 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lynn
Date: 2001-10-24 16:32
I changed to Optimum and loved it. For me personally, it gave me a bigger, more open sound. It also felt less resistant.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-10-24 16:32
In my opinion, the VanDoren Optimum with the two rail insert plays the same as the Bonade Reverse and is a lot easier to maintain. With the Bonade, you need to constantly rebend the ligiture to keep the sides from touching the reed--not a problem with the VD Opt. Also, with the Opt., you get the two extra optional inserts for added flexability, according to your needs. However, if $ is an issue, the Bonade Reverse is one-fifth the cost of the VD and is an excelant lig--it is just "fussy" to maintain.
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-10-24 18:44
Like with mouthpieces and reeds, you have to try them out to see what works for you, but nowadays I use Optimum ligatures almost to the exclusion of all others.
I know many people who use the Optimum, but of only one person who ever used an Optimum and went back to their old ligature (actually went back and forth between the two) and I can't remember who it was.
I think it was someone on the BBoard some time back.
They are expensive, but worth every penny of it. Every time I purchase a clarinet or saxophone, which is several times a year, I also purchase Optimum ligatures for them, so I have one for each of my woodwinds.
The only exception is the soprano sax, with which I use a Vandoren LC118 leather ligature because it helps me with the bottom of the lower register. But I have not yet tried an Optimum ligature with it. Maybe I will do that soon.
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2001-10-24 23:04
Y'all....
I have two Optimums....used them sparingly....liked them both....but have decided to go "back" to "regular" ligs. Usually older models....Have an old LeBlanc with the "L" on the outside....love it.....and a Jou julie(sp) and love it.
It's not that I don't like the Optimum....I do....I just prefer using the older styles.
Will trade Optimums....for? See my ad under ligatures....
The Optimum is excellent...and a beautiful addition to your mpc!
Anyone see the Benny Goodman lig on ebay? I'd love to have one of those....if I could afford it or trade for an Optimum.....
John Gibson
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2001-10-24 23:23
Many clarinetists are judging the Bonade inverted ligatures' capabilities on entirely defective examples. If LeBlanc could get their act together re: quality control (they are the distributors), the Bonade inverted would be for many the finest ligature to choose from. The problem is that every one of them comes deformed and it takes a couple of needle-nosed pliers to bend them to their properly intended shape. The 2 long interior rails are the only thing that should be touching the reed. At present, the metal bands touch the outer edges of the reed which totally nullifies the design properties of the ligature. One can see the importance of this principle in Bonade's own patent design for the ligature.
So to compare the two at this point is apples and oranges.
I personally have tried several of the Vandoren Optimum and find them to muffle or dampen the vibration of the reed that I play - the V12 3.5. The ideal for me is to get the maximum vibration and resonance as is possible from a reed for beauty of sound - which the properly adjusted Bonade does like no other. I know that this is not the object for some (which makes no sense to me) and they interpret a dullness or lack of resonance generically as "darker" and therefore preferable. The type of resonance that I'm speaking of and attempt to play with - but of course always fall short of - comes from a concept that I gleaned from my teacher, Robert Marcellus (Bonade's premiere student) who was in his time known as one that played with a very resonant, beautifully shaped sound indeed. It was and is still a misinterpretation to define his sound generically as "dark".
The dullness and lack of color in many a clarinetists sound today is I believe due in large part to this misinterpretation.
So, I believe that if one auditioned 10 properly adjusted Bonade inverted ligatures against 10 Optimum ligatures, one would be able to make a significantly fairer judgement of the two types.
G. Smith
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-10-25 01:09
Dear Mr. Smith,
It is possible that some people look for that dark sound and mistake dull for dark, but I personally like a brighter sound and think I have achieved it with the Optimum and the parallel bar insert.
If it is true what you say about the Bonade, and I believe you should know what you are talking about, I would be more than willing to try it.
I like many things Leblanc, up to and including their clarinets; Tom Bilotti is a very nice person, and I speak with him, from time to time, and all that.
However, why should I buy a brand new ligature, and pay proper money for it, only to have to take two pairs of long-nose pliers to it to repair what the factory failed to do properly?
That is like buying a brand new clarinet and having to take it to be repadded right out of the box!!!
