[JoeyG]

I currently use a Guardala King tenor MPC with a Legere Studio Cut reed.

After the stock ligature snapped I did some research on here it, and looks as though the Vandoren Masters lig is the one to go for (even though its quite pricey)... can anyone tell me if this will fit the mouthpiece OK? and where I could get one for a good price? I'm in the UK, but I dont mind buying from the US if the price is right.

Any other thoughts on suitable ligs would be welcome

 

[dirty]

The Master Lig isn't too expensive ($27 w/out the cap), but I'm not sure that there's one that will fit a Guardala mouthpiece, since Vandoren only makes them in sizes designed for hard rubber mouthpieces. I would make sure of that, first.

The lig that I always see people recommend for Guardalas is the Selmer two screw for metal alto sax mouthpieces (fits the tenor Guardalas). I use a Selmer lig on my Otto Link and it works great. Might be worth a shot, since it costs about the same as the Vandoren lig.

 

[Roger Aldridge]

Joey,

It's not just a matter of finding a good ligature for your particular mouthpiece it's also important to know that some ligatures work better with Legere reeds than others. For example, when I started used Legere reeds I had Francois Louis ligatures and sadly discovered that my Legere reeds were not sealing correctly with the FL lig. After trying a number of ligs I found the Masters lig to work very well with Legere. So, I second Dirty's suggestion. However, I've never used a Guardala mouthpiece so I don't know what size Masters would fit.

Roger

 

[Martinman]

A hard rubber soprano masters might fit it. You would have to try and see though.

 

[dirty]

When I used a Master lig on clarinet, I seem to recall that the part of the lig that touched the reed was designed to be the width of a clarinet reed. Even if the soprano master lig does have the right diameter to fit the Guardala, I'm not sure how well it would fit a tenor reed. I'm not completely sure I'm remembering correctly, though.

 

[J.Max]

When I used a Master lig on clarinet, I seem to recall that the part of the lig that touched the reed was designed to be the width of a clarinet reed. Even if the soprano master lig does have the right diameter to fit the Guardala, I'm not sure how well it would fit a tenor reed. I'm not completely sure I'm remembering correctly, though.

This is correct, but it's soft enough that you might be able to make it conform, and less contact with the reed is better anyway, as long as the reed seals.

 

[JoeyG]

Thanks for the advice guys

After trying a number of ligs I found the Masters lig to work very well with Legere.

Roger, I have followed your posts on ligatures and Legere reeds with great interest... unfortunately I only have 1 music store in my local town and it is unlikely they will stock a great number of ligatures, i will call them up all the same.

I think the best solution for now is for me to order the Selmer alto lig, and look at trying out the Masters lig when I get a chance (maybe when I am next in London)... at least then I will still have the Selmer as a backup

 

[Roger Aldridge]

Joey,

A Selmer ligature may be perfectly fine for you. The biggest problem I had with ligatures such as FL, Spriggs, Bay, etc is Legere reeds were not sealing correctly. FL and Spriggs were the worst. Bay was better but still a problem with leaks along the side rails. These ligature are great with cane reeds. But, at least for ME, they didn't have the kind of sealing pressure needed for Legere. I have a gut feeling that a Selmer ligature will be okay with Legere reeds.

Good luck!

Roger

 

[JoeyG]

Thanks Roger, I appreciate your help on this.

Surprisingly I cannot find anyone else on here who uses the Guardala/Legere combination... but having done some more research it appears the Vandoren Masters is a popular choice on Guardalas (as is the Selmer 402) so maybe I will just get both.

I am having a lot of trouble finding anywhere in the UK that stock these ligatures, nevermind actually trying them out beforehand!... so if you could point me in the direction of some good US stockists that deliver to the UK (or UK stockists if you know of any) then that would be a huge help.

 

[JimD]

Howarth http://www.howarth.uk.com/products.aspx?id=113&url=saxacc.html

 

[JoeyG]

Thanks Jim!

 

[JoeyG]

OK just received my Vandoren Masters lig and it is wayyy too big

Not sure if theres anything I can do about it, may try putting some padding on to get a better fit... can anyone confirm that a Selmer 404 will fit a Guardala King?

 

[gearaholic]

In Brecker's last album "Pilgrimage" there are pictures with him using a Selmer metal mouthpiece ligature. So, one has to fit, I would think the Metal Alto version. But, I don't know for sure. Brecker also used a Harrison in the past. I found when I was trying a Guardala King from WWBW that LaVoz reeds with a Rico H Series ligature felt like they were made for each other on that mouthpiece. I don't know about the thickness of the Legere heel, but the H Series for Metal Tenor Sax should fit quite well.

--JT

P.S.: I forgot to point out that the H Series is a copy of the Harrison, in case you didn't know.

 

[Simon Weiner]

What about the Vandoren V-16 optimum lig?

 

[Dr_sax]

What about the Vandoren V-16 optimum lig?

The V-16 optimum is way too big to fit a guardala. I´ve got one for my V16 T95 and tried it on my guardala mb. I´ve heard some use lots of mouthpiecepatches on top of the mpc to make it fit, but I don´t like this solution. I have a Selmer 402 lig that fits just perfect.

 

[JoeyG]

OK i am almost ready to give up

I bought a Selmer 402 yesterday... it seemed to fit OK in the shop (without a reed), then when I went to put my Legere on at a gig last night, the lig wouldnt loosen up enough to fit around the reed

I guess the heel of a Legere must be thicker than other reeds, but I cant say I had noticed before... I should have a Selmer 404 arriving in a few days, but I will put money on that one being too loose!

I guess its back to the drawing board... it would really help if I could talk to someone who had some experience with the Guardala/Legere combination.

I noticed a Guardala Saxxas on ebay... it looks promising but there is no way I can part with that sort of money without some confidence it will fit

 

[JoeyG]

Just a quick update for anyone whos interested.

Received my Selmer 404 today... its loose enough to slide off the mouthpiece when fully tightened, but with the Legere reed in it provides a good fit.

So I am happy for now