 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2007-02-20 06:33
[I have no affiliation with any manufacturer]
Well, I just played my first gig on Xilema ('professional') reeds. (Actually I changed at the interval because Vandoren were giving me too much of what I lovingly refer to as 'squeaky gate' tone ;-D )
Visually, these are thick-blank reeds, and the boxes I have range in colour from an average pale wood to a nice toasty gold. They feel quite dense - in comparison to some of the V12 I've had recently which you can almost breathe through. The flat feels smooth but the vamp is slightly rougher.
Each box comes with an advice note on how to break in the reeds. Now, I don't follow this exactly, but I will say that on first playing they get noticeably softer and then settle down after a while. Perhaps this explains why the strength comparison tables I've seen rate the strengths really high. Personally on my B45 (dot) I rate the strengths something like this:
Xilema B: Blue box 2.75, V12 3
Xilema C: Blue box 3.25, V12 3.5
The 'B's are a bit soft for me, but the 'C's seem about right.
Sound is very personal, but for me they're slightly less bright than the Vandorens, and they're very smooth for me in the throat notes. Articulation is particularly nice across all the registers. Tone is fairly neutral, neither fat and brassy nor thin and piercing. All the reeds I've played sound cleanly.
Think I'll stick with these for a while - I'll let you know how long they last.
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Author: Kchui999
Date: 2007-02-20 06:46
I too tried the Xilemas, a box of Professionals and a box of Artesanas. I found both to sound a bit thin, without much of a full sound. It took a few weeks to break them in and some work for them to give me a slightly fuller and decent sound, but in the end I decided to go back to my 56's. Gotta love Vandoren.
Chui
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Author: bawa
Date: 2007-02-20 11:33
Daughter tried out Artesanas last year after hearing a few people recommend them, but didn't like them at all; went back to her V12s. Currently, the remaining Xilemas are lounging at the back of the drawer.
Recently she bought a box of Vandoren Rue Lepics and really loves them. She had been given a couple of Rue Lepics to try when they first came out here but had come to the conclusion that the difference wasn't worth the money.
However, with this current box she is very happy with every reed that has come out. So are her parents, as these ones seem to be lasting much much longer:)). The current one is going to be almost 6 weeks playing very well, while the Vandoren V12s would last her a week or two.
Maybe it was just an exceptional batch of cane!!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-02-20 12:13
I tried a variety of the Xilema some time ago and found that while they played, there was not the ring or resilience to the sound and response that I like with other reeds. They seemed somewhat dead and muted. Mine prabably ended up as kindling. I hope others have had better luck.
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Author: CEC
Date: 2007-02-20 23:15
Well, no better luck here
I found the Xilemma's to be pretty much exactly as you described, Ed.
Chris
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Author: bufclar
Date: 2007-02-21 00:01
I too did not like the Xilema reeds at all. The sound was thin and lacking depth. After working on them more than I would have liked, they did not get much better. I wonder if I will ever give up my trusty V12's.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2007-02-21 12:07
Interesting cross-section of views.
Personally I've struggled with V12 on and off for a while and always keep returning to blue-box.
I have to say I've never tried Lepics but the V12 experience has put me off.
Xilema definitely plays brighter than things like Rico Royal (are they really made from recycled cardboard? :-D) and LaVoz. I will say that the reeds do tend to warp when they dry, which can be a pain - glass reed case necessary, perhaps.
What MP's are you guys on? Maybe there's a pattern here. I've wondered about this for a while - I've always preferred shorter facings: maybe this is because of the reeds I've got used to?
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-02-21 15:36
I find that V-12 don't work for me on medium short and short facings and they play best on Bay with facings from 20-23mm long(most Zinner based mouthpieces have 16-19mm long lays). They work well on medium(18-19 mm) facings that's not a problem I just find that they work better on longer facing(20-23mm). But I find that they don't work very well on short facings(17mm and below) and find Gonzalez FOF to work better(slightly shorter faced but that's makes all the differents).
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Author: bawa
Date: 2007-02-21 16:15
Its a Vandoren B40?? Profile mouthpiece.
Bassie, as I said, I wouldn't want to come to a conclusion about the Lepics on the basis of a single box (even if it is turning out to be the longest lasting and nicest box of reeds ever!).
Sometime ago, there was an exceptional V-12 box as well, but not as good as this one.
Two other group members also tried Xilema, but they didn't work out for them either.
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Author: clockwiser
Date: 2007-02-21 17:48
I have tried the Xilema reeds, and I found them to be very good!
I especially like the Classic ones, it is very free blowing and has a very rich
and round sound.
These reeds also looks very good
I think its like marmite, you either love it or hate it.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2007-02-25 17:33
Update: just finished seven performances of 'Bugsy Malone'. Very impressed with new reed choice, and may even have converted the second clarinet ;-D . My only complaint is that they move a lot with water content, and need careful management: a good warm-up and then plenty of breathing into the instrument between pieces. I can get a really great range of tone out of them: brassy, flutey, jazzy, clean and classical. They do what they're told (and if I'm not awake they do the silly things I tell them to as well :-) ). Looks like these'll be in my case for a while.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-03-19 11:56
Is it me or does Artesana feel a little bit more than 1/2 strenght softer and Classic about 1 strenght softer than V-12 ?
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2007-03-19 13:37
I talked to someone at Redwine.
He said Xilema C is softer than 3.5 V12.
It's not listed in their web,but they have C+ which is supposed to be
same strength as 3.5 V12.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-03-19 15:06
So you can get C+,D and D+ ? I think while classic reed grade C is almost more than 1 strenght softer than V-12#3,5 but the Artesana C grade was almost egular to V-12 #3. So if they would not have their reeds graded also in + strenght I would need to play strenght E which would be egular to V-12 # 3,5. But I have to say well done to Xilema very good and constant reeds and I think their Classical is best because it vibrates better than V-12 and have easier emisson than Gonzalez FOF.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2007-03-20 10:39
These reeds (Professional, at least) play harder when dry, softer when wet. It takes me a good five minutes to get a dry one working. Then it'll play just fine - until I stop and let it dry out again.
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