[ving]

I have a drawer full of ligs, like many of us do I imagine. I have experimented with them all on various mpcs, and usually find one or two that work best with any given mpc. I have Vandoren m/o, various Rovner s, Wanne enlightened, Olegs, Vandoren optimum, bay, etc. I have a Selmer 2 screw as well as a couple cheap nickel silver ones too. On a link I’ve been playing , I had been using the Wanne enlightened but was curious so I played all the ligs I have and one of the cheap nickel ligs is transformative, just goes to show you can’t discount anything and a higher purchase price does not Automatically equate to a better Playing lig. I will note I have done this with other mpcs, but I’ve never found one lig to really jump out like this one on this mpc. Go figure.

 

[J-Moen]

Funny story, I did the exact same thing playing my soprano today. I was using an olegature on my Selmer classic, and I was having terrible response of low notes and constantly hitting upper overtones without trying. Tried loosening it, and nothing worked. Went to the drawer and found an old rovner light. The whole range of the horn was immediately speaking after that!

 

[ving]

Yeah, usually I get antsy and start trying ligs when I get frustrated with reeds. I do find I can fine tune things by putting on a lig with a less resistant feel if my reeds are playing stuffy, or visa versa. I think a lot of what makes one lig work better than others is the fit as well. Whatever the case, I was much happier after I tried the cheap lig today.

 

[soybean]

Rovner lights can be very good.

 

[Pete Thomas]

This whole idea shouldn't really be too much of a surprise, if you accept that there is no such thing as a ligature per se that gives you a better sound. But the manufacturers of expensive ligatures would like you to think this is true. (And continue the fallacy you get what you pay for)

A very cheap ligature can easily sound and respond the best, if it just happens to be the right dimensions for the specific circumstances of mouthpiece shape, mouthpiece table flatness or curve, reed distortion (or lack of it) etc.

But try telling that to a ligature manufacturer.

 

[click]

Yessir.

Those that fit best play best.

 

[milandro]

This whole idea shouldn't really be too much of a surprise, if you accept that there is no such thing as a ligature per se that gives you a better sound. But the manufacturers of expensive ligatures would like you to think this is true. (And continue the fallacy you get what you pay for)

A very cheap ligature can easily sound and respond the best, if it just happens to be the right dimensions for the specific circumstances of mouthpiece shape, mouthpiece table flatness or curve, reed distortion (or lack of it) etc.

But try telling that to a ligature manufacturer.

Well, of course they are in the business of pushing all manners of vibrationalist issues.

Few would admit to the fact that what you already own is in all probability all you need, whilst, of course, they will tell you that the next thing they sell is what you have always needed and never had to reach greatness (in a box)

 

[beau barry]

I really like the Rovner with the bars on the reed. Go figure.

 

[Guto]

Rico sells a nice nickel plated 2-screws for metal Links for $18. They don’t fit the larger body Links but on the thinner ones you can’t beat it for the value.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I really like the Rovner with the bars on the reed. Go figure.

Do you mean the the Rovner Star?

This is a great ligature because the design allows it to fit lots of different mouthpiece tapers and form a good pressure evenly on the reed.

That versatility is all I need to make a good ligature.

Actually other Rovners can be made to work better with more mouthpieces by drilling out the screw holes (to about 4mm) so that more tapers can be catered for.

 

[ving]

This particular one I got with a mpc I ordered from Ron Coehlo, I suspect maybe it helps accommodate some irregularities of the facing as it’s a stock link as far as I can tell.

 

[click]

I got a box of assorted antique plain, two screw ligs off ebay a long time ago.

Mostly I use one of those.

But I had a tricky mpc and I got this one to fit it:

https://www.wwbw.com/Rovner-Metal-Platinum-Ligature-J03130.wwbw

Problem solved.

I am very pleased with it.

 

[ving]

I’ve got one of those too! It fits this link, which is a slimmer body but I don’t like it on this mpc. The Wanne enlightened lig works well, as it can accommodate the small shape as well, fir whatever reason the cheap 2 screw nickel one has the best resonance and focus. I find the Wanne to feel too freeblowing or something.

 

[J-Moen]

Rovner lights can be very good.

Yeah, the way the Rovners hold the reed is similar to the oleg, but I was surprised how much it freed things up with the rovner light versus the Oleg. Probably going to have that up for sale soon.

 

[ving]

I like the Rovner lights as well! The thing I noticed was a gradual loosening of those over time while playing, I suppose I could tighten those down more but I seemed to sometimes have issues with the reed dealing with those.

 

[ving]

(I do have a particularity Rovner light I have used with a v16 alto mpc that is symbiotic with that mpc, really plays amazing and the two others I have are not the same as all....just not as resonant)

 

[24251]

I like the Rovner Light a LOT and I've been using them on tenor and alto for many years. The one problem I've had is, with tenor reeds in particular, the Rovner is very sensitive to any warpage along the long axis of the reed. I guess not enough clamping force to counteract the warp... my solution has been the ReedJuvinate which mostly prevents warpage by keeping the reeds in a high humidity enviro.

 

[StefGrani]

I used to think ligatures didn’t make any difference. I just picked one based on convenience of use (mostly Rovners). Then I bought a Francois Louis basic lig for my alto Theo Wanne NY Bros.2 mp. I really felt that something changed and for the good! Encouraged, I bought a Francois Louis pure brass for my bari Otto Link slant sign from the 70’s. Also changed from Rico Royal 3.0 to La Voz M. What a difference! The tip opening is only 5, but the sound is amazing (fat, loud and expressive). Sounds great also with Legere Sig. 2.5. Now I’m waiting for adjustment screws for the Francois Louis ultimate for my Mayer 7M (also from the 70’s). Were they slimmer then?

I didn’t believe ligs made any difference. Not sure anymore, not at all...

 

[Saxaholic]

I've always felt the FL Pure Brass ligs responded the best in the extreme ranges of the horn, on a consistent basis, from mouthpiece to mouthpiece.

However, I recently played an Ishimori ligature that blew me away. Maybe a great match for my mouthpiece. I thought it was silver plated...turns out its solid silver and expensive as hell. Still almost bought it. Might still buy it at some point.

- Saxaholic

 

[beau barry]

I'm using the Rovner Dark with the bars on the reed. Works great.