 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-08-19 20:59
On a whim, I just tried the new Olivieri "Elite" Bb clarinet reeds developed by Phil Muncy of Muncy Winds (who recently bought the Olivieri brand). I bought one box of 5 reeds, and for the first time in memory I got 100% good reeds, right out of the box, no rework needed. These reeds seem to be (if you can imagine) a cross between the old Olivieris of the '70s and earlier, and a thick-blank reed such as the old Morre' or current Vandoren V12: the tip design is basically old Olivieri (though more evenly cut and a bit less thin) with a very thick and uniform heart and back, very nicely hand-sanded. Unlike the old Olivieris, there were no 'squeakers' in the bunch. Usual disclaimer applies: nobody put me up to this announcement nor is paying me for it.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-08-19 21:53
Dave...Thanks for the review. It's always nice to hear of another company improving upon their product, and I can think of no company that needed a "retooling" more than Olivieri.
2 questions:
Are the reed strengths relatively the same as they were previously?
Could you please describe the packaging?
Thanks...GBK
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-08-19 22:03
GBK,
Reed strength is sort of hard for me to judge, especially based on just 5 reeds, but I can say that I used to play on Olivieri #4 reeds, and these were also #4 and felt very comfortable, so based on that little bit of info I'd say they were comparable.
They came packaged in a 5-pouch flexible clear plastic card, which was then packed in a thin flat carton sort of like the Zonda box or maybe like a European cigarette pack (?). Hope that helps.
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Author: Dan Oberlin
Date: 2002-08-19 22:21
When I called Muncy to order a pack of these,
I was told that a 4 in the new Olivieri
should be approximately equivalent to the 4.5
V12 that I normally use. My impression from playing them, though, is that the 4 Olivieri
is a bit softer than the 4.5 V12 . I'm close
to having the Olivieri's broken in now, and
they do seem promising.
Dan Oberlin
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-08-19 23:06
I didn't have the same success as you did. I thought that they were better than average, but I felt that they weren't exceptional. I do believe that it depends on the mouthpiece, though, and I've been using classic Marcas.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2002-08-20 01:50
Dave, Bass or Sop? Or did you try both? Or is there a "Both" as yet?Bob A
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Author: Frank
Date: 2002-08-20 18:58
The new Oliveri Reeds only come in the Bb version as of now, HOWEVER I would love for ANY company to try their hands at making a bas clarinet reed of good quality and consistency. Vandoren, by the way, dosen't stack up in the consistent department for bass clarinet reeds in my book.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-08-20 20:53
On bass clarinet, try Marca, Glotin, Rigotti, Zonda, Rico Grand Concert Select, and Olivieri. Best to try a few of each, start with them all about a half-strength harder than your desired final strength, break them all in at the same time, and expect to have to work on them with the knife and/or sandpaper/rush to get them playable. The Marcas especially (and Olivieris and Glotins) generally need a lot of knife work to get them to play well, but once you reach that stage they DO play well and last a long time, in my experience. The Rigotti Golds, Zondas and Grand Concerts seem to play well right 'out of the box' but die quickly. As far as one brand that is consistent in the larger sizes, I haven't found it yet.
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2002-08-20 23:29
What do people think of the Glotin GAIA reeds? I've found that they play well right out of the box, but can be on the thin side.
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Author: VK
Date: 2002-08-21 18:27
I found the Glotin GAIAs stuffy, but it might have been my setup - a VD B45 and Rovner MkIII ligature. Also tried them with my Mitchell Lurie crystal mpc and still found them stuffy. Of course it may not be the reeds at all, just me. I prefer the Grand Concert Selects, but I plan on trying the new Olivieris.
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