LEGERE REEDS

Product line:

Clarinet:

Bb Clarinet Böhm System
The original Bb Clarinet reed has had its design fixed for the past four years, and continues to be extremely popular with players at all levels. Légère Bb Clarinet reeds play about 1/4 strength softer than the corresponding Vandoren V12 reed. Légère 3-1/4 = V12 3.

Bb - Clarinet German System
Légère German system Clarinet reeds are roughly equivalent to the standard Vandoren White Master reeds.

Bb - Quebec Cut
Our new Quebec Cut reed produces a darker sound than the original. Distinctly different, but of the same Légère quality. The strength is the same as that of our standard model.
Légère Quebec 3-1/4 = V12 3.

Student Strength Reeds (New!)
Our new student strength reeds for Böhm clarinet are available in two strengths, 2, and 2-1/2. They are similar in response to Rico® (orange box)

Bass Clarinet
Légère Bass Clarinet reeds are roughly equivalent to the standard Vandoren reeds (blue box).

Bb Contrabass Clarinet / Contrabass Saxophone
Légère Contrabass Clarinet reeds are roughly equivalent to the standard Vandoren reeds (blue box).

Eb Clarinet
Légère Eb Clarinet reeds play 1/4 strength harder than the corresponding Vandoren reeds (blue box). Légère 3 = V12 3-1/4.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Saxophone
We have two cuts for our Alto and Tenor Sax reeds. Our original cuts are designed for a darker sound and generally used for a classical set-up. Our new Studio Cut reeds are free blowing, bright and flexible.

Eb Alto Saxophone
Légère Alto Sax reeds play about 1/2 strength harder than the standard Alto Sax reeds (blue box). Légère 3 = Vandoren 3-1/2.

Bb Tenor Saxophone
Légère Tenor Sax reeds are roughly equivalent to the standard Vandoren reeds (blue box).
Légère 3 = Vandoren 3.

Eb Alto Saxophone "Studio Cut"
Our new studio cut reeds are equivalent in strength to the standard Vandoren and Rico reeds.
Légère 2-1/2 = Rico Jazz Select 2-1/2

Bb Tenor Saxophone "Studio Cut"
Our new studio cut reeds are equivalent in strength to the standard Vandoren and Rico reeds.
Légère 2-1/2 = Rico Jazz Select 2-1/2.

Bb Soprano Saxophone
Légère Soprano Sax reeds cover the full dynamic range for this instrument. They are roughly equivalent to the standard Vandoren reeds (blue box).

Eb Baritone Saxophone
Légère Baritone Sax reeds are roughly equivalent to the standard Vandoren reeds (blue box).
Légère 3 = Vandoren 3.

Bb Contrabass Saxophone see Contrabass Clarinet

---------------------------------------------------------------------
History

Dr. Guy Légère and Dr. Mark Kortschot founded Légère Reeds Ltd. in 1998 for the sole purpose of producing state -of -the -art woodwind reeds. Guy was an amateur player and, like most woodwind players, was frustrated by cane reeds. He searched the patent literature and discovered many patents covering various materials, shapes, and sizes of synthetic reeds, but he was not satisfied with any of the existing commercial products.

While searching for an alternative, Guy found a description of new material that seemed to have all the attributes he was looking for. He approached Mark, who was and is still a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto and is a specialist in plastics and composites. Together they investigated the suitability of the new material, and to their shock, they discovered that it matched all the important properties of wet cane. Guy built computer numerical controlled cutting machinery so that they could make high precision reeds and change the profiles easily to test their product.

In the summer of 1998 Guy and Mark took their first batch of 60 Bb clarinet reeds to ClarinetFest ‘98 in Columbus, Ohio. The reeds sold out within hours. Richard Hawkins, mouthpiece maker and Leblanc representative, was one of the first to try the reeds in public. He still uses them exclusively. Since then, sales have expanded dramatically, and the product is sold around the world.