 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-02-08 00:17
Does anyone have information on this new Reed? Their website says (Feburary 2016) next to its description. If not, does anyone have an email for Legere? I had but I can't find it now and for whatever reason can't find it online using my phone.
I'm very curious to see if this reed will be better suited for more open mouthpieces.
Fernando
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-02-08 02:44
It's just info@legere.com
I have had inconsistent luck with information. You get a response back from someone that may or may not give you an accurate picture of what is going on.
What I have heard is that this reed should work on a wider variety of mouthpieces but it NOT a German cut reed, per se.
.................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-02-08 07:15
I emailed them. I'm feeling a little anxious here. Really hoping this Legere will finally convince me to ditch cane entirely.
Fernando
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-02-08 15:05
I am on the verge myself, but I could not make them work well enough acoustically on French mouthpieces. The story gets much more interesting on German mouthpieces.
The German mouthpiece (and I mean an actual German mouthpiece made for an Oehler clarinet) has a very long facing compared to the French mouthpiece: 23mm compared to a French mouthpiece about 17 or 18mm (and I am speaking averages of course.....but you get the idea).
The German mouthpiece also features a very close facing: .85mm compared with 1.05mm (for a close French facing).
Now in "our" world, you would assume that you need a harder reed to make that work. HOWEVER, the standard reed strength to use for this mouthpiece is 2 1/2 (and it IS comparable to our reed strengths).
There is a different approach to producing sound in the traditional German classical approach and this makes the acoustic model also different. The beauty of the German model is that the difference in sound and response between cane and the Legere is much smaller (still cane wins in a side by side, but it is much much closer).
This does however require the German cut Legere reed with a German mouthpiece and the European cut is not a German cut reed.
...................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2016-02-09 03:26
Although Legere claimed that they no longer supply the German signature cut reeds, Playnick clearly said they are still producing two types of German signature, one for French mouthpieces and one for German mouthpieces. In other words, there are two types of German cut reeds from Legere/Nick, the classic version (blue color font) and the Signature version (with numeric mark of strength).
Also, it is said German signature cut is much popular than classic in Germany and Austria.
Lee
Paul Aviles wrote:
> I am on the verge myself, but I could not make them work well
> enough acoustically on French mouthpieces. The story gets much
> more interesting on German mouthpieces.
>
>
> The German mouthpiece (and I mean an actual German mouthpiece
> made for an Oehler clarinet) has a very long facing compared to
> the French mouthpiece: 23mm compared to a French mouthpiece
> about 17 or 18mm (and I am speaking averages of course.....but
> you get the idea).
>
>
> The German mouthpiece also features a very close facing: .85mm
> compared with 1.05mm (for a close French facing).
>
>
> Now in "our" world, you would assume that you need a harder
> reed to make that work. HOWEVER, the standard reed strength to
> use for this mouthpiece is 2 1/2 (and it IS comparable to our
> reed strengths).
>
>
>
> There is a different approach to producing sound in the
> traditional German classical approach and this makes the
> acoustic model also different. The beauty of the German model
> is that the difference in sound and response between cane and
> the Legere is much smaller (still cane wins in a side by side,
> but it is much much closer).
>
>
> This does however require the German cut Legere reed with a
> German mouthpiece and the European cut is not a German cut
> reed.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ...................Paul Aviles
>
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Presto ★2017
Date: 2016-03-03 03:58
Anyone tried them yet? I have a couple on the way, should have them in two or three days. Here we go again. I just can't seem to give up dabbling in synthetics even though I have failed to make them work so far despite numerous attempts. Here's hoping!
Jim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-03-03 06:46
Presto,
I am working an angle that offers up a successful Legere option. It involves using a German mouthpiece, the Viotto (slightly modified by Viotto) on a Boehm clarinet. Apparently the whole approach to the German technique is to use a soft reed with a closed tip and longer facing. I am having wonderful luck with the Viotto N1 and Legere German cut #3 reeds (for cane 2 1/2 would actually work better).
The approach to playing is "different," and tuning peculiarities are different but not insurmountable.
.............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jthole
Date: 2016-03-03 19:01
I just ordered a European Cut Signature reed to test, and I was assured that they were French cut reeds.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Presto ★2017
Date: 2016-03-03 19:32
jthole wrote:
> I just ordered a European Cut Signature reed to test, and I was
> assured that they were French cut reeds.
As far as I know they are but with some differences in design to the regular signature cut.
