Do Saxophone Ligatures Make a Difference? Putting 10 to the Test.
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- Опубліковано 16 сер 2022
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I have a dozen ligatures and couldn't resist seeing if I noticed any significant differences when playing them, so I put them all through the same experiment.
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I've always thought that ligatures make more of a difference to the player than the listener. For me, ligatures are about dialing in the feel, resistance, and the way I hear myself rather than actually changing my tone.
totally
Love how you put this video together Bob and hearing your incredibly consistent groove and sound on a loop like that. In my experience ligatures make little to no difference in sound as you said. Sometimes that little bit of difference is worth choosing one over another though. I find it really annoying if a ligature is fiddly though. A good rovner stays put nicely.
I was already using the Versa and your ligature video got me to switch the flaps to under the metal lol. Also mainly a big fan of something that's one screw and "idiot-proof".
i read this using your voice lol
Loving the frequent uploads bob!
thanks!
Hi Bob, love your kids. So I listened 3 times, eyes closed. When I heard a sound I thought was great, I would look and see which one it was. The two I liked were the Rovner dark and the Rovner Versa. Interesting that I liked Rovner, as I played an original Rovner since college. I bought a Versa for my classical playing about 3 years ago and love it. I recently switched to JJ mouthpieces for jazz and the power ring makes a huge difference on the hard rubber mp’s. Anyway, interesting stuff. Oh and bonus, been searching for the right Reed/mp combo, so I ordered a box of Royals. (Another item I used to play back in college.) Thanks. And I don’t know what a play button is, but I hope you get one!
Definitely heard a difference with the Rovner’s, darker and richer tones. As for the other metallic type ligatures they all sounded similar. But you would probably sound great with just a piece of string as a ligature!
Hi Bob, I really like the way you just played different ligatures, no coments, same music, simple but has various tones, highs and lows, very easy to compare how they each sound like. I liked the Rovener Versa, and gues what! I bought myself one! alto, mouthpiece is Jody Jazz DV HR.
Dude, you sound amazing on everything!
As a classical saxophonist we tend to get pretty caught up in gear as well. For me, I've always understood ligatures to be mostly about a difference in personal feel. Articulation, resonance, response, and of course, do you like the way it looks 😉. Projection changes a little in person, probably hard to pick up on a microphone. Great video!
I have a metal Otto link super tone master and I noticed that the plate holding the reed on the stock ligature had trouble squarely keeping the reed in place. Without looking into it deeply I went to the local music store and asked for a tenor sax ligature. Guy handed me a rovner dark and I bought it for 25 bucks without question. The reed was most certainly sealing better than before and I now have a much more punchy sound with a thicker core. Can’t foresee switching in any time in the near future.
You inspired to to worry less about the mouthpiece and more about how I sound on any mouthpiece..thanks for your work
I like this presentation ! Very clear comparaison 👌😎
No differents for me, just some dust.
It's funny, because recently i use the same ligature rovner dark, very practical to use and confortable with my tone edge 7.
Thank you for your video ! 🙏
Because i don't have the possibility to compared so much ligatures in same time 👍😉
Nice video. I feel like the leather/cloth ones dampened some high harmonics slightly while the metal ones had a bit more brilliance, but it's so subtle that I could just be projecting my own experiences as a player onto it. I think ligatures don't make much of a direct difference to the sound but do make a big difference indirectly in terms of how easy it is to make the reed get on straight and stay put, since reed placement/alignment definitely impacts the sound.
I feel a lot of differences depending on the ligature. I love the second. Congrats for the content Bob!
Just as most of your other listeners found, I couldn't hear a lot of difference. However, the Rovner ligs seem to give you the best "Bob Reynolds sound" with the right amount of darkness and brightness. I have used a Vandoren Optimum ligature on my Theo Wanne SlantSig mouthpiece for years, but recently changed the pressure plate to find that I got the sound I wanted. What seemed to make the most difference was the tip from Jay Metcalf - moisten the reed fully to get a good seal on the mouthpiece table. I have been playing for years without knowing that would make a difference. It did for me. Thanks for the video. I hope you enjoyed dinner with your family!
Thanks, Bill. Here’s an old video on reed prep I did for Rico ua-cam.com/video/9Semp3MkLHE/v-deo.html
Hi, Bob. Sounding great as always. I didn't really hear much difference as you played the different ligatures. I don't think ligatures make that much of a difference in tone, but sometimes I notice that they feel a little different. But, any differences are subtle at best. I've also been using the same gear for quite a while. But, I agree that it is fun to try things and experiment.
I heard some higher harmonics from the brilhart banded ligature, the Selmer two screw and the superlative, but very minute differences. One thing to note is the important of the ligature actually gripping the mouthpiece and therefore the reed. I had an issue recently where the ligature was causing my reed to not deal on my tenor Dukoff (it’s body shape is angled). When I put a Selmer 402 ligature on it it completely fixed the leak and actually improved the feeling / stability of the reed on the piece.
I love D´Addario ligature on your setup!!!
They all sounded the same to me except when you played the Francoise Louis which was slghtly brighter but hardly noticeable. I agree with @jtbsax that I think the difference is more noticeable to how it feels for the player. When I moved from my beginner's Selmer C mouthpiece to a Dukoff on my alto many years ago, I soon started using a Rovner and used them on my soprano and tenor too for well over 20 years. One day I saw a Francoise Louis and was intrigued so I did some research and decided to buy one for the alto. Immediately I noticed such a difference to the way I could produce a clearer tone. Maybe because it has minimal surface in contact with the mouthpiece rather than wrapping the mouthpiece in a cloth sleeve like the Rovner. It enabled me to be more diverse with my tone and achieve sounds that I couldn't before. Now I have moved from Dukoffs to Lawtons that have their own integrated clamps which I find just as good as the FLs but I prefer the mouthpieces.