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2001-10-25 02:40
I assure you that what I say about my experience with the Bonade inverted ligatures are true. LeBlanc should do a competent job representing this valuable product in the fashion for which is was designed.
If more clarinetists knew and complained about this problem, perhaps quality control would become more of a priority at LeBlanc regarding this particular product.
G. Smith
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-10-25 02:48
Greg san:
Next time you come to Japan, I would suggest you to stop by Ishimori at Shin-Ohkubo(your friends will know its location) and try their hand made Woodstone cupper ligature. It has same kind of rails like Bonade and but is made in cupper and with Japanese meticulous artisanship. A Berlin's solist * bought severals.
FYI.
* I know his name but his name spell is an awkward to write in English. A reverse case of US word 'gift' meaning poison in Germany.
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Author: Carmen Izzo
Date: 2001-10-25 03:59
funny! i had to fix my bonade because one side was bent, this must have taken the sides away from the reed because now it plays just like my optimum.
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2001-10-25 05:20
Again, I believe that if one auditioned several properly adjusted Bonade inverted ligatures against several Optimum ligatures - which are in better adjustment, one would be able to make a significantly fairer judgement of the two types. The differences between the two would become more apparent. This way, one would not mistakenly conclude that these two ligatures play "just like" one other.
G. Smith
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Author: James
Date: 2001-10-25 07:31
I am thinking about all that is being said in this message bored and it is coming hand in hand with they i have been feeling i have sounded lately. I have been trying to determine weather my personal sound is too dark, dull or its my set up. Right now im playing on A LeBlanc Opus, Richard Hawkins "B" Mouthpiece, with a vandoran optimum ligature and just recently switching to grand concert reeds from vandoran. Now i wish i could say i know ever characterist of how everything plays but i have to be honest and say that i don't, what i am playing on is what my teachers are playing and by example i have chosen to get. (which i might add are very high regarded clarinetists). Is it all possible that a persons sound is their sound no matter what they play on? I try to always blame everything on my set up even though i really think that if its good enough for larry combs it has to be good enough for me. Larry combs gets the the traditional dark sound and in my opinion it isn't dull yet dark with a great resonance (pardon my bad spelling) which i listen to everyday through the recordings and performances i have heard. Well enough of my blabbing but if you listen to larrys recordings from when he switched to buffet with the old tradional set up to the set up which is pretty close to mine, can you tell the difference in his sound? I personally don't think so, should if we are hearing a difference could that possible be because there is something wrong in our playing? Just a putting a few thoughs out there in the open.
thanks
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Author: James
Date: 2001-10-25 07:39
Just as a reference to the message I just posted and read over. Im not really a person with an IQ of zero, just one thats half asleep so forgive me if you have trouble decifering what i say, (i still have bad spelling) Thanks!
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Author: James
Date: 2001-10-25 07:59
OK OK OK! Now i know i have taken up valuable board space but I really couldn't go to sleep realizing how stupid i made myself look with my incorrect spellings and improper grammar when I'm trying to present a point or new way of looking at this. Now here it is, what I wrote up there but with proper english which shouldn't need any translation.
I am thinking about all that is being said in this message board and it is coming hand in hand with some of the feelings I have had with the way I have sounded lately. I have been trying to determine weather my personal sound is too dark/dull if or its my set up. Right now I'm playing on a LeBlanc Opus, Richard Hawkins "B" Mouthpiece, with a Vandoren optimum ligature and just recently switching to grand concert reeds from Vandoren. Now I wish I could say I know every characteristic of how every single ligature, clarinet, etc., plays but I have to be honest and say that I don't. What I am playing on is what my teachers are playing and by example I have chosen to get what they have used (which I might add my teachers are very high regarded clarinetists). Is it all possible that a persons sound is their sound no matter what they play on? I try to always blame everything on my set up even though I really think that if its good enough for Larry Combs it has to be good enough for me. Larry gets the traditional dark sound and in my opinion that isn't dull yet dark with a great resonance which I listen to everyday through the recordings and performances I have heard. Enough of my blabbing but if you listen to Larry's recordings from when he switched to Buffet with the old traditional set up to the set up which is pretty close to mine, can you tell the difference in his sound? I personally don't think so. If we are hearing a difference could that possibly be because there is something wrong in our playing? Just a putting a few thoughts out there in the open.
thanks
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2001-10-25 15:19
I always had trouble with the bonade lig.
