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Is there a better bass clarinet reed for me - or should I stop looking?

Author: kerryklari
Date: 2023-06-23 19:29

Apologies that this is such a long post but I might as well include all the information to start with.

I recently bought a bass clarinet. It's just for fun. I will be teaching myself - I'd be happy to have some lessons but they aren't an option. I can play the Bb clarinet to roughly intermediate standard, and I've played sax in the past, so I'm fairly used to single-reed instruments.

The instrument itself is unusual. It's a metal one from the 1960s, pretty much the same as this one https://www.dg-music.co.uk/whats-in-the-workshop/f-arthur-uebel-aluminium-bass-clarinet except mine is gold anodized. One of the most unusual aspects of it is the mouthpiece: it is much more like a sax mouthpiece as it has no tenon and slides directly onto the crook, so I can't swap the mouthpiece for another one. I knew that when I bought it of course and accept that limitation. I bought it via the internet from a reputable dealer who had it checked by a technician before sending it to me, sent me a couple of videos of the tech playing it, and sold it with a 28 day return option, so I assume any problems with it are down to me rather than the instrument. It seems very well made and in good condition. It definitely passes the Michael Lowenstern test of the long keys not wobbling.

I've measured the mouthpiece as accurately as I can and I reckon the tip opening is 2.15mm and the length is 29mm, so similar to a Vandoren B50. That's probably not ideal for a beginner, but that's how it is. The instrument is German system so, before it arrived, I ordered a sample box of various strengths of apparently suitable reeds. However, they all seemed to be much too small for the mouthpiece and I could barely play any of them. There was a Rico Royal reed lurking in the case, I think a tenor sax reed, strength 2.0, and it fitted the mouthpiece perfectly and played reasonably well so I gave up on German reeds and have been trying to find the ideal (for me) "standard" reed, either for bass clarinet or sax.

The main issue is: I can't seem to get a good sound out of the clarino register. It's hard to describe exactly how the quality isn't great. I've recorded myself playing and it sounds better than I expected, but compared with the chalumeau it sounds thin and breathy and forced, and is certainly a lot less relaxing to play. I've been reading the material on Edward Palanker's website and he does describe some of the difficulty I'm having, though he also talks a lot about getting squeaks which isn't a big problem for me, it's just quality of sound. My question really (at last!) is: should I carry on trying for a better reed, or am I experiencing a problem everyone else faces and I just need to keep practising till it improves? I've had the instrument for 3 months now and tried a lot of reeds already, and it's not a cheap process with synthetics, but the differences between them are simply amazing, so maybe it's worth trying a few more.

So far, I have tried:

- Légère Classic, Signature and European Cut (all for bass clarinet). Like ML in his "battle of the synthetics" video, I found the EC much better than the others. I can probably get the best sound I manage out of an EC 2.5. However, clarion B and C rarely sound unless I run up to them. I can just about get the first few altissimo notes. I've tried different strengths but it doesn't help: the problem is slightly worse with the 2.25 and I find the 2.75 too hard.

- Harry Hartmann Fiberreed (for tenor sax). Using the Hemp variety, I can get all the clarion notes to speak with a Medium reed, and altissimo up to as far as I need to go. The tone is a bit rougher than with the Légère though. The reed is a little hard for me, but the MS is really too soft. I've tried a Fiberreed Classic and can't get a sound out of it at all.

- Fibracell Reeds (for bass clarinet). Similar to the HH reed - I can get all the notes easily enough but the sound quality throughout the range isn't great. Strength 3 seems to work best for me. Sometimes I think it's a bit better than the HH, sometimes a bit worse. Either way, not as good as the EC.

- Cane reeds. I'd rather play plastic for the convenience, but happy to try cane if it's going to sound better. With that in mind, I've tried a range of Rico reeds, both tenor sax and bass clarinet, around strengths 2-2½-3 and none is better than the plastics. I've never really got on with any Vandoren reeds for some reason, but decided I had to try them, so have tried V12, V21 and Blue all at 2½ and the Blue also at 2, but I didn't like any of them.

If you have read this far, thank you! I know there is no real answer, but I'd be happy to get suggestions, advice, etc about where to go from here. Carry on with the HH or Fiberreed and try to improve the tone? Carry on with the ECs and try to get all the notes (and also improve the tone)? Or try something else? I wouldn't think the latter was worth it if I hadn't found the difference between reeds even of the same brand so great. I have not yet tried Ambipoly reeds. I've tried Playnick reeds (which look the same, but maybe they aren't) on Bb clarinet and found them like planks, but ML said they were his 2nd choice. Likewise, I've tried Bari original and star and found both of them rather plank-like, but I've never tried their much more expensive (and thus better? or just red?) Elites. I've tried Forestone reeds (not on bass) and like ML found them incredibly soft, but they get pretty good reviews on Thomann. There might be other options I simply haven't thought of.

All suggestions gratefully received!