commercially made reeds. Accuracy isn't the advantage but it is just a starting place for good reeds. Both methods are certainly accurate enough to a point where accuracy is not improving the final product.
The advantage is the cane.
Many commercial reeds makers mix multiple types of cane grown in different fields/different countries. Different types of cane have different playing characteristics, and mixing them in one batch reduces consistency. For many players these commercial types are perfect but for myself I have consistently been happier making my own and MUCH happier with the sound I'm able to get on my own reeds. I've tried at least 15 types of cane. Most are not compatible with the way I play and make way worse reeds than commercial! But the few that have been good for me make it all worth it.
Another advantage is being able to preselect the cane for more consistent results. Tube thickness, and straightness are important factors. Customizing the blank is another factor. Blank thickness in particular makes a huge difference in the end result. Taper is another area that can be tweaked. Further, the vamp itself can be customized. These all are nice in creating a custom product for each players individual taste...but again- cane is king. If the cane doesn't speak to you- no amount of 'tweaking' is going to turn that around.
Another factor that doesn't occur to most people is reed strength. Reed makers must clip every reed to strength. This is a huge advantage in my mind because if you start with a slightly long tip(and thus soft reeds)- nearly every reed can be clipped to the perfect strength. This is way more satisfying and effective for me and MUCH more accurate than even quarter strength commercial reeds. It kind of gets you out of the mindset of 'what strength should I be playing on' and more along the lines of simply 'what sounds the best'.
So those are my thoughts on reeds. To anyone I've sold products to in the past few years- thank you! We are all in good hands with AW-reeds going forward!
Best,
Joe
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Author: donald
Date: 2016-01-30 00:22
Firstly I can testify that Mr LeBlanc makes great reeds- in 2008 I was playing a long run of Phantom (dejavu, that's my paycheck for Feb 2016) and he sent me a few reeds to try. They were a little soft for my B flat mouthpiece, but worked brilliantly on my eefer... the fellow playing the flute/clarinet double tried them out and LOVED them, I broke my wrist the day the season ended and did limited playing for a few months (I did LOTS of one armed practise, but wasn't in the state to be overly picky about reeds) so I gave them to him.
A couple of years later he got back to me- "do you have a contact for that LeBlanc guy? Those reeds were great and nothing else plays as well". Bear in mind this was a busy professional playing commercial recordings, shows, gigs etc (ok, not an orchestral principal, but still a good player)... and he'd been eeking out 5 or 6 reeds for two years trying to make them last....
Second- my personal experience with this is that once you've learnt how to do it and understand what the problems are (making blanks from tube etc), it's not that TIME is the problem but more LOCATION.
15min making one (for me, usually two) reeds isn't that much time compared to faffing around with commercial reeds... but having a space with the equipment, a "set up"... and one that is convenient to your practise space- for ME that is the deal breaker.
Doing this well requires discipline, and I don't quite have that when it comes to putting the stuff away, getting it out, putting it away... I have limitations on my practise at home, how much noise I can make etc... and this doesn't fit in well with a reed manufacturing workshop living on the fridge (where my dual was based for about 10 years).
My old teacher had his dual in his studio- loads of space to leave blanks out to dry etc... was easy for him to put some in to soak in between students.... then dry them for the afternoon... then flatten one between students.... then make one before he went home for the evening. Not trying to discourage you, but that's an angle that wasn't mentioned by the other posters above.
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