I really like the sound it produces, but as Greg S. said they are so badly adjusted. The newer ones have different screws and the latest I bought did not even fit my mouthpiece, it was too small. I gave up and bought an optimum lig.
I tend to agree with Greg S., the bonade is a bit more resonant but really I'm happy enough with the Optimum and don't have to worry about adjusting anything...
-S
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Author: Ed
Date: 2001-10-25 16:56
I am very glad to see Greg's posting on the Bonade lig. I agree wholeheartedly. This has been my exact experience. I had purchased an Optimum because of all the fuss and sold it because it felt (and sounded) stuffy compared to my Bonades. I also agree with the statement that many people confuse dull and stuffy with dark. I would love to hear more ring from the clarinet as in the tone of Marcellus or Wright.
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Author: Mike_M
Date: 2001-10-25 18:13
All of this discussion makes me want to run down to my local music store with a pair of needle-nose pliers and try the Bonade again. I liked the Optimum, but could not bring myself to spend that kind of money for such an incremental improvement.
Greg,
I value your opinion (and play your Chedeville mp). I currently use a Rovner MkIII. What is your opinion of the design and performance of the Rovner-style fabric ligatures compared to the metal Bonade-style ligatures?- Not necessarily Rovner vs. Bonade, but Fabric vs. Metal.
Mike
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2001-10-25 18:16
Greg--
Also if you're still following this, what about the Spriggs ligature?
Thanks for your input.
Todd W
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2001-10-25 20:29
Cloth ligatures tend to interact with the vibrating mouthpiece in my opinion, dampening and making the sound smaller - losing the "glow" or "ring" to the sound (as in the sound of a Marcellus or Wright as mentioned above). This "glow" is the part of the sound that gives "presence" and projection to the sound without necessarily having to play at a louder volume. It's a quality vs. quantity description that I'm attempting to make, however subjective.
The Spriggs is good because it holds the reed similarly to the Bonade inverted. The overall mass of the ligature is a little lighter, the grip points on the actual mouthpiece being small and precise thus letting the mouthpiece vibrate more. In my experience it works well in combination with, or kind of like an antitode to, a thicker, slower mouthpiece/reed combination. I could see using it to compensate for a mouthpiece/reed combination that was less than responsive enough for me.
I try to make and play mouthpiece/reed combinations that are what are referred to as "quick" or those that give me as much speed of vibration without sacrificing depth and tonal weight. So that is probably the reason that I've ended up using the Bonade for the last 25 years - as my teacher, Marcellus did. I learned successfully that way and by the time Peter Spriggs' ligature came out I had already "grown into" my own world as far as that kind of thing goes. I do like his ligatures though!
Remember, it's all just equipment. A lig/mthpc/reed combination a Marcellus/Wright does not make. THEY made good choices, developed and made the combination work - with superb initial guidance to be sure. One usually ends up sounding the way they're going to sound anyway, it's usually just a matter of comfort and knowing how to simultaneously use one's own ears. Whatever frees you to sound like you naturally sound usually always works out the best in the end. This idea can (and often is) used as an overgeneralization, but in this particular case I believe it to be true.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Ed
Date: 2001-10-26 02:32
I would like to add my thoughts to Greg's post, not that he needs my help! Often it is the focus and richness of the tone that gives it the ability to carry and ring through an orchestra or other ensemble. Marcellus had that ability to sing through the orchestra. His tone had lots of vibrancy and life. I studied with Marcellus for a time and attended his masterclasses. I remember that he could pick up most any students set up and sound like himself. So it was clear that equipment is not the only answer. We all look for a set up that helps us to achieve what we are looking for with the greatest of ease.
I tried the Spriggs lig at the clarinetfest and while it was hard to tell too much with everyone else trying out stuff in the exhibit room, it seemed to have great freedom and the reed spoke like mad! I am tempted to get one to try out for an extended period, although I am also stuck on my Bonades.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2001-10-27 17:11
I do have a tencency to tighten things down to an almost inhuman degree, and the other day as I was mounting a reed with my Bonade, the ligature broke. Rats.... Where "BONADE" is stamped on the metal near the bottom, it cracked apart right at the edge of the "E." Okay, I probably shouldn't have cranked the lower screw so tightly, but it does seem as if the metal band should not be bent to such a great degree at that point. It weakens the metal. Other than that, with the lower part of the band now flapping in the breeze, it was a very nice ligature.
