 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2019-05-04 23:19
After getting fed up with re-working cane bass clarinet reeds, I started using Legere bass reeds exclusively. The Classics were basically useless to me. The Signatures were a HUGE improvement but still lacked in a couple of areas.
I contacted Legere a couple of times asking if they had plans for making a European cut bass clarinet reed, at which time I was told no. Disappointing news. I read a comment on this bulletin board about Fibracell reeds for bass. I tried them and like them MUCH better than Legeres.
I recently got an update from Legere (standard email correspondence). They reported that the contrabassoon, english horn, and European cut reed for Eb clarinet is in the finishing stages of beta testing. I thought really? HMMMMM..... To me it seems like there would be a larger market for bass clarinet (all cuts) reeds than Eb reeds and certainly larger than contrabassoon and english horns reeds.
Oh well... I'm happy with the Fibracell for bass.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-05-04 23:50
Have you tried using tenor sax reeds on bass?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-05-05 01:28
That's a GREAT suggestion. The Signature Soprano Sax reeds are a great alternative for Bb clarinet. I would suppose (though have not played bass in last five years) the tenor Signatures would be great on Bass.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2019-05-05 02:31
Did actually try a Legere tenor sax reed on bass. Maybe a little more responsive than the bass reeds, and the sound is great. For me, though, the bass reeds work well too.
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2019-05-05 04:36
Yes, I have tried all of the Legere tenor sax reeds on bass. The best I found was the tenor studio cut. They played very flat on my mouthpiece and had a somewhat "saxy" quality to the sound.
I guess I'm just venting a bit because I'm actually very happy with the results with Fibracell reeds.
Thanks for your input!
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2019-05-06 10:20
@tucker
What number Fibracel and Legere did you get?
I am pretty happy with the Legere Signature reeds on a bass clarinet.
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2019-05-06 16:15
Erez, I've tried most every strength of Legere. I found Legere tenor sax studio cut was the best for me. I would use a 2.75. i use a Fibracell 2.5 now.
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Author: RefacerMan
Date: 2019-05-06 18:38
Paul - I occasionally use Legere European Signature clarinet reeds 3.75 strength. Any ideas what strength Legere Signature Soprano Sax reed would be equivalent? Thanks for any info you can provide.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-05-06 19:38
The Signature Soprano saxophone reeds are a bit more brittle and as a result run a little stronger. It may vary by length of the lay. For example, in a video I refer to a lot, Ricardo Morales gave specific strengths that he uses and the Signature Soprano Sax reeds he uses are one quarter strength softer. For me, on a very short lay (14.00mm), I use a Signature soprano strength reed one half strength softer (European Signature = 3.25; Signature Soprano sax = 2.75).
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2019-05-16 15:40
I ordered two reeds that arrived yesterday:
Signature,european cut, #3.5 for soprano clarinet
And Signature 3.25 for Soprano Saxophone.
Paul's comment is right on the mark, there is a quarter difference in strength between the clarinet and soprano sax reeds.
I was actually amazed at the sound I was able to get out of them. The last clarinet Signature reeds i bought were 5 years ago. I got them then at different strengths, and never really liked them. On the bass clarinet it was a different story, they worked brilliantly for me.
Fast forward half a decade, these are nice. As Paul mentioned on another thread, these are a little less resonant, but it is not a huge difference, or as huge. Wity my cane reed of choice, daddario reserve, i get a brighter/more pingy sound, but these are nothing like the old batch of Signature legere that felt dull ir muffled to me.
The articulation response is also much improved.
On my Vandoren B40 Lyre I feel I could use 1/4 stronger (which I ordered promptly), my ancient Pomarico #3 actually worked well with them. I have an old Selmer HS* at the shop for a re-cork, I think the current strengths would be a good match for it.
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2019-05-18 03:21
Update regarding bass clarinet. I am evaluating tenor signature #3.25. My bcl legere signature is very old, a new on is en route
Fibracell: Bass clarinet 3.5, tenor 3 and 3.5
My mouthpiece is Selmer C**
I will start with the fibracel: not for me. These reeds feel light and flimsy, to like a #2 reed played on the hideous Yamaha 4C mouthpiece.
The Legere Signature tenor is wonderful. #3.25 is still a bit too light for me, very close to the Bass Signature #3. My gripe with the bcl Signature was that it only went up to #3. The tenor goes all the way to #4 so I am excited about the possibilities.
