 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jaytm92
Date: 2011-10-24 10:17
I'm not sure if this subject has come up before but I wanted to know what people think about the Rovner Versa-X.
I'm a clarinet student who is aiming for music college next year and I've decided to finally splash out on a Ligature for my clarinet as I still use my bog-standard ligature that came with the clarinet.
I know I really like Rovner ligatures as I use a Rovner Eddie Daniels ligature on my Alto saxophone.
So its a question of getting an Eddie Daniels for my clarinet or a Versa-X
(my clarinet is a Peter Eaton, use a B.Portony mouthpiece and Leuthner reeds - I don't know if thats relevant but may save further questions later)
any advice or info about the ligature would be great, especially if you've tried one!!!
Thanks
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2011-10-24 10:24
Hi Jay,
I've ordered one of these ligs from Rovner myself and as I write this it's in transit. I like to try new ligatures and then either add them to my collection. I understand that they are not yet available here, or rather, Howarth in London don't have them yet so the ligature us not available in the UK. I would order direct and with the dollar being weaker than the pound right now you'll probably save a little money compared to when it goes on sale in the UK.
I posted about this on my Facebook page and got mixed reviews from some of the guys that tried it at the ClarinetFest. But with everything you should just bite the bullet and get one. Sell it on if you don't like it.
Good luck
Peter Cigleris
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-10-24 23:17
The only way you will know if you like any ligature is to try it yourself. What works great for one person doesn't necessary work the same way for another. It is my understanding that he no longer is producing the Eddie D ligs and that the Versa may be taking it's place. He's always upgrading, changing and making new models. Visit his website, Power Research, and you can see what he has available at this time. I'm using a ligature he made but never put into production for a variety of reasons, which I thought was too bad because I love them, one for bass and one for Bb. He often sends me his new stuff for my opinion and if I like it better than what I was using before, I change. I've been using his ligatures ever since he began making them. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-02-17 17:45
The "Additional Images" photo at http://www.rovnerproducts.com/products/ligatures/next-generation/versa-x-ligature.php shows that the metal plate presses on the bark of the reed in parallel lines and perhaps down the middle.
The effect is the same as the Bonade, which sells for a fraction of the price of the Versa-X. You can get the same effect by bending a $5 metal ligature so that the bands do not touch the edges of the reed. Kal Opperman showed me this, and it's what he played, along with Richard Stoltzman.
String is still free and works better than anything.
Ken Shaw
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2015-02-18 08:05
I have never tried the Versa X, but I generally feel that the more mass a ligature has, the more anti-free-blowing it is (such as the Rovner Versa). Does the Versa X feel more/less free-blowing than the regular Versa?
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Author: yaseungkim
Date: 2015-02-18 08:59
cxgreen48, my son plays rovner versa with flaps down, and he likes it very much thank you.
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Author: James S
Date: 2015-02-18 09:53
From what I know the problem with modern Bonades does not stem from the design (the ole' double rail system is very common; my BG Duo utilizes it; the Ishimori use it, etc) but from the realllllllyyyy bad quality control and welding work that seems to be coming out of Leblanc. One more confound may be just how soft the metal of the current Bonades are. They can easily go full-pancake-mode if you're not careful (IE flattened out).
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-02-18 10:31
I used to use a Versa X, but then my teacher had me try her Optimum and my sound suddenly had much more "ping" in it - enough that my dad noticed it from across the apartment and called out "what are you doing differently?" I never really thought ligatures could make that much of a difference, but after that experience I became a firm believer that they can.
I have since tried my teacher's new Ishimori ligature, which seems to "ping" even more, but I don't have the money to get an Ishimori at the moment and I'm pretty happy with the Optimum.
I never really went back to the X, as I prefer a sound with more upper harmonics for projection reasons, but if you're into a "darker," more covered sound, then the X will work well. It really depends on what kind of sound/projection you're interested in.
(Btw I use Peter Leuthner reeds too - they're great.)
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2015-03-06 09:30
How does the Versa X sound compared to the original Versa then? Can someone tell me?
Josh
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