Jim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2016-03-03 21:57
I've tried the new euro cut. They're nice but I'm sticking with the regular signature cut. The synthetics are just like any other reed... you need to find the right mouthpiece and ligature to go with them. It took me a while going through many mouthpieces and ligatures.
Not for nothing but practicing six hours a day getting ready for a concerto made everything feel better in a way that no magic reed or mouthpiece could ever do.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: lagatitalila
Date: 2016-03-04 07:34
I'm curious about the Legeres not because I'm looking for a magic reed, I'm just looking for something that won't warp. Thanks to the utterly bizarre weather Los Angeles is having, I lost a ton of new, unplayed reeds to extreme warpage. I don't mind the song and dance required to make crappy cane reeds play, but in my experience, fixing a warped reed is impossible.
Is it really necessary to change mouthpiece/ligature in order to use Legeres?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jthole
Date: 2016-03-06 00:20
Disclaimer: I never used Legere Classic or regular Signature reeds, so I cannot compare to those. Besides, I am not a professional player, and I double between clarinet and baritone sax.
In the past, I have tried Forestone and Fibracell clarinet reeds, and didn't like them. Too buzzy, and they both did not feel like cane to me. They are definitely plastic, and feel unnatural to me.
However, the idea of a consistent and reliable reed appeals to me, and besides, I had a great experience with Forestone reeds on baritone sax. So I jumped, and ordered a Legere Signature European cut blindly. The reed arrived this afternoon, and I gave it a 45 minutes test drive. Here are my initial observations.
As others have noted; placement seems to be essential, and more critical than with a cane reed. Moving the reed up very slightly made a huge difference. Too low meant that the reed felt sluggish and stuffy for me.
I was positively surprised by the response and sound of the reed. It's not the same as a good Vandoren Traditional reed, but it comes close. I did feel that the intonation throughout the registers was a bit less even with the Legere reed than with a good cane reed, but nothing that cannot be easily corrected. Compared to the other synthetics I have used, it is a night and day difference. I do feel that the Legere reed loses a bit complexity when pushed to a strong volume, compared to a cane reed.
The Legere Signature European Cut reed strength (3) is very close to a Vandoren Traditional 3. Maybe the Legere is just a tiny bit softer. It feels different though. The reed feels a bit more slippery, and strained my embouchure a bit more than I expected. Since I've only used it once now, I reckon that I need to give it a bit more time before judging the reed.
My initial thoughts:
+ sound (this is the most cane like synthetic that I have tried)
+ response (when positioned correctly)
+ evenness (compared to Forestone and Fibracell reeds)
- "mouth feel" (more slippery than a cane reed, but less than others)
I won't comment on tone quality compared to a a Vandoren Traditional reed yet, since I believe I should give myself more time with the Legere before doing so.
Post Edited (2016-03-06 00:29)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gene Chieffo
Date: 2016-03-08 01:54
I ordered and received a European Cut 3.5. Way too soft on my m13lyre. I sent it back and asked for a 4. We'll see.
I'm having great success with a similar reed I get from a friend in Taiwan. It's a Legere play nick medium. As far as I can tell, they're not available here. They are shorter like the Euro cut and also have that spine in the middle. They are wider than the standard but not as wide as the Euro. They only come in soft, medium, or hard. I like medium. Just performed the Mozart concerto on one. Got a lot of positive feedback and nobody knew I was playing a Legere.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Presto ★2017
Date: 2016-03-09 01:56
Received mine yesterday (ordered from Woodbrass, France). I ordered 3.5 and 3.75
I usually play vandoren traditional 3.5 but tend to have to buy a box of 3.5 and 4 at the same time to get 6-10 good reeds close to the exact strength I like with minimum work. This works across the three mouthpieces I use interchangeably: ESM MCK1, Hawkins R, Behn Vintage C.
I am quite impressed. They certainly are surprisingly different in dimensions to regular signatures - much wider and significantly shorter vamp. Almost like a sax reed. Unexpectedly they feel very comfortable in the mouth. The 3.5 is too soft for me but the 3.75 spot on. Settled in well after an hour or so. Free blowing but very full tone and articulation works fine. Probably could play a 4 but not sure I need to push it if stability sustains. Positioning on mouthpiece seems critical - slightly above tip gives best result I find.
I think I could really work with this. The big question is whether Legere have cracked the issue with consistency reed to reed. I have had a good regular signature before (not as good as this) but could not rely on continuity. I will try to exchange the 3.5 and if there is consistency I will switch from cane.
