[AntPea]

After much thought and trial and error I've reached the final design of the ligature. It is consists of a plate a dowel and Kevlar string. The plate is made out of plastic or brass the later been more time consuming and difficult to make requiring more tools. Two 4mm holes are drilled on the plate which are then opened to 4-5 x 6-7mm by using round files. An assortment of materials can be used for the dowel, which has some effect on the response and the sound. I've tried brass, wood, plastic and rope to name a few. Using brass gives a more open sound as opposed to wood or rope which gives a more focused sound with fewer high frequencies. Though the ligature cannot be adjusted while on the mouthpiece and red, it is easily adjusted when removed. The correct choice of dowel and hole dimensions ensure the choking of the string and eliminates slipping. The best part of this ligature is that it works beautifully, it holds the reed firmly on the mouthpiece without slipping when tuning, enables notes to be played down to a whisper, it helps with making low notes and subtoning easier, and makes altissimo notes more stable and full. It could be that the reason for this is that the only part in contact with the reed and mouthpiece is the string.

 

[kreacher]

"Using brass gives a more open sound as opposed to wood or rope which gives a more focused sound with fewer high frequencies"
"It could be that the reason for this is that the only part in contact with the reed and mouthpiece is the string."

I mean, can you stay on the same page of thought while writing all this? Usually when people are trying to ******** this frequency and response/tone thing, they tend not to contradict themselves in just a few sentences.

 

[johnebravo]

This is a great system because you can experiment with different kinds of string. I tried shoelaces, and it made my tone far more "grounded", and then with the kite twine, it was much lighter and "airier". Next up: firecracker fuses.

 

[AntPea]

"Using brass gives a more open sound as opposed to wood or rope which gives a more focused sound with fewer high frequencies"
"It could be that the reason for this is that the only part in contact with the reed and mouthpiece is the string."

I mean, can you stay on the same page of thought while writing all this? Usually when people are trying to ******** this frequency and response/tone thing, they tend not to contradict themselves in just a few sentences.

"It could be that the reason for this is that the only part in contact with the reed and mouthpiece is the string." refers to "enables notes to be played down to a whisper, it helps with making low notes and subtoning easier, and makes altissimo notes more stable and full"...If you like splitting hairs, by all means, please carry on doing so.

 

[AntPea]

This is a great system because you can experiment with different kinds of string. I tried shoelaces, and it made my tone far more "grounded", and then with the kite twine, it was much lighter and "airier". Next up: firecracker fuses.

I agree with you, string type also affects the ligatures behavior. I use Kevlar string, as in addition to it's favorable sonar properties, it is stiff and non stretchy and holds the mouthpiece shape well once removed.

 

[johnebravo]

I agree with you, string type also affects the ligatures behavior. I use Kevlar string, as in addition to it's favorable sonar properties, it is stiff and non stretchy and holds the mouthpiece shape well once removed.

Sorry, I guess I assumed it would be obvious that I was kidding, but I guess we've all heard the old saying about why you don't assume.

 

[AntPea]

Oops, sorry for not getting your humor immediately...Lesson of the day: never post when you wake up at 4 in the morning and before 2 cups of coffee. Regardless, materials and ligature design have an impact on response and sound. Of course there are those who say, all ligatures do, is hold the reed on the mouthpiece and there's no difference between them. Oh, I forgot to mention in my description of the ligature's properties, that the four protruding strings on top act as cosmic rays receptors that make the sound produced vibrate in harmony with the universe.:lol:

 

[dirty]

"Using brass gives a more open sound as opposed to wood or rope which gives a more focused sound with fewer high frequencies"
"It could be that the reason for this is that the only part in contact with the reed and mouthpiece is the string."

I mean, can you stay on the same page of thought while writing all this? Usually when people are trying to ******** this frequency and response/tone thing, they tend not to contradict themselves in just a few sentences.

Nothing about that statement is contradictory.

Just because something isn't touching the mouthpiece doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect on how the string holds the reed onto the mouthpiece.

 

[AntPea]

Updates: On the alto mouthpiece the lig. base is made of olive tree wood and the dowel from rosewood. On the tenor lig. the base is made from derlin and the dowel is steel.

 

[AntPea]

Update: All three ligs shown work very well and enhance the response and dynamic range of my saxes. All my other ligatures (I have quite a few) are going in the drawer. On the one on the mouthpiece I came up with a way to do away with the use of a dowel, but it's a bit more fiddly to set up initially.

 

[cantoni]

Great!

I believe the sliding metal pieces on the side of the Silverstein DO play a role.

A friend of mine is making these (see photo), inspired by the Silverstein design but different. And those are loved by real pros locally. I'm personally enjoying the Rovner Platinum, don't know what it is, but I guess the "mass" or weight or something, I like it better.

Keep it up! And I would add the sliding metal pieces to the tests.

 

[Hassles]

that looks very much inspired by the Francois Louis ligature I like. hmm, impressive

 

[AntPea]

Great!

I believe the sliding metal pieces on the side of the Silverstein DO play a role.

A friend of mine is making these (see photo), inspired by the Silverstein design but different. And those are loved by real pros locally. I'm personally enjoying the Rovner Platinum, don't know what it is, but I guess the "mass" or weight or something, I like it better.

Keep it up! And I would add the sliding metal pieces to the tests.

View attachment 261034

Nice work, I thought of using the side bars on my design but I am a bit worried about scratching the mouthpiece. I might try it though even though my ligs work very well without. Here are a few more...

 

[datsaxman]

WILD !!

I just ordered some Kevlar string. Going to experiment a bit

 

[turf3]

People with way too much time on their hands.

It's hard to tell in this thread what's satire and what's sincerely meant. I'm going to be charitable and assume the whole thing is satirical.

 

[olds1959special]

I bought some string today to make a ligature while I'm waiting for my Rovner Mk3. It's grey nylon braided mason twine that I got from the hardware store. There's no need to use anything else besides the string to make the ligature, just lay it down on the top of the mouthpiece, wrap it around, then make a knot from the two ends and tighten it.

 

[datsaxman]

People with way too much time on their hands.

It's hard to tell in this thread what's satire and what's sincerely meant. I'm going to be charitable and assume the whole thing is satirical.

... or maybe the guy is just having some fun using fly tying skills in a different realm.

 

[datsaxman]

Didja see the other "Cheepostein" threads? Even wilder!



dsm

 

[Hassles]

There is nothing satirical here - ligatures of these designs can be a real eye-opener for those who've not tried them.

 

[Bottle Opener]

Still waiting for some audio recordings demonstrating this remarkable new design . . .