Perhaps someone should make a small torque wrench for tightening ligatures, eh?
Regards,
John
creature of habit, ready to order another Bonade
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2001-10-28 02:27
Greg, Thanks!!!! WOW!!!! I have been setting up my "new" clarinet and have run into a bit of dissappointment. I have a 1925 FB Buffet which has a fresh overhaul, a new G. Smith mouthpice and a new Chadash barrel. I have been using my inverted Bonade (same one I have used for about 30 years), and have been fiddling with other ligs due to a bit of a stuffy sound which I didn't notice when I trialed the mouthpiece.
Last Thursday I tried a friend's BG Revelation lig and it was better than the Bonade. So Today when I had to go the miles down to the city I stopped in at two music stores looking for a BG Revelation or a VanDoren Optimum lig. I got lots of stares from folks who had never heard of these items, so I went home empty handed.
Whe I got home I logged on to this thread and got thinking. After reading your post on the Bonade I took a look and sure enough the lig was touching the lateral borders of the reed. I bent the lig away from the reed on both sides and it is amazing how much better it is. I am really glad I didn't find a BG to buy today!
Not for y'all, don't plan on going down to the store with pliers in hand. When you bend it it will be yours. I found the optimum shape was much different than the produced shape. I suggest you just go and buy the ligature (it seems to be one of the inexpensive ones) and then start bending.
This Bonade is now fantastic, the clarinet "rings". Greg, do you know if there is a Bonade made for alto and soprano sax? If not then I guess I will get my silver solder out and take an old brass lig and solder rails inside and then get the pliers going. Alternatively I will buy another Bonade or two and cut the lugs off, I can then move them to where I need them for the sax piece and silver solder them in place. I will screw up the plating so I guess I will just have to bead blast off the chrome. It is worth a try!
Thanks, Greg!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-10-28 03:01
Save your silver solder...Bonade ligatures are made for soprano, alto, and tenor sax (as well as Eb clarinet and Bass clarinet)...GBK
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-10-28 11:08
boy, i can't believe this ones still going- will anyone read MY entry?
having played Bonade (screws up and down, with and without adjustment by pliers) and Optimum (with the paralell rails insert) i have to say this- Optimum better for 2nd clarinet and pieces where i really need to blend a lot (and if i haven't got a lot of time to work on reeds etc). Bonade when i want to project and have time to find/make the best reed.
Both the Rovner style ligatures (BG rev), The BG trad and the Optimum apply even presure over the lenght of the reed butt, wheras with the Bonade you can tighten the front screw slightly more than the back one- i'm sure this must make a difference. No one ever seems to mention it either.
Now, when i use a string ligature (and boy, it sounds good, honestly) on a french style mouthpiece (no "rille" grooves) i can slide the string down the mouthpiece to get this effect- slightly firmer at the top end of the butt.
Last week i listened to a concert recording (on DAT) of me playing Brahms F minor with string, then the Lutoslawski Dance preludes with Bonade, i liked the sound of both. With string the resonance seems more evenly spread throughout the frequency range (and more even between registers), Bonade seems to have a strong "ring" with more immediate articulation- but maybe this was just that i played the different rep.... differently (as you would hope i would!).
The Optimum, by the way, works great on my saxophone!
donald
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2001-10-28 14:08
Donald,
No one will read your post. In fact, neither will I.
I have heard a lot about string here on Sneezy. What kind of string is best and how do you wrap and tie it? How tight? Will it work for saxophone? How about a sax mouthpiece like a Wolf Tayne which is cylindrical... pushing the string down will only push it down, not tighten it.
I am in a mood to try the string and compare it to the Bonade on Bb clar.
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-10-28 16:11
I know someone who was very poor and had a difficult time affording an instrument and mouthpiece, never mind other stuff.
When he started to learn the clarinet, he used a very wide rubber band for a ligature, and it worked for him at that time. He played one for me some time ago, and I was very surprised. It sounded pretty good!
However, probably not as good as a proper ligature today.
String? Maybe just to play with it and see what it was like 200 years ago, but to use regularly? No, thanks!