This is my sound, bcl Signature #3 is the lightesr for me.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10219171185137506&id=1444008515&anchor_composer=false
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-07-24 03:56
Just needed to add my own update to this thread.
Fate has determined that I need to play bass clarinet again. I have gone right to the Legere line because it will be a doubling situation.
I went through four different strengths of the Legere Signature bass clarinet reeds and the same four strengths of the Legere Signature tenor sax reeds.
One thing that I found for me was that there is a VERY narrow window of strengths that work for me. Going up a quarter or down a quarter from the "right one," came off more as though there was a massive leak somewhere toward the top of the horn. But going back to the right strength brought the whole horn into focus!
For me the Legere Signature tenor sax reeds (strength 2 1/2) worked best, though I got some fairly acceptable sounds out of the 2 3/4 Legere Signature bass clarinet reed.
I have decided based on "Tucker's" review to try a few of the Studio cut next week.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-07-24 13:18
That's actually a really good question (one that I got at an Atlanta Buffet Clarinet Choir Festival)!
I don't really know.
During my career with the US Army Band program there was a lot of equipment buying and shuffling and I wound up keeping one of the bass mouthpieces along the way, but not the one that I necessarily ordered.
It is a Zinner "blank" (not so clearly stamped along the right side of the table but it appears to be heavily worked on. The rails are almost spooky thin, it has that shallow swoop of the baffle right at the tip, its baffle is dug out a bit coming into the bore, and it is an "A-Frame" tone chamber configuration. If I wanted to know the tip opening and facing length, I'd have to take it to someone..........hmmmmm......maybe I'll bother one of our renown mouthpiece makers in Knoxville!
................Paul Aviles
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Author: kilo
Date: 2019-07-27 17:52
Quote:
One thing that I found for me was that there is a VERY narrow window of strengths that work for me. Going up a quarter or down a quarter from the "right one," came off more as though there was a massive leak somewhere toward the top of the horn. But going back to the right strength brought the whole horn into focus!
Paul, I recently had the exact same experience while trying out a new bass mouthpiece I got from Mojo. I put on the reed that has worked best with my Fobes SF mouthpiece, a #2¾ Legere Signature tenor, played a few scales, and immediately began checking my instrument for leaks. I checked my reed placement (which is very important with Legeres) with a magnifying glass — everything was okay. So I dug out a regular #2½ Legere B.C. which sounds buzzy and tinny on the Fobes and it sounded fine on the new piece, especially when pushing a lot of air through it.
That got me thinking. I never throw old plastic reeds away but save them to use as shims and glue spreaders. In my workshop I found a hardly-played plastic Bari Star tenor reed from years ago which I'd found to be virtually unusable on my tenor — and discovered that it worked perfectly well on the new bass mouthpiece. Darn, I guess it goes back into circulation and I'll have to wait a few years to assess its glue-spreading properties.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-08-01 05:59
I need to respond to a few different issues:
Tucker:
I have tried the Legere Studio Cut and find them quite wonderful, just about as amazing as the results that I have gotten out of the Signature Tenor Sax reeds. I don't know why Legere lets go of some of its better product. It could be that they are concentrating on the different material that constitutes their Signature line and can no longer offer the standard material. Its too bad though.
Erez Katz:
I was able to have David McClune asses my bass clarinet mouthpiece. It is his opinion that it is a Zinner blank manly based on the fact that it is a very small tip opening and shorter lay - tip opening = 1.65mm and facing length of 24mm
Kilo:
I could not agree more! There's always the looming specter of "new mouthpieces" that would require another reed strength evaluation, travel to dramatically different elevations (and associated air pressure change requiring different reed strength), and the chance that we just change up how we do what we do.
Plastic reeds are expensive, but they last a long time and remain quite consistent.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2019-08-01 19:11
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments on this string.... and thanks to everyone else to added.
Regarding my experience with Fibracell reeds.... after using them for a few months, I've noticed they seem to be losing their "oomph". One day I put a Legere back on for my lesson. My teacher immediately said... "Oh you're no longer using Fibracell?" I was surprised. I said... How do you know that??? He said that the Fibracells sound more bright/tinny than cane or Legeres. That comment.... plus the fact they seem to be playing mushy after 2 or 3 months (and I alternated between 3).... I thought I'd go back to the old tried and true.
I've now changed back to Legere Tenor Sax Studio cut. I guess you have to try what works and what doesn't.
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