 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: JRC
Date: 2016-07-17 20:03
Attachment: IMG_20160717_105244644-1.jpg (192k)
The other thread is getting too long so I started a new one.
One of my student bought one and brought to me. It was hard to blow as I expected. Its attack was very bad. It also produced hissing sound. I examined the reed under a bright light. I found a crack!! I did not know this material can crack like a bamboo. Anyone experience a crack? I told him to post the picture at Légère Facebook site. I hope Légère would give him a new one.
See the photo.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-07-17 20:42
My first one had split like cane with cracks running up the entire length of the blades (but far worse than that). It was replaced within a couple of days (which I'm still playing on now), so contact customer services and attach the photo in an email.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: matt_lin18
Date: 2016-07-18 22:13
Yep, they are very delicate and can crack just like cane reeds. The material is very thin at the tip and is easily damaged. Mine cracked like that too but Legere would not replace it. I would contact them and see what they can do for you.
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Author: oboeandy
Date: 2016-07-19 02:34
I played one of the European style Legere reeds for a few minutes last week. My impression was that the sound was very good and the intonation was excellent. Low note response was the only aspect of the reed's performance that I believed was a serious problem. I personally felt that the reed's opening was too small, and if this could somehow be remedied, the low notes would have responded more easily. Now I am extremely curious to hear what European-style reed makers think of these reeds, as this one didn't feel particularly "foreign" to me, an American oboist.
If I had $150 to spare, which I don't, I would buy one of these reeds to keep on hand as a conversation piece.
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2016-07-21 12:41
A couple of days ago, on vacation in London, I went in to Howarth's showroom in Chiltern st.
The following descriptions are purely subjective and I am aware that no two players (or reeds) play the same. In internet jargon, YMMV.
They have two reeds there for anyone who wishes to try them - one untouched, one scraped a bit by one of their staff (using a glass-file, apparently). I tried them both. They have none for sale over-the-counter, but they will happily put you on the waiting list and ship one to you.
Suck the staple to moisten the O-rings before you insert, and you won't have any problems.
I found that the scraped one was woefully unstable at the top of the 2nd octave range - A-C. It felt like it needed clipping, though I have no idea what would happen if you tried this. I didn't have a magnifier and my close-up vision is not what it used to be so I cannot tell if micro-cracking was present, though the corners appeared a little dog-eared. This reed has been through the wars.
The other reed is more interesting. It spoke easily, especially at the bottom of the range, and it had a pleasing, rich tone (if a little husky for my taste). Nevertheless, I felt I was working very hard to play it for any length of time.
To compare, I pulled one of my own reeds out of my back-pack and played through the same set. My long-suffering wife (who has been known to refer to my oboe as "his skinny, black mistress") immediately said "Ooh, that one sounds nice!".
For me, at least, I feel that the Legere reeds aren't quite there. Very, very close, but not quite. Of course it could be that the only reeds Howarth still have in the shop are the two that customers didn't take, but this still points to an unacceptable level of variation between different Legere reeds.
On a more positive note (heh), the oboe I tried the reeds on was a brand-new Howarth, model LXV (celebrating 65 years, just as the XL was the 40-year model). An absolute joy to play, rock-solid stability, gorgeous tone and fantastic intonation throughout the range (including low C#, E, and the top notes). Wow.
J.
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