 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: hartt
Date: 2022-02-13 08:56
Recently, I had the pleasure to play Brad’s newly introduced EPIC Ligature.
His approach in developing this screw-less ligature parallels his craftsmanship and dedication to quality as he has and continues to incorporate into his mouthpieces , barrels and bells.
The material Brad uses is DELRIN; a very stable, resonant form of synthetic.
After extensive testing using a Behn and non- Behn mouthpiece and several different brand reeds. I can say with certainty that I am pleased with the resulting sound and have retired my I’s and S’s ligatures.
With only two (2) integral rails touching the reed the ligature lends itself to a more resonant sound with clarity, focus and response (clearly more so than my now retired ligatures).
A fellow symphony player, Bob Sagar, also now plays one and has come to a similar assessment.
Again, Brad has come up with an interesting and innovative concept in clarinet accessories.
Contact Brad for sizing recommendations / applications.
All the best,
Dennis Charysyn
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-02-13 15:22
Great to hear about this!!!! I have had great results using a similar product with Legere reeds, the Vientos Vintage ligature:
https://vientosvintage.com/store/clarinet-ligature-glassy-crystal/
hover your arrow over the smaller images and click on the "right arrow" to see image of the two interior rails.
I see images of this product on his FaceBook page but no reference yet on his website. Maybe a "slow rollout."
Since I use Legere reeds (much thinner than cane up and down) I will need to contact Brad about a usable size. Thanks for the heads up!
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed
Date: 2022-02-14 04:31
Would it make it hard to use it on different mouthpieces if they are slightly different size, or if switching between thin and thick blank reeds?.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2022-02-14 05:02
Ed, good point. If I remember correctly, the Claude Lakey mpcs are probably the largest in size and the Vandoren Master series requires its own special ligature due to how narrow they are. Added to that, as you mentioned above, different thickness of reeds makes a one size, non-variable ligature seems pretty limited. I know because I have a Riffault mpc with what looks like expanding segmented sections towards the bottom of the mpc and I can hardly fit my Luyben ligature around it.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-02-14 05:08
The answer is yes………sorta.
The fixed diameter can be a bit off putting, but you can cut shims from thin plastic container caps (thin and not ridged) to get either ligature to fit smaller mouthpieces (and/or thinner reeds).
……………..Paul Aviles
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2022-02-14 05:26
Paul, that sure sounds like a lot of work to me. I envision a lot of experimenting may be necessary.
However, the plastic shim idea seems quite plausible.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2022-02-14 05:36
On his Facebook page, Behn for some time has been demonstrating how he refaces mouthpieces and adjusts reeds. In the course of his demonstrations he has occasionally been using some of his own new brand of ligatures. It seems that at least in prototype, he has made ligatures in two different sizes, one regular and the other a little larger "plus size" to accommodate different reeds and mouthpieces. I think one ligature is the Epic (E) and the other is the Epic plus (E+).
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-02-14 07:27
I wanted to address the Vientos. There are: Ceramic, Wood, Carbon and Crystaline. They are in reality printable composites with a bit more of the above constituent materials mixed in. I have all four types. On Legere reeds (my weapons of choice) there IS a difference in response and to some extent the tone as well. I find the Crystaline to be the most even sounding and it is a bit more "mellow" than the others. The Ceramic is the most brittle sounding and the "Wood" is a bit on the soft sounding. Of course the response/sound may be different for cane......I have not tried cane with these ligatures.
I am still quite sold on the idea that "plastics" (or similar materials) are better than other materials for ligatures when using Legere reeds. There is a bit more resonance and resulting projection when the plastics of the two interact. For some reason though, I have less of this effect with the my Behn mouthpiece compared with the old Hawkins with which I found this phenomenon. There may be some issue with how the tables are configured that makes the Hawkins even more prone to this resonance differential.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2022-02-14 15:22
One of the main issues with this style of ligature is whether the internal angle of their sides (from top to bottom) matches the external angle (cone) of the mouthpiece. If the two are different you’ll only get contact between reed and ligature at either the top or bottom of the ligature, depending on the difference in angle. Vientos recognise this and you need to specify the make of mouthpiece, within a limited range Vandoren and Backun. However, there is an option to vary from those two if you tell them the make of your mouthpiece.
Using my Vientos made for Vandoren I can see it doesn’t hold the reed at both the top and bottom when used with a D’Addario Reserve Evolution mouthpiece.
