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Ligatures Another DIY Lig for tenor MPcs

Rojaros

Well-Known Member
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183
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Germany
Recently I posted a DIY project of a tenor sax ligature for a hard rubber MPc. It worked very nicely, but the stability was less than optimum. Here is an attempt to change that. I used cable ties instead of a classical G guitar string. It is inherently less prone to wind itself. Due to the angle of the holes One can leave one side basically unknotted (though i secured it by pressing toothpicks into the holes).
The two rubber rings protect the MPc from scratches by the central screw...

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Have to say

It isn't a thing of beauty, but keep up the experimentation
 
And now: I compared it to all ligatures I have at hand, and that is...
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From left to right: my DIY, Vandoren Optimum, Andreas Eastman, Meyer, Rovner copy, Francois Louis Ultimate.
Here's my finding:

Sound and the feeling of free-blowing my DIY best. Handling still not super but better than with the guitar strings. I could turn the cable ties so that the rippled side is inside, it would probably more stability against rotation on the MP but would also possibly leave marks on reeds.
Second best in sound and handling: FL Ultimate, but doesn't fit well other HR MPcs.
Very close contender is Vandoren, but unfortunately a tiny bit too small for the Meyer. The two-screw classics sound a bit more stuffed (Meyer is brighter, Eastman is warmer) and have a very good handling, once on the MPc. The Rovner copy is OK sound-wise, since I moded it with two pieces of guitar string, Handling is good, but it scratches the MPc if not lined with tape.

If you want a really great sounding ligature for work at home where quick handling is not an issue, the DIY project is for you, easy to do and cheap as dirt.
 
Nice job. And creative!

I haven't done much DIY like this, but I could use some for my PPT baritone mouthpiece. I can't find a proper ligature to hold my new Légère. It seems to be a perfect match but I'm struggling with the ligature. I need to make a kind of filler to expand the BG ligature I'm using. It's currently slightly too large to properly hold the red in place and the Légère tend to slip a bit.

I've done a number of other DIY projects like a reedstick to help me work on my reeds, a mouthpiece tree and a mouthpiece organizer. But I guess it's time for me to follow your footsteps and do something in the ligature department. But it won't be as creative as yours. Probably just an easy fix to a rather simple problem.
 
Id like to see a pressure plate on the lig.

I find band ligs often fail to seal.

Since this isnt fabric it may not suffer the same fate. Its just a suggestion.

On the other hand I personally think hundred dollar ligs are simply a way to empty players pockets.
 
@Phil: As far as I can judge it seals perfectly if it's tight enough. When the reed is not warped it passes the suction test fully. The cable ties have very little elasticity, they basically stay put...



@saxyjt: The construction is perfect for adjusting to a given mouthpiece because if you take cable ties long enough, and if the holes in these metal bars are as I did, the loose end is basically self-fixating, so you can adjust the bands for exactly the diameters you need on the given mouthpiece and then, if you want to be sure it's not going to change, put these pointed toothpicks to fixate it. Worth trying for almost no money.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
I'll try that. In the past I tried it often with Rovners and didn't like the result so much...
 
If you cut off the end of two more cable ties, you can use these to lock the end where you are currently using tooth picks, makes it nice and symmetric.
 
Good idea. I thought to leave the lose ends for being able to adjust the lig to other mouthpieces...
 
Very interesting, and I know that "curiosity is the mother of invention" and all that, but, I have to ask - Why? You seem to have a very eclectic mix of ligs, by the way.
 
@Dave Mac: I have to ask, why not? Sheer curiosity after reeding an article describing a similar construction. Made from parts I had lying around, costs almost nothing and proves to be a very good working (at least sound-wise) ligature, though not comfortable to handle, I admit.

As to the word eclectic; it's often used in a slightly pejorative way in Germany, but, yes, I'm a proud eclectic :D... But most two of the ligatures on the pic are just for trial and quite likely will go back (one already did): Vandoren: a bit too small; Francois Louis not very great to handle either, so I can stay with my cheapo ligature that sounds as good as the FL. The two 2-screw classics just belong to mouthpieces I happen to have, and the Rovner steel fake is the result of, again, curiosity, and is greatly improved by the two little G-String pieces that are dangling to the sides ...
So I actually own only these three and the DIY ...
 
Go on then, what does "eclectic" mean in German? It's not in my German dictionary, so I'm guessing it must be slang?
 
No problem really, just joking. It means actually the same as in English, but is used especially by somewhat nosy people to indicate that somebody hasn't studied something very systematically, that he or she just picks what suits them best, without taking all the rest into consideration...
 
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