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-10-28 18:08
Too much like work!! Like in the old days they used to make emergency cork repairs with string also, in fact, didn't cork actually replace string in the tennon joints?
Now They have plumber's teflon tape, with a width that is almost perfect to fit the average joint. About three to five wraps of it are usually sufficient, as opposed to a hundred wraps of string.
It doesn't have glue or deteriorate in use. You can leave it on there for a year and take it off readily and without leaving any residue behind. Unlike string, it also doesn't absorb moisture.
Just curious, what do people who use string do if they have to change a reed in a hurry?
Talk about changing times! To anyone who still uses string, "We who are lazy salute you! (you might even also get better sound.)
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-10-29 09:58
well, this is going to sound a little.... unlikely- but so many things in this business ARE. My string is from Germany- Herr Mueller in Feldstrasse, Hamburg, sold it to me to 6dm in 1998, and for all intents and purposes it looks to be exactly like a long thin shoelace (read the David Pino book on this one). You can get several different types of string in Germany depending which store you go to, but i have only tried this type which i believe is made by YAMAHA!!!!!!!!! Herr Sablotny in Bergerdorf also had the same type of string, and i bought 3 lots of it from him for a friend in the China Philharmonie who tried out my string and liked it.
THIS is the real unlikely bit, this particular type of string sounds better than other types (of string not sold as clarinet ligatures). I've tried normal string, several different shoe laces, white string, red nylon string, string from the chord of venetian blinds etc etc etc. Well, it doesn't sound as good... I don't know why. Of course it would make a difference, but you'd think it would be only a very very small difference. My 40cm of string from the music store in Hamburg really does sound better than other string. Maybe i'm just fooling myself.
Sellotape or Scotch tape, i can testify, is a big pain, don't bother trying it. i don't advocate using string exclusively, but it really does sound good. Of course, it won't make up for a bad reed or mouthpiece.....
donald
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Author: tylerleecutts
Date: 2015-07-11 16:53
I looked up this thread to see if purchasing the Optimum would be a good idea. .
Can anyone believe we're still having troubles with the Bonade ligatures 14 years after this post?? Seriously.
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-07-11 18:28
Peter, in reference to your analogy. "That is like buying a brand new clarinet and having to take it to be repadded right out of the box!!!" I bought an R13 from Bill Brannen in 1975, but I paid him hundreds of dollars extra back then to repad the entire instrument, and to work his magic on it. It was worth it. Gregory Smith is correct I believe that a correctly adjusted Bonade will give great results, but the problem is quality control or lack of it. Perhaps what is needed here is someone willing to take new Bonade's and create a business by properly adjusting them and selling that to musicians. Someone with the skills to properly do this, so we can all enjoy the ligature as it was designed to be played. That may be the best answer to the situation. So, are there any ligature surgeons out there?
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-07-11 19:41
@Wisco99: Muncy Winds sells Bonades and will properly adjust them upon request. They will also remove the rail section in between the tension bands if you wish.
I love the sound and response of the Bonade Inverted, but my properly-adjusted example had a most annoying tendency to pop off it I need to realign or remove the mouthpiece. The Optimum stays put, and since I've acquired an Optimum, the Bonade has been relegated to backup duty.
For me, the Optimum--used with the two-rail plate--combines the response and timbral tendencies of the Bonade Inverted with the foolproof convenience of a Rovner Dark. It works great and makes my life easier. I can't imagine any ligature being much better than this.
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-07-12 00:57
Ursa,
You are incorrect in your statement that Muncy Winds will properly adjust a Bonade upon request. I have contacted them several times regarding this, and their reply is they will NOT adjust the ligature. All they will do is slide it on a mouthpiece to see if it goes on. They will not do any adjustments to make sure they fit in the manner Gregory Smith suggests. This will cut the center piece out and sell you it that way, but that is the extent of their adjustments. After getting a rather terse response from them regarding this, they simply stopped responding to questions if they would adjust the ligatures so they would actually work as they were designed to do, and I was met with silence. It is a dead end road with Muncy trying to buy a Bonade ligature that will actually fit properly. I have tried and am extremely disappointed that they do not care if the ligatures actually fits and works properly. They will however take your money for the lousy ones they sell.
