 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Won Kim
Date: 2002-08-29 22:00
I know this is already mentioned several times but these are really GOOD! Thanks GBK
-Won
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-08-29 22:27
Won...One problem though - They do not work for marching band...
JUST KIDDING!!!!
Enjoy...GBK (a Gonzalez reed convert)
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2002-08-29 23:18
I want to order some but have one quick question... Anyone know what size Gonzalez reed is equivalent to a Traditional Vandoren size 3?
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Author: Keil
Date: 2002-08-29 23:44
I just converted to Gonzalez and i'm loving them... I can't wait to try the Mozart Reeds by Davie Cane...
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Author: Marge
Date: 2002-08-30 00:24
Nathan,
There was a thread just several days ago on the stiffness comparability of Vandoren V-12s to Gonzalez, of one or the other sort. You might do a search on Gozalez to find those comments.
I myself have switched from Vandoren regulars/traditional to the Gonzalez FOF. I haven't really played enough of the FOFs to speak authoritatively, but my impression so far is that they are a little softer than the same-numbered Vandorens. The person I spoke to on the phone when ordering (Phil?) said they were comparable, but I'm not so sure. You'll just have to try them for yourself, I guess. See if you can't get half a box of one number and half a box of another. They're very accommodating, and it's reasonable that if people are switching to their reeds that it ought not to be entirely a hit-and-miss process. It should be noted that these reeds also come in quarter gradations.
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2002-08-30 02:13
OK, I just ordered a box of Gonzalez 3.25 . I hope that is comparable to Vandoren traditional 3. However, I notice many people here playing reed sizes of 3.5 all the way to 4.5 or higher. I have never tried this and am wondering if it is beneficial. I started on 2.5 years ago and have been playing on 3's for what seems like forever.
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Author: Marge
Date: 2002-08-30 03:01
It should be noted that in a VD box you're probably not getting 10 reeds that are closely graded to a 3. Seems to me that there's considerable variation within a box of that brand, maybe from 2.5 to 3.5. The Gonzalez reeds seem more closely/accurately graded.
If the FOFs at 3.25 turn out to be too stiff, you can always "whittle" them down to suit, though of course you can hardly go the other way.
Don't beat on yourself for not playing stiffer reeds! I don't use them either, at least not with my favorite (old) mouthpiece, which is quite open and not intended to go with really stiff reeds. If you like your sound, intonation, articulation, ease of playing/blowing, etc., stick with what you're doing.
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Author: nzdonald
Date: 2002-08-30 11:22
today i picked out a Gonzalez FOF from my box of "partially broken in" reeds..... it played really well...... i am never totally stunned by the sound, but VERY OFTEN satisfied. On the other hand- i have not had such luck with the Mozart reeds, i found these reeds need quite a bit of work in order to work with my set-up. However, the two Mozart reeds that i worked on to a "concert reed" level and used both played splendidly, and seemed to last a bit longer and have a bit more power than the FOF.
i really think that with these reeds it really pays to "smooth them out" often, both on the top and bottom side of the reed.
boy, i'm not bothering with Vandoren again, that's for sure.
donald
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2002-08-30 12:59
The marketplace needs strong competition and good product choices for all concerned. I do not know when Vandoren will get the message that product quality and customer service are always key to survival, but now several BB folks have switched to Davie Cane products (I am one too) and more defections are on the horizon. I do not know that we (and I use this to describe earnest and dedicated players) will make an economic dent in the huge market for reeds - perhaps? In my own humble attempts to offer quality products to the woodwind community the stark realization that brand name and distribution capabilities count more than quality has become all too clear. The demographics of sales indicate that 85% of players-buyers have been playing less than 3 years (i.e students). It may take several years to get the "attention " (- ob cit the wack by a 2 x 4 lumber) of the major reed companies but eventually - long term - it will happen.
The Doctor
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-08-30 13:56
During this past year, I have been very vocal about my enthusiasm for Gonzalez FOF reeds.
Those who know me from the bulletin board, have noticed I often have a touch of cynicism when it comes to "new and improved" or something out of the mainstream. Often rightfully so...
I have had numerous conversations with Phil Shapiro at Davie Cane, and found that he (as a working professional clarinetist) was feeling the exact same concerns about the degrading reed quality of Vandoren as I was. He began importing and selling Gonzalez reeds purely out of his own growing frustration in needing to find something better than what was out there.
The biggest plus for me with the Gonzalez reeds is the consistancy from one reed to another. Sure, with all brands, no two reeds are ever exactly alike, but with Gonzalez you have a quality piece of cane which is profiled in a classic design (Moree) and is extremely similar from one reed to another.
Most importantly, the amount of shaping, sanding, balancing, etc.. is reduced. (in my opinion at least by 50%, and some clarinetists find most play with little adjustment right out of the box)
Again, I must acknowledge that I have no association with Gonzalez (wish I did) but I am truly not alone in my enthusiasm.
Will Vandoren feel any effects from the number of clarinetists switching over?
I couldn't care less ...GBK
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2002-08-30 14:49
Good points all GBK. I too have corresponded extensively with Philip Shapiro at Davie Cane and he, I believe, is truely interested in offering a superior product in the marketplace for fellow players. The customer service at Davie Cane is refreshing in comparison with other major reed companies. My point I guess is that survival in the music industry world (I just got back from the NAMM Summer convention in Nashville where I viewed with dismay the product array available to music store buyers at all levels) does not depend on quality so much as marketing budget, name recognition, market share, price, and distribution elements. I hope that quality products will be received with enough support to keep them in business but the "lion's share" will go in the demographic mode of 85% of the market where quality is not necessarily the major component and the fragmented remaining 15% may not be enough to support an alternate company. Until the "major's" feel real competition (unless they buy up the competition company as has been done repeatedly in the past) there will not be change or product improvement to stimulate viable choices for players in the marketplace. Is there an answer - perhaps supporting grass roots companies and very vocal messages to the big players. I now have no financial associations with Davie Cane but plan to in the future.
The Doctor
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2002-09-03 21:46
I just received my pack of 3.25 Gonzalez FOF reeds from the Davie Cane Co. I can't wait to try them out tomorrow.
I have always just played on Vandoren traditional 3's and have never "prepped" my reeds. Is there anything special I should do to these new reeds in order to prepare them to play their best? Is there a method to breaking them in? (soaking, sanding, bending, etc?)
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