 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2012-02-25 02:43
V12's are always harder than the regular Vandorens -- it's a thicker reed. Trying V12 3.5s is roughly like playing regular Vandoren 4s.
I believe this is generally the same as with the Rico reeds. I haven't played regular Vandorens since the early 90's.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: bethmhil
Date: 2012-02-25 03:45
From what I understand, V12's have a thicker heart but a thinner tip than traditional Vandorens, which technically makes them softer. A lot depends on you and your mouthpiece-- I've had mouthpieces that play beautifully with V12's, but not so great with traditionals, and vice-versa.
Trying 2-3 reeds from each box is not the best way to judge how the reeds play with your setup-- try all the reeds, if possible. Both Vandorens and Ricos are not consistent. I get a good box every so often, but usually, I get 2-3 perfect reeds straight out the box, 3-5 reeds that take a little bit of sanding, and then 2-3 that are way too hard and don't resonate no matter how much I sand them down. Ben Redwine once told me that Vandoren says the reeds have a certain strength, for example, 3.5-- the reeds in the one box of 10 can range from 3 to even 4.25 in strength.
BMH
Illinois State University, BME and BM Performance
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Author: ttay1122
Date: 2012-02-25 05:23
V12's and Reserves to me seem much more consistent than regular vandorens. I would say since you are usually use to 3 that both brands are going to seem a little hard for you. I like V12's and Reserve because most of the reeds actually play right out without adjustment.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2012-02-25 06:10
bethmhil wrote:
> From what I understand, V12's have a thicker heart but a thinner tip
> than traditional Vandorens, which technically makes them softer.
Wow ... So much misinformation in this thread...
Traditional Vandoren reeds have a tip thickness of 0.09mm (0.0035")
V12 reeds have a tip thickness of 0.10mm (0.0040")
56 Rue Lepic reeds have a tip thickness of 0.11mm (0.0045")
The heart of the V12 reed is slightly higher up or nearer the tip than than the Traditional reeds.
...GBK
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2012-02-25 11:17
It may just be that I haven't played them in so long -- GBK, do you find the reg Vandorens softer than the V12's?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2012-02-25 19:20
I use Vandoren 4s and I find the V-12 4 less resistant than a Traditional 4. Or, maybe the V12s just work better on my mouthpieces than Traditionals (Vandoren M13 and Fobes CWF).
----------
Rachel
Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max
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Author: GBK
Date: 2012-02-25 19:47
Tobin wrote:
> GBK, do you find the reg Vandorens softer than the V12's?
Good rule of thumb to follow:
Vandoren V12 reeds are about 1/4 strength softer than the Traditional reeds of the same number.
...GBK
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-02-25 20:54
FWIW, I use #5 VD traditional on my AGP mouthpieces but only #4-1/2 V12. That said, I sometimes use #4 V12 and #4 Rue lepic. It sometimes depends on the particular run of reeds - the box contents tend to be far more consistent than they were 20 years ago, but box to box bought a few months apart may be different enough to push me a half-strength in one direction or another.
The best way to figure out what's best on a given mouthpiece for a given player is still to try a box. May as well start with the same strength you've been using previously and then react accordingly when you find out if they're right or not. You can't tell from two or three reeds, and measurements don't always help because in the end, the reed companies sort their reeds by stiffness, not by dimensions.
Karl
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2012-02-25 21:33
Hmmmm. Next time that my caveat is "I haven't played them (reg vandorens) since the early 90's" I'll just remember to keep my two cents to myself and read everyone else's comments.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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