 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John gibson
Date: 2002-05-06 19:05
From time to time I see people on ebay selling what is a Benny Goodman ligature. Has a single "knob" that turns clockwise/counterclockwise, and has a single plate that holdss the reed. Engraved on it is SELMER Benny Goodman.
In all the pictures I've seen of Benny, I've never seen him use one of these. Just a marketing deal using his name? Or have you ever seen him use one? Have you ever used one? How good are they? Concept seems similar to the Vandoren Optimum.....
john
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Author: Steve
Date: 2002-05-07 03:07
I have two of the B.Goodman ligatures. Yes, at the time these were made, Selmer stamped the B.G. name on alot of clarinet related products(most of it junk!) These ligatures are not great. I also have a B.G. Selmer mouthpiece. Interesting but not for everyone.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-05-07 15:47
The early pictures of Goodman show him playing with a metal ligature with no screws. You pushed it down around the reed and mouthpiece and then slid a tab down to wedge it in place. The metal was cut in a sort of zig-zag shape that let it expand, too. I don't remember the manufacturer.
After Goodman studied with Reginald Kell in the 1950s, he switched to Boosey & Hawkes clarinets and also to the way Kell put on his ligature. Kell used a "standard" metal ligature, but turned it 45 degrees, so the screws were on the side of the mouthpiece and only two horizontal metal bands went over the reed. The later pictures of Goodman show the same thing. You can tell it's a B&H clarinet because the rings on the barrel are smooth.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2002-05-07 20:11
Thanks for the input Ken....
I've seen that lig you're talking about before...old picture of Sydney Bechet and he's using one as well....couple have popped up on ebay.....but the one I'm referring to has a single "screw", though it's more of a knob. Big and round. I've done some experimenting with ligs....rovner...eddie daniels...vandoren optimum...jouie jolie(sp)...and am finding that the old double screw jobs are the best. Particularly the old Leblanc I have with the "L" cutout on the backside. I'm trying hard at not becoming a "gadget geek", but see stuff that is interesting and wonder how they perform.....
John
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Author: steve
Date: 2002-05-09 02:09
john, A great ligature is the fairly new "Olegiture". It's made of a metal mesh with two inverted adjuting screws. This frees up the reed and you can really fine tune it to your individual taste.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-05-09 17:12
John -
Pictures of Rosario Mazzeo show him using a ligature with a big screw-down knob. As I recall, it was on the bottom. It could well have been the Goodman lig, since the Boston Symphony clarinet section played Selmer clarinets. Sherman Friedland might know.
I've tried a lot of ligatures, including the very elaborate (and expensive) ones such as the Winslow. I've at last concluded that the simpler and lighter the better. These days, I use string or a $5 Martin with the screws on the bottom and the metal bent slightly so it doesn't bind the edges of the butt. I've been particularly disappointed with ligatures that have a plate that presses on the butt, such as the older stock Buffet ligatures, and I'd be suspicious of the Goodman if it had a similar design (though I'd certainly be willing to try it).
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2002-05-09 18:29
Thanks for all the input....and Steve...appreciate the assessment of the Oligature...have seen them and wondered how they work.
Also curious about the Pomarico light. Just a single band, about a quarter inch wide with a single screw. Seems to me you'd really have to tighten the screw to keep the reed from sliding back and forth.
Maybe it's just me, but I still think the old double screw traditional ligs are the best. I did try the shoestring Ken, and liked it a lot....just takes too much if you need to change reeds.
Off to Hawaii....
John
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Author: Ed
Date: 2002-05-10 11:52
Those old slip on ligatures with no screws were made by Selmer.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2013-10-30 16:11
I too have come to the conclusion that a lighter ligature is "better". I'm wondering if the 2 band "traditional" style was popular because some mouthpiece tables were not truly flat.....and some may still be so. I think that people find string to their liking due to its low weight.....and that maybe it accomodates to non flat mp tables. Maybe there is something to the "thumb is best" thing.
Bob Draznik
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Author: gkern
Date: 2013-10-30 16:29
Maybe it's just me,but I really like the Bois ligs. Probably like string better, but I'm too impatient to do it right all the time...
Gary K
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-10-30 16:43
Bob,
Many are designed *not* to be flat. The tables have a slight concave curve in the middle area of the table. The intention, I've always heard (dangerous as it is to cite that as authority), was to add spring to the reed tip.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-10-31 02:53
I'll have to look at my collection to see if I still have one of those. I'm out of town today. It really made the tone dead because the metal plate covered so much of the bark portion of the reed dampening any vibration. What ever someone is asking, it's not worth it unless you're a collector.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: GaryH
Date: 2013-10-31 03:09
I've got a couple of the Goodman and a Selmer Flexlig/Magnitone (or whatever they called it). They're not my favorites. I just have them as part of my collection.
Post Edited (2013-10-31 03:39)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2013-10-31 13:29
"It really made the tone dead because the metal plate covered so much of the bark portion of the reed dampening any vibration."
Ed: I've been under the impression that the more secure the "heel" was ....the better the reed functioned. Your comment has really got me re-thinking the lig thing.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-11-01 01:23
In this case the metal plate does not allow the wood to vibrate. The reason the Bonade and similiar ligs were and still so popular is that very little metal touches the reed. That's also the thinking behind string and material ligs like the Rovners. Some ligs block out the highs or the lows and they're good if that's what a player is looking for. But in any case, you want the reed to vibrate. Depending on the player, the reed and mouthpiece, to much vibration may result in an unfoced tone so it depends on what the player is looking for. I hope this helps.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-11-01 02:00
The stock ligatures that come (or used to come) with the R13 had a slightly curved metal plate beneath the screws that covered the entire width of the bark. I could never get one of them to play worth a damn, undoubtedly for the reasons Ed gives.
Ken Shaw
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2013-11-01 22:07
A lighter ligature is not a compensation for a non-flat table (assuming you're referring to a CONVEX table, where the reed can't close on the edges).
A heavier ligature that screws down tighter can sometimes compensate to a degree (but usually this maneuver is for a reed that is slightly warped. ).
The best way to compensate for a mouthpiece that has a convex table is to have it refaced by someone who knows how to properly flatten a table (many if not most do not) or to REPLACE it.
The selmer ligatures that look like mesh can be nice. BAY makes a model that is basically the selmer but with screws. Even nicer than the originals...
The old selmers catch a fair price at auction for their historical qualities as well as being a no-nonsense ligature. Just push it down and play.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2013-11-02 11:08
The idea of the "clamped" part of the reed vibrating and adding to the sound produced is a new one to me.
Bob Draznik
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