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I consider Vandoren blue box reeds to be the "186" of the clarinet world. In any given box there will be a variation in hardness, but I understand that is intentional. I use them exclusively on contrabass because they are the only manufacturer that makes a full size cane contra reed that I am aware of. Taken care of and adjusted properly I can get several years of service out of them. Knowing how to adjust reeds is a big help. I find on average that they play about half a strength harder than what is indicated on the box, compared to other reeds.

Maybe............ sneak a peek in the case and see what is in it, if anything. Some people are very resistant to change.

Ken Herrick wrote:Maybe............ sneak a peek in the case and see what is in it, if anything. Some people are very resistant to change.

Probably as good a strategy as any. It's getting so a very few companies make all the different brands of reeds out there, and considering the variable nature of the material, there isn't much in the way of "gold standards" any more. I don't think Vandoren has been anything special since the '80s. I'm sure not one to give any advice though - I have a clarinet, and can play tunes on it etc., but I use a Fibracell synthetic reed, not willing to put up with cane any more.

Ken Herrick wrote:Maybe............ sneak a peek in the case and see what is in it, if anything. Some people are very resistant to change.

As a clarinetist as well as a tubist, I will say that this is very sound advice.

An accomplished clarinetist will already have tried every brand, model, and strength of reed that shows any possibility of being better than what he or she is currently using.

A gift of cane reeds other than what she's already using probably won't be of any use to her.

A gift of one of the new breed of expensive synthetic reeds could turn out to be a nice surprise, however. The Legere European Cut Signature reed has gotten a lot of rave reviews--I'm not willing to make the investment myself to try them out, but would gladly accept one as a gift and would definitely give it a very lengthy trial. Your wife might be inclined to do the same.

My personal clarinet setup, for the record: Vandoren V21 reeds in strength 3.0, on a Grabner K14e mouthpiece, bound with a silver plated Vandoren Optimum ligature using the dual-rail plate.

Maybe letting her try a few reeds and let her make her own choice. There are some things you can't pick for a person.

Buy four or five different type and styles of clarinet reeds and wrap them up with a "gift certificate" for a dozen of the ones she chooses and likes. (A "gift certificate" could be an actual certificate from somewhere like WBBW or something you write on a card.)

bloke wrote: I'm assuming that you would prefer to not gift your wife a used...

I just tell her it's "vintage!!"

bloke wrote: One thing's for certain:
Mrs. Stryker has NEVER-EVER eaten at any restaurants using knives/forks/spoons that had previously been in others' (many: with colds/etc.) mouths and on those restaurants' floors.

Used gifts AND mansplaining.

Good luck with that!!

Might she be interested in getting setup to actually make her own reeds?

The top drawer tools to do so are expensive, but there are less expensive ways to get into it (test the waters, basically) and you could always upgrade later if ends up being something she enjoys doing. Look for profilers, guides, reed knives along with blanks or whole, raw cane to get started. Perhaps she already has some of the parts and pieces for a reed making setup already and would just need to fill in the gaps making it relatively simple and reasonably priced?

I would never, ever, buy a reed player any reed other than what they already use. They use it for a reason....
If Mr. Bloke bought some oboe reeds online and gave them to Mrs Bloke, I'm pretty sure they would end up stuffed someplace uncomfortable after she got done laughing. And I'd bet she doesn't buy made reeds, anyway.

I don't take chances...

For 17 years I managed not to wake up next to the ice cream in the freezer!!

Stryk wrote:

MaryAnn wrote:I would never, ever, buy a reed player any reed other than what they already use. \

My wife is only playing the Vandoren reeds because that is what I bought her 5 years ago or so. I think before that she was using Mitchell Lurie on an HS*. So, I think she would be open to anything that was an improvement on what I gave her. I am willing to take that chance

That's why I suggested buying four or five different ones to try and get her a dozen of what she likes.

I don't play clarinet. A family member who does, professionally, and earned his living that way for a lot of years before kids required health insurance <g> switched to synthetic. He says there's a bit of a snob factor with other players but they perform well and are much more consistent.

I mean we have things to deal with, but anyone else ever really glad they don't need to deal with reeds?

Let us know how she likes it.

Good call on the 5RV Lyre, Stryk. That's a can't-hardly-miss proposition.

The B45 has long been considered functionally obsolete. Bloke's mentioning these in the same breath as the 24AW tuba 'piece is spot on: one can get excellent results--but it's much more work with these hoary old mouthpieces than it needs to be.

Stryk wrote: When I started teaching in 1980 the B45 what the absolute gold standard and Vandoren was the gold standard reed. Being a tuba player and teaching in a town in the middle of nowhere sometimes kept me away from the newest clarinet trends. My wife plays clarinet, but isn't obsessed with it like some of us are with tubas. She plays what she has always played because someone told her that was what she should use.

Heh, this got me thinking about the 1980s when, as a serious high school student, I was considering a career as a band director. Reliable Information about equipment came through The Instrumentalist magazine, and occasional contacts with college instructors. The emphasis then was always on the instruments, not mouthpieces and other accessories. Nearly everyone just played whatever mouthpiece came with their instrument.

The B45 did make a lot of sense for use with the wide-bore clarinets that were in common use then: Bundy 1400, Selmer Centered Tone and Series 9, the Buescher Aristocrat, the various and sundry Boosey & Hawkes models, and the Pruefers that were still lingering about in circulation. All of these had low inherent blowing resistance and a high-resistance piece such as the B45 or Selmer HS-Star provided working resistance needed for efficient playing.

Since then, polycylindrical-bore instruments inspired by the Buffet R13 have pretty much taken over the clarinet world. All of them provide significant inherent working resistance, obviating the need for the likes of the B45.

bloke wrote:I remember when it was more common for someone to have a top-line Leblanc/Paris clarinet than a Buffet.

That having been said, there were quite a few Evette-Schaffer Buffet clarinets floating around (but not very many top-line Buffet's).

Having spent my first thirty years in Michigan's Upper Peninsula--closer to Kenosha and Elkhorn, Wisconsin than Elkhart, Indiana--our local music stores stocked gear sourced from G. Leblanc and Getzen. Their stuff was everywhere. I still wince thinking of the Getzen Elkhorn sousaphones I had to endure in high school--they were dreadful.

When you were ready for a step-up instrument, you could, by appointment, drive down to the Leblanc plant in Kenosha and try out anything they had on hand. They'd also give you a tour of the plant. I tried out some Holton tubas there, and it was a wonderful experience. Sadly, those days are over.

I never encountered a Buffet clarinet until I was at university. The Noblet 45 and Leblanc LL were the step-up and pro clarinets played by all of my clarinetist associates, and nearly everybody who owned one had made the trip to Kenosha to personally select the one that was best for them. You couldn't do that with Buffet or Selmer, and nobody took Yamaha seriously enough back then to bother making the trip to Grand Rapids.