I am often fond of saying, "There are two kinds of reeds. Reeds that suck and reeds that don't work at all."
I am tired of paying 30 dollars per box of clarinet reeds to find that nothing is working for me. Nothing. I break them in gradually and I am skilled at adjusting with sand paper, knife, sanding cloths, reed rush...and my two go to brands, as of late have been really frustrating. I use Rico Reserve 3.0's and VanDoren V12's 3's and 3.5's and have thrown out more clarinet reeds so far in 2018 than alto, tenor and baritone sax reeds combined.
I was on Vandoren blue-box 3 for long and weary, then tried a number of Legere synthetics - they're nice, but I blow through them to fast to be economical-
I'm currently experimenting with VanDoren White Master 3 and V12 -3
playing , like Dave, [unamplified] early jazz / swing / gypsy jazz
-A-
for whatever it's worth V12 3 strength reeds for both soprano and bass clarinet. The most consistent of the Vandoren line I found and I'm pretty much using green java 3.5 strength for SATB saxophones and when they're consistent Rico/D'Addario 4S Jazz select, filed or unfiled for baritone sax would be the only other reeds I'd use other than Vandoren.
I've been on V12 3.5+ for a while now, but recently went back to the V12 #4 like I played in college. This is on my Fobes CF San Francisco mouthpiece, which has very low resistance naturally. The V12, for me, offers just the right blend of roundness, focus and color/edge.
I have found the blue box to be a bit too spread/unfocused, the V21 to be too "hollow" sounding (dark, but without core), the 56 to be too dark (not enough tone color), the Gonzalez FOF to be consistent but consistently too dark and the d'addario select felt unfocused for me.
I get frustrated with the V12, but haven't found anything that gives such a nice balance in the tone. The thing I love the most about them is the way the tone breaks smoothly into edge as you push the sound past a tasteful volume. Where other reeds just start getting spread and ugly, the V12 gives good warning and starts to brighten gradually, which makes that color change predictable and usable.
I know tons of players who sound great on the reeds that I don't like, though, so ymmv, etc.
On bass clarinet I'm pretty happy with blue box 2.5
I've been on V12 3.5+ for a while now, but recently went back to the V12 #4 like I played in college. This is on my Fobes CF San Francisco mouthpiece, which has very low resistance naturally. The V12, for me, offers just the right blend of roundness, focus and color/edge.
I have found the blue box to be a bit too spread/unfocused, the V21 to be too "hollow" sounding (dark, but without core), the 56 to be too dark (not enough tone color), the Gonzalez FOF to be consistent but consistently too dark and the d'addario select felt unfocused for me.
I get frustrated with the V12, but haven't found anything that gives such a nice balance in the tone. The thing I love the most about them is the way the tone breaks smoothly into edge as you push the sound past a tasteful volume. Where other reeds just start getting spread and ugly, the V12 gives good warning and starts to brighten gradually, which makes that color change predictable and usable.
I know tons of players who sound great on the reeds that I don't like, though, so ymmv, etc.
On bass clarinet I'm pretty happy with blue box 2.5
Yeah, I think that's what I like about the V12's as well.
And just like that, the weather has changed again in the great northeast, and my V12's seem to be working again on a different Frank Wells which has a slightly different facing and window shape. 61 and rainy tomorrow, so we will see what that brings for the first rehearsal. And for the record, the gig is Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor and baritone saxophones. I'm all set on the other horns, and these bigger reeds don't seem to be quite as mercurial as the Bb clarinet ones are.
I have been using the V16 3's on bass clarinet. 2 1/2's on any mouthpiece I play seem a tic too soft for me and give me just a bit too much buzz in my tone. The V12 3's are a but too hard, but that's what reed rush, sand paper, sanding sheets and a reed knife are for. I've settled in pretty comfortably on this set up with a Pomarico Wizard Medium 1.80 tip opening. Still experimenting with the VD B50 here. I like it, but am just not comfortable enough yet with the larger tip opening.
You mention breaking in... have you tried adjusting the reeds first and not breaking in? I stopped the break-in blues back in the 80's when I was working so much that I often had to get a reed ready for a gig "right now". I noticed after a while that the reeds I just played (after some slight adjustment usually) lasted as long and sounded just as good as reeds I carefully broke in. So I stopped breaking them in.
An interesting side effect of this was that I found more reeds played well (in the 80's this meant about 75% of reeds in a box, now it's more like 95%. Or maybe I'm lazier / less discriminating...) I think this is because the break in process ended up destroying reeds that needed serious adjustment (they were out of balance, or too hard, or both, or...)
Sorry to hear of the reed woes. I have generally had good results with the D'Addario Reserve classic and also like Vandoren Traditionals. I have used Legere European Signature from time to time. While not as good as a cane reed, they can be responsive and do the job when cane gets funky.
This time of year reeds can sometimes drive me crazy. I think the dryness and the changeable weather causes them to be rather variable. The biggest issue I find is that they will warp. A few swipes on a file can make all the difference. Good luck!