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Author: Chetclarinet
Date: 2015-07-12 01:08
Taplin and Weir sells Bonade ligatures that have been professionally adjusted. They also adjust Bonade Bass clarinet ligatures.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2015-07-12 02:09
I quite recently bought an adjusted Bonade from Taplin-Weir. Yes, it's adjusted correctly and plays really nicely. I got a gold plated for something a little distinctive, purely for looks. I'm under no illusion that the gold alters the sound in any perceivable way.
I also own an Optimum which I don't really like. I ordered it online - I've heard that you have to try them and find a good one, I didn't think that there was that much variation but I wouldn't know, I've only ever played mine.
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2015-07-12 02:18
Taplin and Weir's website states that the Bonades are not returnable.
Just like any other piece of equipment, one needs to try multiples of any accessory in order to find the best individual fit (Bonades and Optimums alike). This seems especially so for clarinetists.
How many clarinetists does it take to change a light bulb?
One hundred.
One to screw in the light bulb - ninety nine to find just the right one.
Gregory Smith
http://gregory-smith.com
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-07-12 19:28
@Wisco99: I am sorry to have passed along outdated information regarding Muncy Winds.
I would be happy to set up a Bonade Inverted for you, if you'd like. Shoot me an e-mail if interested.
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Author: tylerleecutts
Date: 2015-07-13 05:15
The Optimum vs. the MO is dependent on the plating. The pewter and black MO's for me are very similar to the Optimum, the pewter most so. The silver and gold are definitely heavier in feel, and the black is smoother in feel than the pewter. With the Masters plate in the optimum it feels a bit smoother, like the black plating on the MO. I personally have no preference between the Optimum and Pewter MO's. I recently tried out all of the MO platings except gold with the Optimum, among other ligatures I have laying around and found the Optimum and Pewter to be clear winners in the bunch. I think the Optimum may be a bit better for me- try for yourself!
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-07-14 08:25
Attachment: LOTR ligature.jpg (278k)
Some years ago, frustrated with the quality of the Bonade ligatures, I came up with this solution. I took one of the very fine Yamaha metal ligatures (excellently machined screws), inverted it then had a jeweller put "bumps" on the bands- so as to impersonate an inverted Bonade with the middle chopped out. It works a treat and I have used this ligature for many professional concerts and recordings. Every so often I try other ligatures but so far find that eventually I come back to this.
By an odd twist of fate, the jeweller who worked on this (In a city called Nelson, where I had time free when on tour) was the same fellow who had made "The One ring" for Lord of the Rings, so this became known as "The ONE ligature".
In the photo it is next to another old Yamaha ligature I found over the years, which I will use to recreate "The ONE" should something ever happen to it.
I also have a "Jurrasic ligature" which I'd show you all, but I can't find it right now....
btw- I'm not sure if the Yamaha metal ligatures now being sold are of the same quality. The main thing in the old ones was that the screws were really well machined, this may not be true of the newer ones.
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-07-14 08:30
Oh, when I get the other one souped up, I'll get it plated BLACK!!!
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-07-15 08:16
Donald, I ordered some Yamaha YAC-1601 metal ligatures a few months ago, and the ones they are shipping now are just American Plating ligatures in Yamaha packaging. What a letdown!
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-07-15 08:52
Yeah, I looked for them on the interweb and that was all I could find- the silver ones that came out with YCL82/85 and the "custom" range were really quite nice. I only have these two you see, plus one Nickel one that I got from a student instrument
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2023-08-24 19:50
Definitely like Bonades more. Optimum is heavier response. That's a personal thing though.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2023-08-24 22:04
Taplin and Weit was mentioned earlier, but besides them, is there any other shop that adjusts the Bonades to fit properly?
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Author: ACCA
Date: 2023-08-25 12:29
The Bonade concept of longitudinal rails to hold the reed securely is a good one, but it is poorly executed in Bonade metal ligs imho.
Vandoren Optimum are a high quality alternative that carry out the same concept with better build quality and more versatility.
Personally I prefer the BG "Revelation" style which holds the reed on with 2 longitudinal rails like the Bonade design, but held in place with fabric & 1 screw.
very versatile for a range of mouthpiece designs, and makes a good combination of the best aspects of both fabric and metal ligatures.
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The Clarinet Pages
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