 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ivanv1984
Date: 2020-05-05 14:10
Hello everybody,
I order the first Alta Ambipoly reeds by Silverstein works last year and i didn't like them at all. Now, the have released two new models, the Primo and the Vivace, they are quite more expensive than the first Alta model. Has anyone tried them? Opinions?.
Thanks,
Ivan.
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Author: MarkS
Date: 2020-05-06 21:45
I switched from Legere EC 3.75 to Ambipoly 4.0 last summer, and felt that it gave me better tone across the full range. In January, I changed to 3.5+ to reduce the resistance. I was happy with the change, and felt that I did not lose anything--e.g., playing up in the high altissimo.
Shortly after that, I tried the new cuts--Primo and Vivace. I did not like Vivace at all, though someone who plays jazz might feel differently. However, I think the Primo plays better than the original Ambipoly. In particular, the tone feels more solid. In a post several months ago, I noted that after about 45 minutes of playing, the original Ambipoly reeds seemed to sound buzzy below C4. I do not observe this with the Primo. So I am very happy with them.
I am using a Grabner Virtuoso mouthpiece with a Silverstein ligature. I found it interesting that a recent poster commented that they heard that the performance of the Ambipoly reeds is very mouthpiece dependent. Maybe that is why others are not as positive about the reeds as I am.
Regarding price, I paid $39 for the original Ambipoly reeds last year. The Primo reeds are the same price. It is higher than Legere. but I have been playing on two Primo reeds about 75 min daily for 4 months, and they have not degraded. So the overall cost is not that great--less than I would spend on cane.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-12-23 13:00
Ok, I was interested to hear some good reviews of the Silverstein Works foray into synthetic reeds. I was also influenced by the endorsement by Wenzel Fuchs (as far as compensated endorsements go).
What I found in general is that they are not flexible in sound across a wide dynamic range. Though I did get a nice, reasonable sounding forte, upon a subito piano the sound got thin and buzzy.
Also, what is up with a synthetic reed that requires water? Isn't one of the selling points of getting away from cane that you don't have to worry about the vagaries of humidity? So why make a synthetic reed that purposely requires moisture?
Never had the problems exhibited in the Ambipoly with the Legere European cut reeds. I'll stick with what works, Wenzel Fuchs notwithstanding.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-12-23 17:39
Paul: I'm intrigued by the term "compensated endorsements". What do musicians get in return? To my knowledge, only free gear and good publicity. The exception are the testers and designers, but they are doing a real job. Roger Federer and Tiger Woods are probably paid more for their endorsement of equipment.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: MarkS
Date: 2020-12-23 18:47
>>Also, what is up with a synthetic reed that requires water? Isn't one of the
>>selling points of getting away from cane that you don't have to worry about
>>the vagaries of humidity? So why make a synthetic reed that purposely
>>requires moisture?
My experience with the ambipoly reeds is that while they require wetting to play well, they are indeed invariant under changes in humidity. They play in summer and winter without noticeable difference, and do not need to be stored in a humidity-controlled container. Once they are soaked for about one minute, they do not need to be wetted again even if playing is interrupted for two hours or more. For doublers, this would be a big advantage over cane. Also, prior to a rehearsal or performance, a spare reed can be soaked beforehand and stored in case an emergency reed change is required later.
I believe the water-absorbing property of the reeds is essential to the ability of the reeds to adapt (conform) to the facing of the mouthpiece. It takes about 20 minutes of playing to create this initial pairing of reed to mouthpiece. The reed will not play well at all until this happens, but once done it does not need to be repeated (unless one changes mouthpieces).
When I played Legere EC reeds, they did not require wetting, but played better once they became warm (in temperature). In fact, at an expert's suggestion, I bought a hand warmer so that my reed would be ready ahead of time.
Some other advantages of ambipoly, as compared to Legere, include the possibility of reed adjustment using sandpaper, and making small adjustments in resistance by moving the reed up or down on the mouthpiece. When I tried this with Legere, the tone deteriorated, but the ambipoly responds in the same way as would a cane reed.
Nick Kuckmeier has a recent video where he discusses both ambipoly reeds and his mouthpieces in some detail, and demonstrates reed adjustment. Obviously, one needs to keep in mind that Silverstein and Playnick are partners. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT028iVzgyE&t=37s
--Mark
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-12-23 20:40
I have seen a video with Nick Kuckmeier demonstrating mouthpieces using the Ambipoly reeds and quite honestly I don't think his sound results were any more impressive than mine (naturally I don't expect a mouthpiece guy to be a Wenzel Fuchs or Ricardo Morales.....each specialist has his/her own talent). But the Ambipoly sound is thin (particularly in the altissimo), hollow and often times brittle.......I have tried a number of both the Primos and Vivaces with the same results.
Though I just muse about the moisture issue (ever notice they sink in water?), it is the fact that they don't sound good that bothers me the most.
Of course if they ever do improve the sound of their reeds I would entertain giving them a third round of trials (perhaps a bit grudgingly at this point).
...............Paul Aviles
P.S. Lest we forget, Siverstein Works still makes a pretty good ligature
Post Edited (2020-12-23 22:18)
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