Reeds Sensitivity to Reed/top rail overlap?

mizmar

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Trondheim, Norway
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I have a Legere Signature 2.25 and French cut 2.5.
The Signature feels, to me, insensitive as to how much it overlaps the MP tip rail, while the French cut has a very specific sweet spot.
Despite the very small difference in strength number, the FC feels significantly (a bigger difference than I'd expect to find between reeds in a box of 10, say) stuffer than the Signature.

Seems reasonable, to me; is that a common experience? Or do folk always place the reed with a fixed overlapp and adjust the Reed to suite?
 
I have a Legere Signature 2.25 and French cut 2.5.
The Signature feels, to me, insensitive as to how much it overlaps the MP tip rail, while the French cut has a very specific sweet spot.
Despite the very small difference in strength number, the FC feels significantly (a bigger difference than I'd expect to find between reeds in a box of 10, say) stuffer than the Signature.

Seems reasonable, to me; is that a common experience? Or do folk always place the reed with a fixed overlapp and adjust the Reed to suite?
I don't have them overlapping the tip rail. For me they need to be level with the tip rail.
 
I don't have them overlapping the tip rail. For me they need to be level with the tip rail.
I guess that's the difference between normal language and specialised, technical terms.
To me, the reed tip exactly matches the MP tip rail, that'd be perfect overlap. Not partial overlap (reed doesn't reach all the way) or protruding (reed overshoots).
 
I also use a Legere Sig 2.25. It has to be exactly level with the tip rail, but that's how I've positioned my reeds on mouthpieces since first taking up playing reed instruments 50 years ago.
 
When checking the overlap I press the reed to the tip. Without pressing, the parallax makes it difficult to see the amount of overlap. I play with the least possible amount of underlap to the end of the top rail.
 
I use Signature Legere, American and French interchangeably, and both need accurate positioning, for me at least

Any malposition, end to end or side to side, will cause stuffiness

I check that the reed tip matches the tip of the mouthpiece, then that the body of the reed is centred on the mouthpiece table, lastly I feel for, and correct, the side to side position of the reed tip between finger and thumb
 
If a reed is too soft, I temporarily extend it past the mouthpiece tip so it will play, but after remove that excess with a reed clipper.

If a box is on sale (especially in quantity of 25) with good savings, they become clippers. Since most of my mouthpieces have a jazz wide tip, this methodology works out fine as there is less to clip.
 

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