Jim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2016-03-12 23:23
it is a good reed..I just got a couple and think they are very fine and will save loads of money.
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jthole
Date: 2016-03-13 23:41
So far, the mouthpiece that works the best together with the Signature European Cut for me is a standard Selmer C*. That's a bit of a surprise, because it's not a favourite for me with Vandoren Traditional reeds.
Post Edited (2016-03-13 23:44)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: avins
Date: 2016-03-15 17:04
I think I mentioned in one of the threads in the past that I used the legere (31/4 and 31/2) in Thailand and Myanmar where heat and humidity could reach above 90%) with no problem to the reeds whatsoever.
For quite some time I ve been playing on legeres Signature exclusively and I dont see myself ever returning to cane. I get a beautifully articulated sweet tone out of these reeds day in and day out . I do ,however, rotate between 5 or 6 of them daily , unless I play over an hour session when I change to the next one
Avins
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-03-19 03:05
My goodness, my B40 13 sounds great with this reed. This is the first synthetic reed that works with my B40. The regular signature works great with my more closed tip mouthpieces. I can definitely push the Reed far more than the regular without it getting shrill and harsh at all
Fernando
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2016-04-21 19:11
I finally got a chance to try out the Legere European cut. I ordered a 3.75 strength, which seems pretty much the perfect strength for me.
First impressions, I can see that the reed is significantly shorter and wider. Playing characteristics-wise, this reed is extremely even-sounding, probably the most even-sounding reed I have ever played. It doesn't sound as "plasticky" as the regular Signature to me, although it does seem a bit dark/dull to me (maybe a tradeoff for how evenly it plays).
The only problem I have is that the upper clarion and altissimo seem to be even harder to get up to pitch, and it doesn't seem to respond in this range at soft dynamics very well (the regular Legere Signature is not as bad in this respect).
I will continue testing (as I have only had it for 1 day so far). Hopefully it responds a bit better on some of my other mouthpieces in the upper register.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2016-04-22 21:42
Maybe a little bit off topic, could you guys share the information regarding usually how long your legere synthetic reeds last? For my cane reeds, the lifetime of each piece is usually less than two weeks but for legere, I find after two months playing, it still works pretty well.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2016-04-22 23:48
Klose: useful to know your playing times/rotation schedule.
I ask because you might get an answer like "2 months" from a player on their Legere who has different times in front of the instrument than you--making the comparison potentially one of "apples and oranges."
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2016-04-23 00:09
WhitePlainsDave, sorry for missing the information:
I play at least 3 hours per day and I have two same legere regular signatures in rotation. In fact, I just changed to use legere exclusively at the beginning of this year, I am even not sure how to determine whether the reeds are old enough to be discarded...
I think probably I should buy another one as backup thus I can compare the new and old to know the difference.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2016-04-23 03:45
This is probably not too helpful since I don't regularly use my Legere reeds, but I've had mine for a few years and I haven't noticed a change or deterioration in any way.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gene Chieffo
Date: 2016-04-25 00:46
I did finally receive a 4 in exchange for the way to soft 3.5 I sent back. Four seems to be the right strength with my M13 lyre mp. These are really, really good reeds!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2016-04-27 02:57
I'll be airing an interview I had with Legere about these reeds and their company in general on the Clarineat podcast. I will say that the reed was modeled after the soprano sax shape. It's much wider. They play great I must say I really like them over the standard signature models.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2016-04-28 23:58
I have to say the European cute for is the preferred model..the sound is robust but somehow warm with a good ringing quality. The life of the reed should be a couple years from what other Legere players have told me....and that is with loads of playing! As to size I like the 3 and a quarter to the 3 3/4 size..the three and a half is really where I sit..but in some settings a stronger reed is preffered by me. Most people are happy with the 3 1/4 size ...
Back to the sound..the tone has a really nice density ..
and dynamic shading is really easy..the throat to lower clarion is really nice with great eveness of resistance
so this is truly a great reed.
I have been using them for about 3 months and still use cane but not in all settings and certainly save money for other things..like beer. The signature reeds I traded for the European cut with a colleague who did not care for..I will be using Steur for cane from now on as this gives a nice deep sound ..I am not sure I will ever go back to Vandoren reeds...maybe when they are yellow rather than gree..
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-04-29 08:22
For those who have used both Legere signature and European, what size difference have you found yourself using. I normally use a 3.25 signature and have been using a 3.5 European but I think it might be kind of soft.
