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As the Pot Stirs and the Pot Plot Thickens

4K views 66 replies 30 participants last post by  JL 
#1 ·
Hi everyone! It's a bit of a bland Monday afternoon here and I thought that I would ask for everyone's preference/opinion, set in granite or otherwise, regarding Alto Saxophone Ligatures.

For my clarinets, I have way too many ligatures. For the past nine or ten years or so, I've been playing almost exclusively on Rovner Dark, except when I pull out the Eefer and am using the Pomarico Crystal, and then it's the vintage Harrison "H" Ligature that I've had for decades.

I know nothing about Saxophones (witness my foray into the restoration of a Leblanc Vito Model 35, which I've been posting about). At the recommendation of some superb players and professionals in the area, I purchased a Selmer Paris Series 80 C* on which to learn, paired up with a Rovner Dark Ligature.

Now...

For grins and giggles, I do like the look of the Vandoren Optimum. It's fun, snazzy and there is a following of the thing which is impressive.

Which would you folks enjoy the most? The Gold? The Silver? The Rose Gold? The Model 35 is heavily silver plated and is polishing up beautifully.

Should there be the mystery/whodunnit "DA, DA, DUMMMMM!" music inserted here?

I'm looking forward to everyone's opinion, as well as suggestions. With so many of you who are experts, professionals, avid amateurs and everything in between, it's always fun for me to read the comments and LEARN NEW THINGS.

Thanks in advance!!
 
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#4 ·
You welcome to use the polling function on this forum? It helps in these discussions.

Also, can I ask what colour your Alto / Tenor is?

My Alto is Silver Plated. HEAVILY Silver Plated. It's taking forever to polish it evenly, as it apparently sat in a closet for a few decades and is absolutely black and dark purple in places.
 

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#3 ·
For grins and giggles, I do like the look of the Vandoren Optimum. It's fun, snazzy and there is a following of the thing which is impressive.
Yeah, get that one. They work.
 
#7 ·
#10 ·
I have been using a Rovner MkIII with my “big band setup” and I realized today - after having a performance yesterday - that it has absolutely been a great ligature. There is a general preference for metal ligatures among saxophonists (myself included up to now) but the Rover has if anything been better to me than the Vandoren M/O I use with my other setup. It seems to be less fussy no matter what reed I use and to make it less likely to squeak or fluff a note. There may be some small degree of difference in sound but after using it during practice and performing for the last week, it seems to me that my sound isn’t significantly affected and if anything I have more confidence whether playing loudly or softly.

I also have a Rovner Star and it seems to me to be similarly forgiving and easy to use, though I’ll have to put it through the paces and see how it works out. The MkIII is something I can recommend without reservation.

So for what it’s worth, I think your Rovner Dark is probably all the ligature you need, but if you are thinking aesthetically then there is no harm in using a Vandoren Optimum. Just my experience is that the Rovner MkIII has been a better ligature than I wanted to give it credit for up to this point.
 
#11 ·
For what it's worth, Bonade makes ligatures for every saxophone, too, and they're great. Been using one on soprano for twenty years or so! And on clarinet for even longer. Vandoren makes great ligs, though, and I've long been a fan of their simple and awesome Masters Ligature (the current version is the MO, which I don't like quite as much, but still perfectly serviceable). The Optimum never made it into my collection but I'm sure it's just fine. Go for it!

(I also originally went to college on classical clarinet scholarship, before switching fully to jazz saxophone/piano, and have been a professional saxophonist/pianist for a couple decades. If you need any saxophone-to-clarinet tips, feel free to message me. Sounds like you're on the right track, though!)
 
#12 ·
I like the optimum too, mine has held up well for close to 20 years now. Depends on how it fits a particular mpc if it works it’s best, but I know it fits and works well on your S80 c*. I happen to use a Rovner dark on my s80 D, also have several other rovners around I like for various reasons and how they fit certain mouthpieces (versa, versa x). I also like the m/o Vandoren! If you are into aesthetics, the charles bay nickel silver ligs are very ornate and you might like the look of those (they also function very well).
 
