 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ben
Date: 2004-11-30 14:53
Has anyone here tried them yet? How would you compare them to Vandoren or Grand Concert Bass reeds?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-01 13:20
I've only used them on tenor sax. (Link metal mouthpiece).
Excellent sound and projection ...GBK
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Author: DougR
Date: 2004-12-01 14:26
They're still comparatively new on the market--and they are NOT the 'holy grail' of reed-dom that I had allowed myself to hope for, in the lengthy interval between their announcement and their actual distribution--but my experience with them so far is excellent. I got 4 'keepers' out of the last box of 5, probably 3 out of 5 from the box before that. They generally play well right out of the box, but I've been following GBK's break-in advice (playing each reed a few minutes a day over a period of a week, in gradually increasing time increments--if I remember his regimen correctly, that is!) and the results are consistently good and occasionally outstanding. (usual caveat: 'your mileage may vary' etc. etc.)
Also, Phil at Davie Cane is a joy to deal with, and I like the idea of buying 'locally' rather than feeding some impersonal corporate entity. So I have no plans to buy elsewhere at this point, and I'd say, by all means give'em a try!
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Author: DougR
Date: 2004-12-01 15:06
PS, I didn't answer the 'comparison' question.
I have never voluntarily played Vandoren bass reeds, so have no ground for comparison. The Grand Concerts have always played pretty well for me, right out of the box, THAT DAY. Unfortunately, at least in my experience, they go downhill very fast after that. My mainstay till now has been Marcas, which are increasingly hard to find (at least in NYC) and increasingly seem prone to warping. (It's all so exhausting!!)
So I'm sticking with Gonzalez for the foreseeable future for the reasons cited in previous post.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-12-01 15:10
DougR,
I like Marcas too, they're easy to get mail-order, and to deal with the warping (which happens to all larger reeds, not just Marcas) buy them a half-strength harder than you eventually plan to play on, and periodically scrape the bottoms flat with a sharp, very straight knife to remove any curvature from the bottom. They'll work well and last a long time if you do that.
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Author: DougR
Date: 2004-12-01 23:02
Hey Dave--
I appreciate your suggestions; I guess mail-order is the way to go with Marcas. For some reason I find them MORE warp-prone than any other bass reed I've used--maybe it's the thickness & heft of the blank, which is considerable. I've been planing the bottoms using either a #10 flat file or emery paper on flat glass, and not to sound like a wuss, but the thing I like about the Gonzalez's at this point is they don't require all the carpentry!! If/when I decide to acquire some Marcas, I'll try it your way.
cheers
Doug R
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