I agree with the author of this reply on D'Addario Reserve Classic and Vandoren Traditional.Good reliable reeds.
The strength is purely your choice -how much is your tip opening and how much you bite?
V12s 3 1/2 on a Grabner K14 (1.10mm tip). I use the Ridenour ATG method to balance reeds and can occasionally make a marginal reed very good. I have a new Yamaha CSVR that I'm getting used to and will be trying out some other reeds. I've just ordered a box of the Arias from Behn.
After trying many different reeds/MP combinations, I settled on Gonzales FOF, 2.75-3 on Pomarico Mouthpieces for general/jazz gigs.
For more classical settings, I use either RueLepic 56 or Rico Grand Concert Select, strength 3.5 on Grabner MP.
Clarinets Selmer 10S for general; Yamaha CSGH for classical.
I'm playing Roberto's 3.5M. Not sure if they're designed as a jazzish reed but they work nicely for me for such purposed. Don't play any classical so can't comment there. I don't think I've ever pulled a reed out of a box and not put it into rotation straight up or with a little shaving.
I made it through the gig using a new D'Addario X25 mouthpiece and some Vandoren V12 3.5's I whipped into shape. On the last Sunday performance, I instead used a Legere Euro Signature 3.25 on the same D'Addario. It was OK. I have since been struggling to feel really comfortable on this setup. I have also had an X10 on order for months. ProWinds claims it will ship this Friday. I hope so because I generally like the sound of the D'Addario mouthpiece coupled with the Legere, but feel this match is a touch too resistant. Perhaps a more closed tip opening will give me a more comfortable feel.
I ordered some Rue Lepic reeds on the recommendation on some on this post....but haven't opened the box yet. Got some more clarinet intensive work coming up, so I'll be hitting the studio this weekend and trying to find a great sound and comfort. For me, finding a unicorn might be easier than coupling great sound and comfort on clarinet.
I made it through the gig using a new D'Addario X25 mouthpiece and some Vandoren V12 3.5's I whipped into shape. On the last Sunday performance, I instead used a Legere Euro Signature 3.25 on the same D'Addario. It was OK. I have since been struggling to feel really comfortable on this setup. I have also had an X10 on order for months. ProWinds claims it will ship this Friday. I hope so because I generally like the sound of the D'Addario mouthpiece coupled with the Legere, but feel this match is a touch too resistant. Perhaps a more closed tip opening will give me a more comfortable feel.
I ordered some Rue Lepic reeds on the recommendation on some on this post....but haven't opened the box yet. Got some more clarinet intensive work coming up, so I'll be hitting the studio this weekend and trying to find a great sound and comfort. For me, finding a unicorn might be easier than coupling great sound and comfort on clarinet.
Same for me actually. And within Vandoren, I have the most consistent results with the Traditional and V12 reeds. The others (a.o. V21, Rue Lepic) either didn't work for me, or I found too much variation.
Right now I'm playing on D'addario Reserve Classic 2.5s and Rico Grand Concert Select 3s. I switch between the two depending on the day. The reserves work better out of the box, but I'm finding I prefer the Grand Concert Selects once they've been worked on a bit.
I'm able to find well working about 50-60% reeds from 10-pieces box, than I use them in rotation.
Depending on the mouthpiece I use:
- Vandoren Blue Box 2-3
- Vandoren V21 2,5 3
- Olivieri 2 2,5
I also have a few surviving from old times Vandoren BlueBox (new and used, 30-years old) and old-stock Olivieri (bought a few years ago, but, I think they were 10+ years old).
Yes, I'm playing on them successfully, no one from the box was unusable, so in my opinion at the moment reeds are not so consistent with quality pattern as years before.
Mass production, mass selling, mass buying, mass playing - faster, faster, faster ...
Or maybe we become different ... inconsistent ... ;-)
I did. I liked it.
In my opinion the sound is "wider", not so concentrated, less core, more colorful.
I tried Rigotti Gold, Rico and Rico Jazz Select, Vandoren blue box.
I found it sometimes harder to control. It fits well not on every mpc - it depends on how wide is window, and not every mpc tip suits reed shape.
For me - not for everyday playing, however could be interesting to change sound to achieve a certain variety, both in live playing and recordings.
One experienced clarinettist was indignant when I told him that I tried to do that, but when I asked him "why you are against it?", he just shrugged and said "it does not fit".
I only play jazz on clarinet, so take this with a grain of salt. I play on mouthpieces that are way more open (tip-wise) than any classical/traditional player would ever touch. All of my mouthpieces are opened up between .062 and .065 tips with a 19mm facing curve. I use Legere Classic 3's and just tried a Signature 3. I like both, but have been using the Classic Cut for years. I find them to sound, feel and respond very much like cane. A bit more edge in the sound perhaps, but only when I really push my airstream. They're consistent and last as advertised.
Pilgerstorfer Dolce 3.5 - on a 1.09mm tip Bob Bernado Vintage mouthpiece, classical clarinetist.
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