Comments on: Review and blindfold test: Légère Signature Series clarinet reeds

By: Carmelo

Carmelo — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 06:08:36 +0000

I have only recently discovered the Legere reeds, and they seem easier to play with in that they seem to have a consistent even sound, unlike the cane, which can vary according to whether it is dry or wet, or whether it is evenly spaced to produce a good sound overall. The Legere reeds seem to give a good sound first time with hardly any additonal effort, which is relative to the cane reeds.
I think I will try the Signature Series.

By: Bret

Bret — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:41:23 +0000

Thanks for your comment. I have edited it so as not to give away the answer.

By: Garth Libre

Garth Libre — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:55:42 +0000

I thought that clip [# - edited!] sounded happier (in the sense that the player seemed to be having a easier time of it). Either cut shows a delightful tone, sensitivity and good intonation. The [# - edited!] cut does seem woody and natural. In tests such as these where both results seem professional, the small differences could easily be explained away by player variations and not equipment. I would be much more likely to ask the player which he preferred. Only he can know what his ideal sound is. We can only know what our goals are, and any two artists have different desires. The musician here says that he could get a slight edge with a well adjusted cane reed. For me the consistency and peace of mind that the Legere offers would be more than enough to go with the synthetic choice. I have not yet tried the Legere but I probably soon will.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:24:58 +0000

I have been using a Legere reed on bass clarinet and was so impressed I bought a reed for soprano clarinet. I mainly like the way I can pick up an instrument and play without worrying that the reed has dried out. It gets abused on my practice clarinet by being left on the mouthpiece and put away wet etc. Not things I would risk with reed.

By: Ginger Pullen

Ginger Pullen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:02:20 +0000

So did I, especially on the slurred interval leaps. (and I guessed right—I’ve been playing legere tenor reeds)

By: Bret

Bret — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:20:46 +0000

Thanks Don—I have edited your comment so that it doesn’t give away the answer.

By: Don Mark

Don Mark — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 03:51:39 +0000

After listening to :20 of sample A, I then played sample B. I was absolutely sure that Sample A was [edited] within ten sections, the difference to me was not even subtle. I am surprised by the several who picked wrong. I use Legere and Hahn reeds on soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, therefore feel I am fair in judging a product category of which I am familiar. I continue to use my cane reed of choice on my R13 Prestige. In this test, the [edited] produced the more rich, complex, and desirable tone.

By: Bret

Bret — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:20:40 +0000

Hi Niklas,

I hope you don’t mind that I have edited your comment so as not to give away the answer.

“Question then, is the cane reed what you consider a good one?” This is an excellent question and one that I didn’t really address in the review. The cane reed was the best that I had at the time in a pretty average batch of broken-in reeds. I considered looking for a really excellent one for the side-by-side comparison, but it seemed to be a better real-world test if I used what I had immediately at hand.

On a related note:
As I mentioned in the original post, I thought it was likely that I could find/adjust a better cane reed for my recital, and keep the Légère on hand as a backup. This is indeed what I ended up doing. The cane reed that I chose felt/sounded better to me than the Légère, but only by a very small margin, and I do still believe that no one but me would have detected the difference.

By: Niklas Uhrberg

Niklas Uhrberg — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:14:16 +0000

I didn’t guess at all but more importantly to me, the quality of the tone in clip [# - edited!] is better.

Being a Signature player I was a bit afraid that this is the cane reed so the answer was a relief!

This need not in itself be important because it might have been a less than optimal cane reed. Question then, is the cane reed what you consider a good one?

Cheers, Niklas

By: Steven Hugley

Steven Hugley — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:53:15 +0000

I too, guessed wrong. From that playing sample, I would have to go the the Legere.