Fernando
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2016-04-29 10:03
It is strange that the official strength chart indicates European cut 3.25 is even harder than regular signature cut 3.5.
http://www.legere.com/strength-charts
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2016-04-29 19:15
my 3.75 European cut is definitely softer than the 3.75 regular Signature cut. It is even softer than the 3.5 regular Signature cut. I'm not sure if I should try exchanging for my 3.75 European cut for a 4.0 instead.
The chart on the Legere website seems very inaccurate according to my experiences, and it seems from other BBoarders' experiences as well. The European cut definitely feels softer than the regular Signature cut.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: TomS
Date: 2016-04-30 06:58
Ditto on the chart inaccuracies ... the signatures are definitely harder, for the same strength, than the classics ... IMHO. A #3 classic is about like a #2.75 signature. According to the chart, you should need a #3.25 to match a #3 classic. So the chart if off by about 1/2 strength.
Tom
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: TomS
Date: 2016-05-01 02:21
About to order some of the new Legere ... information about being a little softer will make my order up 1/4 strength. Of course, I can always swap, on my first order from Legere ...
Thanks to all for the heads up ...
Tom
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: babrinka77
Date: 2016-06-13 11:43
Hello;
I order one european signature last week, it should be here soon, i hope it will work great with my B40 lyre and with my Playnick Solist M.
A question to David Blumberg, just as a curiosity: Do you know if Ricardo Morales prefers the European Signature it over the regular Signature?
It seems Corrado Giuffredi prefers the european cut as i could read on his facebook page...
Thanks.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-13 19:10
I would also suggest trying the Legere German cut reeds. For medium closed mouthpieces the 2 3/4 would be a good starting point and perhaps no more than that.
Skinny, small reed.
...................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2016-06-13 19:23
Paul Aviles wrote:
> I would also suggest trying the Legere German cut reeds. For
> medium closed mouthpieces the 2 3/4 would be a good starting
> point and perhaps no more than that.
>
>
> Skinny, small reed.
>
>
>
>
> ...................Paul Aviles
>
Hi Paul,
You mentioned there is a difference between the Legere German cut and Legere/Nick German cut (both regular, not signature version). I am very confused as both Legere and Nick told me they are exact same.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2016-06-15 03:06
I got my Legére European cut this week and tried it out yesterday. It was very comfortable to play but I was surprised that it "chirped" a couple of times. I noticed that the tip of the reed is slightly bent upward and I'm guessing this is a defect. Unless one of you tells me differently, I plan to send this reed back for an even exchange.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-15 03:53
Claire Annette,
That sounds like a defect to me.......never ran across one like that yet.
Klose,
Yes, there was a big dust up about different versions, but that (as you have found from Legere) is a thing of the past. There is only ONE type of German Cut Legere made today - they do say NICK Legere on them.
I could NOT believe what a difference there is with the German cut vs. the one's made for Boehm. Recently I have been using German reeds on German mouthpieces on Boehm clarinets (lot of good results but some things to consider and I don't want to make this a massive post). I finally decided (after six months solely on the German mouthpieces) to try the German cut reed on my favorite Boehm mouthpieces. I got really good results there too. I assumed that I had "retrained" myself to enjoy playing on soft reeds in general. So I ordered four Legere (Signature and Euro in two different strengths) assuming that they would play great. Unfortunately I got the same horrible results I got over a year ago (you can either say that an old dog learned a new trick or that I just repeated the same mistake....I prefer the former). Bottom line is that the German cut reeds (though not profiled to work ideally on Boehm work better than the Boehm versions from Legere. I couldn't even begin to say why.
.............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: babrinka77
Date: 2016-06-15 13:57
I received my Legere european signature on monday, i am very satisfied, i prefer it over the signature in all the aspects, (sound, intonation, high register, etc) but i agree with the coments above that it runs softer, so i think i need a 1/4 strenght harder.
Actually, it works well on all my mouthpieces, even in one where the signature doesen't work well. Very surprised!!
I would love to try them on some Pomarico mouthpieces (i don't have any), i have heard that the combination works wonderful.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2016-07-07 00:27
I thought I would update this thread and let you know that the interview and review I was discussing are now available.
In the interview Tim talks about the new Euro Signature reeds and the history of the company.
See here for the interview: http://clarineat.com/s01e15
I also reviewed the reeds. I thought they were great and well worth trying.
See here for the review.: http://clarineat.com/legere-euro
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
Post Edited (2016-07-07 00:29)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