And the thickness of the reed is an issue with fixed circumference ligatures. The thicker the blank the higher the ligature will sit on the reed. Ideally, this type of ligature should also be made for thin and thick blank reeds as an option.
Perhaps Behn will address some these issue when he announces the new ligature on his website.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-02-14 16:21
Good point about the angle. I found with the Vientos you can compensate to a degree by pulling a bit more from the back if the reed contact is more toward the bottom, or you can tug more on the reed side if the contact is mostly at the top. The Vientos is not that wide, so I don’t find that too much of an issue. Brad’s is bigger and that might be more of a concern.
…………….. Paul Aviles
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Author: hartt
Date: 2022-02-15 09:41
yes, Brad has addressed the issues of thin and thicker reeds and offers the ligature in different sizes to accommodate a variety of mouthpieces.
Also, the ligature is tapered top to bottom to closely follow the mouthpiece contour.
I have had discussions with Brad and it is well thought out and designed not only from a performance perspective but the stability of the material he ultimately chose.
give Brad a call, text or email
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Author: Ed
Date: 2022-02-15 20:30
Thanks for the info. I think the point that some made is that if your mouthpiece has a different taper than what is designed in the ligature it will not work as well. Some mouthpieces are tapered differently.
It seems from what you say that one would need to carry multiple ligatures unless you always play the same mouthpiece with the same thickness of reed.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2022-02-15 22:01
I'd be curious to read about a comparison between this ligature and the also plastic Luyben one.
Given the latter is one size fits all (maybe Vandoren M/O mouthpieces notwithstanding) and very cost effective, (under $20) I'd be curious as to what Mr. Behn charges for his device and if the difference in cost (assuming the Behn one is pricier) is worth it.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-02-15 22:26
Gear price cost effectiveness is based on how well it functions for you. So if the performance of the Delrin ligature is amazing, one has to consider that in the cost.
There is a video on Brad's FaceBook page called "Reed Parts 3/28." In it, at 2:50, he shows a really quick shot of his mouthpiece with a cane reed and the prototype ligature. The channel is pretty deep and just wide enough the his Brio reed. So if there is NOT a Legere version (at least a wider channel), then I doubt the Delrin ligature will work with Legere. The narrow channel is the problem with the Legeres using Vandoren's M/O Ligature........they don't fit.
I have not heard back from Mr. Behn as of yet regarding this ligature.
..................Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2022-02-15 22:28)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-02-18 02:43
Just heard that there will be Legere friendly options available in a few weeks!
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: hyunmin
Date: 2022-02-18 19:24
According to an email he sent me regarding the ligature...
"Price is $225 (introductory sale price $150)"
To me, this seems awfully pricey for a fixed size ligature. Thanks, but I'll use what works!
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2022-02-23 00:37
This reminds me of the ligatures Aaron Drake ships with his "vintage resin" saxophone mouthpieces. I found those ligatures to work better than, say, the Syos ring ligatures (because of the reed channel) but to be a bit of a hassle when adjusting the position of the mouthpiece on the neck. I went back to a more conventional ligature design, even though I thought the ring ligature had a very nice response and (maybe) sound.
I tend to like a more secure feeling ligature on the clarinet as well, but that may be psychological as much as anything else, especially since I rarely even pull out the A clarinet at all these days. I may be traumatized by having ligatures slip when moving between clarinets in college. I still pull out the Rovner Eddie Daniels for those times, mostly out of paranoia!
But I could see this ligature being quite nice for someone who is not as afraid of that as I am!
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2022-03-05 00:14
I purchased one several weeks ago at TMEA to use with my Epic (Vintage 1.05 tip) paired w/ Legere Euro Signature.
The difference in response and clarity was audibly improved to the folks beside me. It seemed to give a ‘deader’ Legere more harmonics and core. Quite remarkable from my perspective.
~Robt L Schwebel
Mthpc: Behn Vintage
Lig: Ishimori, Behn Delrin
Reed: Legere French Cut 3.75/4, Behn Brio 4
Horns: Uebel Superior (Bb,A), Ridenour Lyrique, Buffet R13 (Eb)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-03-05 05:05
That’s odd. Brad said he would come up with a Legere model in a few weeks. He may have actually had a few for TMEA and didn’t want to taunt me with the news.
…………..Paul Aviles
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