#13 ·
I like the design of the Optimum but Id be careful. Vandoren designs them to fit their mouthpieces and Ive found that many customers have trouble getting a good fit on a number of other mouthpieces. There are plenty of aftermarket ligs on the market that might fit better. Their tenor ligs seem to be a bit more versatile than their alto version. I dont have any vandoren alto pieces around here but if my memory serves they dont have as much taper as a lot of alto hard rubber pieces.
 
#15 ·
I use Rovners pretty exclusively across the board, jazz and classical. I had Francois Louis "Ultimate Ligatures," but they always slipped when I tried to tune. I occasionally switch to an Olegature on my ASC Borrum, but there's not a huge difference between that and the Rovner Dark, maybe a little more resonance, but not much. I've tried a few other things, and I just haven't been able to justify the cost difference when my stable of Rovners work so well. They aren't the prettiest ligatures, but they keep the reed firmly in place, which is far more important.
 
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#17 ·
i am underwhelmed by the optimum. its overpriced -the fit is limited and the plates dont change much of anything in responce to me. it also stifles reed vibration somewhat. on the plus side-its durable and cool looking . i like the mo better in preformance. they should reissue the masters as it was the best vandoren lig
 
#20 ·
I like the Optimum. A good balance of "fits properly" and "looks cool." What do you like the look of? I think a gold lig on a silver horn is a nice balance, but you might like the silver on silver. Let's not kid ourselves and say "it's not about how it looks." I want my horn to have an aesthetic I like (if given the choice).
 
#22 ·
I know nothing about Saxophones
Ok then, before you go too far down the 'rabbit hole' on ligatures, here's a little tip (with which some will disagree of course). The ligature has one job to do: Hold the reed firmly to the mpc table. Period. So, given that fact, what you need is a ligature that fits well and holds the reed firmly to the mpc table. I think it's also helpful if it's simple and not too fiddly. A standard 2-screw lig (like the Bonade or Rico H) that fits well, will fit this description. As will many others, some far more expensive.
 
#23 ·
I love the Optimum. It's a high quality item that feels really nice to use. As far as ligatures make a difference in sound (not much) and feel (a tiny bit), I like the way the Optimum compares to others. As far as ligatures make a difference in holding the reed and easy, repeatable positioning, I think the Optimum is one of the best.

The downside is that it's expensive, but that's only an issue if you keep buying ligatures after it, which I don't think you'll need to do.

I would get the brass because it's cheaper or the silver because it looks cool. I have two of the silver and two of the brass. The silver is somewhat annoying because it tarnishes when it's near hard rubber, so it requires periodic polishing if you are concerned about such things.

I tend to like my ligatures pretty tight and the Optimum is great for that as well. I have heard that that is supposed to be bad, but it's a psychological thing. Maybe I'll have to talk to a therapist about that.

If an Optimum fits your mouthpiece, I'd recommend it. If it doesn't, I wouldn't.
 
#30 ·
Rovner Dark is nice for alto sax too. I got one my senior year of high school and I liked it better on all three of the mouthpieces I had, a C*, a Meyer 5M, and a cream colored ARB. My current setup is a Theo Wanne Durga with the Enlightened ligature that came with it, but it’s so fidgety. Like the experience shared by the guy with the Francois Louis, it comes loose if I even start thinking about tuning. Thinking of trying the Rovner III out with it.
 
#31 ·
Priorities for a ligature, in order:

1. Holds the reed securely, even when I've gone a few days too long without applying cork grease.
2. Not fiddly to use.
3. Looks cool.
4. Sound or something. Usually the difference in sound is a difference between holding the reed securely or not, imo. Ligatures that hold the reed securely don't sound very different to me.

That last one is a pretty distant fourth.
 
#32 ·
If you'll scrape the backs of your reeds when they get convex, restoring them to flat, then any ligature will work the same. I'm convinced that the variability in apparent ligature performance is variability on how they hold a warped reed with a convex back. Well, reeds like that are going to perform badly anyway, so flatten the backs of those reeds!
 
#33 ·
i have discovered the best bass clarinet ligature of all. its the hite. its a perfect cross between a rovner for reed vibration and sound emission of a bonade. sadly they are no longer sold seperately as when david hite was alive. now you have to buy a hite mpc to get the ligature. i would like to try a mark james lig on saxophone but they seem hard to come by. the hite lig has 2 rings that isolate the ligature from the body of the mpc . same principle as the old winslow ligs did.
 
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