Ligatures Ligature Fitting - Up Or Down?

What's the correct, or better, way to fit one of those standard style metal ligatures with the two screws?

I've been fitting mine with the screws downwards, but it has occurred to me that this is likely to apply a force that pulls inwards against the sides of the reed as well as clamping it to the table. If it was fitted with the screws upwards, it would seem to be more a straightforward clamping action.

Should I be fitting it with the screws on the opposite side to the table?
 
Some metal ligs are shaped so the join goes over the reed. Others not. My tenor lig has the join away from the reed. In general I prefer the join over the reed as it gets the lig out of your vision. But it doesn't seem to make much difference to playing. If you're left handed, screws on the right are awkward.
 
A new metal ligature will adapt itself to the way you use it. One that has already adapted and formed itself to mouthpiece and reed will adapt less well to being rotated to fit another way. With a metal lig I like the screws over the reed.
 
I did a bit of experimenting yesterday, trying a metal ligature firstly in the conventional position (screws at bottom pointing to the right) and then rotating 90 degrees round. I could detect no differences in playability nor tone.
 
I did a bit of experimenting yesterday, trying a metal ligature firstly in the conventional position (screws at bottom pointing to the right) and then rotating 90 degrees round. I could detect no differences in playability nor tone.
Damn
Damnation

At the start of this thread it occurred to me that I could invent the Side-a-ways Tension System™ which can clearly overcome the deficiencies of both the screw down and screw up positions

Looks like you got there first Jonesy
 
A new metal ligature will adapt itself to the way you use it. One that has already adapted and formed itself to mouthpiece and reed will adapt less well to being rotated to fit another way. With a metal lig I like the screws over the reed.
This is true for many ligatures, sometimes they may need a little help to form to the reed.

But I think two screws were originally meant to have the screws at the bottom, the first two screw I came across that was designed specifically for the screws at the top was the Vandoren which had a definite shaped bit for the reed opposite the screws.

The general rule that you can tell how a mouthpiece is designed because the screws adjust naturally with the right hand is correct, IMO.
 

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