Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2017-12-08 16:08
Like many I have always used Vandoren reeds(mostly Blue Box, sometimes V12) on bass clarinet. While I am used to the sound they make, I have problems with the blue box reeds articulating precisely, as well as the V12s constantly warping out of shape that I have to work on them virtually every time before I play them. And not to mention their overall inconsistency. I also flirted around with Legere and D'addario/Rico reeds(except their redesigned Reserve reeds), and I didn't really like them either. After switching to Gonzalez FOFs on Bb clarinet for 3 months and having considerably more success, I decided to give the Gonzalez RC Bass clarinet reeds a try.
As I usually use Strength 3 reeds on my Fobes San Francisco RR bass mouthpiece(I find the Blue Box and V12 about the same resistance), I ordered the same strength of the Gonzalez RCs. Today I received them, and this thread is my continuous review of these reeds over some period.
Upon playing them for the 1st time, 4 out of 5 reeds played decently, with the 5th sounding stuffy. The other 4 varied somewhat in playability, though less than that of Vandorens. All 4 of them sounded a bit warmer than the Vandorens with less reediness. I felt that there is more wood on the heart of these reeds, which is similar to the V12s, despite the former are unfiled cut reeds. Resistance is similar to both Vandorens. But one thing that stood out is that they have more crisp articulation. I can't comment on their stability at this time, but my experience with the Gonzalez FOF Bb reeds is that they have been quite stable and haven't changed too much for more than 3 months, so I have some expectations that these RC reeds will last for a while.
That is pretty much what I can think of right now. Will post another update soon.
Josh
Post Edited (2017-12-10 18:19)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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