The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: NBeaty
Date: 2009-08-04 02:36
I have a gold plated bonade that has a fair amount of plating wear. I purchased this ligature from Muncy, who no longer makes them, and was wondering if anyone knows where you can buy them now?
Also, if anyone has used these, what would you say is the closest (non-bonade) ligature to the smooth and present qualities of the gold-plated bonade?
Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2009-08-04 03:30
I just buy Bonades and have them stripped and plated by a local jeweler.
Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2009-08-04 15:12
Vandoran Optimum with the parallel rail insert. The plating or color has nothing to do with the sound. It is more the manor with which the reed is held and its influence on the pattern of vibrations allowed. I prefer the Vandy over the original Bonades because, besides playing the same, the do not go out of shape every time you tighten the screws. You may also want to try an Harrison lig, silver or gold.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ryan25
Date: 2009-08-04 15:18
I have a gold plated Bonade that has the same problem. I don't agree that the closest thing to it is the Optimum. The closest thing I found is Spriggs floating rail ligature.
I have and use the Optimum but both the Bonade and the Spriggs have a quicker response. The Optimum can be a bit sluggish comapred to other metal ligs in my opinion.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lam
Date: 2009-08-04 15:44
Hi,
I have been using my silver bonade(not inverted) for almost 10 years, it is the best ligature I've used. I bought a gold-plated bonade during my last trip in Japan (in a Yamaha shop there), but I didnt use it, as I am already used to using the silver one (perhaps because of the ligature has been accomodated to the best shape during the 10 years of use)
Last time I watched the St.Petersburg Philharmonic (or Leningrad Philharmonic), I saw that the principal clarinettist was using a silver plated Bonade too.
It is the best ligature ever made !
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2009-08-04 20:46
"The plating or color has nothing to do with the sound."
-------------------------------------
There are those who believe otherwise - just like the material of a barrel doesn't make a difference, only the dimensions.
I'm not in that camp.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mrn
Date: 2009-08-04 22:00
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> "The plating or color has nothing to do with the sound."
> -------------------------------------
>
>
> There are those who believe otherwise - just like the material
> of a barrel doesn't make a difference, only the dimensions.
>
>
> I'm not in that camp.
>
Why do people like gold-plating on their ligatures? If it does affect the sound, how so?
Aside from some very early experiences with Bonade ligatures, I've been a non-metal lig guy for my entire playing "career," so I don't know a whole lot about the metal ones. My very first ligature, though, was an ancient-looking Bonade that came with my first instrument (a then-35-year-old Leblanc Dynamique)--it actually looked like it was made of brass from the dull yellow color I remember it having.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: NBeaty
Date: 2009-08-04 22:50
The gold plating tends to mellow\darken the sound a bit. It is also a bit smoother than silver or nickel. The gold plated bonade is a nice combination of the punch and clarity you get with metal ligatures with the mellow quality of gold. This is mainly due to the softness of the metal.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2009-08-05 15:02
The best ligature I've ever had was an old shoestring I used in high school. It added kind of a hight stepping stride to my tone. I wonder if I should have gold plated it?!
The Hamiton gold plateing on the keys of my Yamaha added something to it...about $200 I think.
Clarinet Redux
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-08-05 15:15
When replating your Bonade, make absolutely sure that the plating alloy has exactly the same percentage of pure gold as the original, or you will not be selected for that major symphony orchestra position. Don't make me come back to you later saying "I told you so!".
Old Geezer, they've changed the fiber formulation of shoestrings since you and I were in high school, so they are no longer a viable alternative. Sorry to have to tell you that.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: NBeaty
Date: 2009-08-05 19:33
It's relatively safe to assume that when I ask a qustion it doesn't automatically have "instead of practicing" at the end of it. The question wasn't "what do I have to do to my ligature to be selected for that major symphony job?". =)
All I wanted to know was if anyone knew where to buy these ligatures now or what ligatures they felt had similar playing characteristics.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mnorswor
Date: 2009-08-06 13:51
Weiner Music also used to sell these at one time, not sure if they have any left. You could always buy a few of the nickel ligs and send them to Anderson plating to have them done in gold, which is what the vendors selling them had done. The price of gold spiked not long ago and as a result, it became much more expensive, obviously.
In my opinion, the other ligatures that exhibit similar playing characteristics are the Ishimori ligatures. They are available in several plating options including gold, copper, brass and solid silver. You can take a look at them here:
[urlo]http://www.robertoswinds.com/accessory.php?cat_id=1&subcat_id=1&brand_id=48&acc_id=7
They're quite expensive but in my opinion, worth every penny.
Hope it helps!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: NBeaty
Date: 2009-08-06 14:28
Michael,
It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but how do these ligatures contact the reed? It almost looks like there are small rails, but I can't tell.
Also, do you prefer the gold or matte gold, and what's the difference?
Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2009-08-06 14:30
"I have a gold plated bonade that has a fair amount of plating wear. I purchased this ligature from Muncy, who no longer makes them, and was wondering if anyone knows where you can buy them now?"
I have a colleague who loves the gold-plated Bonades. He could no longer find them in North America but found them at Feeling Musique in Paris a few years ago.
------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Aldrich
Clarinet Faculty - McGill University
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre de l'Opera de Montreal
Artistic Director - Jeffery Summer Concerts
Clarinet - Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: NBeaty
Date: 2009-08-06 14:40
Hey Simon,
Thanks for the info. Any chance he\she bought a surplus while in Paris? Shipping from paris would probably cost more than having one plated I would think. Unfortunately, I have yet to make it to Paris!
Feel free to send me an email if he\she has one they'd be willing to part with, I'll be back in Montreal next week.
-Nathan
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2009-08-06 23:09
I still use my old gold plated bonade..my teacher Harold Wright felt the bonade ligs (inverted) had the best balance between response and depth of sound. His was ancient...
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mnorswor
Date: 2009-08-07 05:09
Hi Nathan... yes, two rails, ala the Bonade ligatures, are what make contact with the reed. I've only tried the gold, not the matte gold so unfortunately I can't offer my thoughts on a comparison.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
|