 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Laura
Date: 2001-08-26 19:17
How does gold, silver, or nickel plated ligatues differ from one another in sound or feel?
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-08-26 20:42
It seems like GOLD (& Rhodium of the Bay's) is often found on "SOLOIST" type ligatures. Better projection & brighter than the silver. It seems like the BG (Soloist) ligatures also lay "claim" to a better/easier Staccato. I have seen no evidence or proof of these claims or attributes. Gold could be as THICK as any othe metal (albeit at a high price) ... so maybe it has to do with the thickness of the metal or the thickness of the plaitng. Someone might argue that the thinner plating is due to price constraints (leading to the claims). Sometimes marketing makes me sick. mw
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-08-26 21:41
Great point mw - Clarinetfest was awash with hype and it is a hard point to prove one way or the other. I guess if one had enough time and money to feed this particular intellectual tapeworm that it could be tested scientifically - but we all have too little time and money - well ?
It would seem to me (and this is a limb that I feel very shaking walking out on) that the design of the ligature and how the pressure that it exerts on the reed are tantamount. The mass and vibrational characteristics of the total ligature are important only to the extent that the reed, mouthpiece, ligature all have an acoustical signature and the combination of these elements give the vibrational wave which is transmitted to the barrel and then to the rest of the horn. A few nanometer plating - may, might, could - change the vibrational characteristics of the ligature - I do not think so, but proof is absent on either side. The mass added or subtracted by using metals with higher atomic numbers or lower atomic numbers probably is insignificant in the range of plating technology. The vibrational characteristics are probably different for the different metals - I guess that we could study identical bells made of the same base metal and then plated with different metals. My limb is getting shaky-er (I've probably already fallen and do not know it) -- these are some good questions and many people will have their own subjective opinions. Unless proven in a well designed experiment - this is either -- "truth", "theory", ""smoke", "hype", or "marketing magic". I do not disbelieve it but it would have to work for me -- even if it does work for some people!
The Doctor
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-08-27 01:15
Actually, they are only plated on the base metals. Almost all base metals on which gold or silver is plated are nickel. Very sabtle differences. I heard there used to be genuine silver Bonades. Those may sound more different. I use a cupper ligature. I feel the difference is rather response speed or crispness, i.e. articulation, than tone quality.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2001-08-27 01:59
My being an ignorant restarter makes this answer easy. In "MY" day, all ligatures were silver or silver plated. Now you are arguing the merits of gold etc. What has happened to the Rovner's everybody touted a year ago? Or those strange folk who use string, shoelaces and rubberbands? How much is hype worth anyway?
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Author: William
Date: 2001-08-27 03:09
I've always believed that it is design that is most important in determining the sound of a ligiture ligiture, followed by thickness of material. Nothing is really solid silver or gold, just plating on a base metal and basically just cosmetic having nothing to do with the sound. But, I could be all wrong and out with the Doctor "on that limb." Good Clarineting!!!!!!
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Author: William
Date: 2001-08-27 17:26
I've got a big supply of that--it's plagued me all my life. Especially rapidarticulatiteunobtainium. If there wasn't so much of it around, I could probably sell mine on eBay and make a fortune. (Let me know if you need some)
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Author: Jerry McD.
Date: 2001-08-28 17:31
I've got some of that all over the floor right now.....watch your step!
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