I appreciate your consistent comparison, I noticed very little difference between them. I'm currently looking to replace my 30 year old Rovner and was wondering how much the ligature mattered. After hearing this, I think as long as it fits the mouthpiece well, there's no need to go overboard and just about any ligature will do.
In my experience, ligatures mainly change the feeling of the player (and by that how he sounds), but I guess you could say that about most gear issues… 😉
Still it‘s obvious that you love Rovner so I‘d say “never change a winning setup“! I myself love the Vandoren ligature, but I‘m playing the alto most of the time and that‘s a different story, of course (I also came from Rovner, switched to Francois Louis for a couple of years and ended up at Vandoren Optimum 14 years ago).
Hi Bob, awesome stuff always. For me, ligatures don't matter. Same tone, same bright. Cheers from Brazil.
Hey Bob hope you’re well man. I hear very little difference between the ligatures. That said, killin sound man! I can hear a few more partials here and there on some of the metal ligs, but nothing that different. I think it’s more of a “feel thing” with ligatures, what feels best to you. In my experience I’ve found some ligs feel less resistant than others which made me play a little differently. Thanks for the vidz man, really diggin them.
Thanks Bob you could play on a chair leg and make it sound good - God bless you and your lovely family - Bill - UK
Great idea for a video! Do Ligatures Matter? This is a question that has always bugged me ever since I took up the sax in 90s- always severely frustrated (being completely self-taught). I went through many brands of ligatures, reeds and mouthpieces, always wondering if my frustration was simply lack of experience or just due to the wrong set-up of Ligature/Reed/Mouthpiece. Honestly, with eyes closed could hardly notice any substantial difference in the 11 sound comparisons you just did.
I've found some tiny differences in overall feel and response of my horns, that's only on alto and soprano as I've never tested multiple ligatures on my tenor. For me the biggest reason to get a different ligature is because the one I had was unreliable. I'm playing the François Louis Pure Brass on all three horns on completely different mouthpieces, for me that has been the most reliable and best feeling ligature I've tried. Rovners have felt more resistant on alto and soprano for me than most other ligatures.
Sound great on all! I believe ligatures are more about how they make you feel while playing, articulations, low register, altissimo. I'm curious on which one felt better for you.
Personally I didn't hear too much of a difference between ligatures, some very small differences in the subtone and higher range. I know you don't do gear reviews, but I would be curious to know how they felt when playing. For example, if articulation felt easier, or if certain ones created more back pressure or was more free blowing. In my limited experience testing ligatures, that's usually the difference rather than the sound changing.
noticed minimal to no difference
@@bobreynolds Same. And that minimal difference is probably largely due to a slight change in position and the reed breaking in every slightly more.
I planned writing nearly this exact comment but here it was right at the top. I can’t hear a discernible difference either but after playing similar setups with just ligature changes, I have noticed a slight difference in the way a reed responds with different ligatures and I’ve found each of my mouthpieces plays best with a different ligature. It’s not a night and day difference, but just noticeable enough that I can pick a favorite that just seems to blow more in the manner I prefer it to.
@@bobreynolds Thanks for satisfying my curiosity, very much appreciate the insight
@@bobreynolds I think as long as the ligature is good (or at least not bad), than thats 99% of what it can do.
Agree that ligatures don't make huge tonal differences.
That said, I do like the Francois Louis ligs, and find them a little more responsive than others, and they bring a little brightness without being shrill or losing the roundness of tone.
I also like old Selmer Magnitone ligs, which I use on my bari and alto.
Also like the Oleg gold "chain-mail" ligature, which I use on soprano.
Hi Bob...greetings from Spain... I Just felt a little diference only with the Rovner 24-karat Gold , it was just a little brighter ... but the diference it´s to small ... thanks for your content 👏👏👏👏🤙🎷🔥
The Rovner style ligatures sounded fuller/sweet in the lows and crisper all around. Especially the Rov Dark! Some of the metal Ligs weren’t as sweet/full on the low end. The king Louis seemed to give a upper range boost. But it’s extremely slight differences. Always been skeptical of Rovner, not anymore. great video.
Rovner Dark has been my ligature for 25+ years
funny how I also kind of gravitated toward rovner ligature and rico/daddario royals. When I changed from my old metal ligature that came with my alto sax to the rovner, my mum hear the difference even though I was only a beginner (less likely to squeek, more confident playing). I think you can make a diy string ligature work, what you don't want is a bad ligature (cheaply made, bend out of shape or whatever). The daddario reeds tend to me more consistent than a certain other well known brand. Now i'm just getting into customising reeds, so that no doubt will change things up a bit.
They sound essentially the same to me. daaaaannng good!!!
The differences are very subtle. I have found tiny adjustments to a facing can have monumental effect and would encourage finding someone who knows what they are doing to tune/reface a mouthpiece. Also the competence of horn setup can make great improvement. One of the most important facets of mp/lig setup is the ease of positioning the reed easily and accurately
Great video! You have such a consistent sound it's hard to tell any difference. You could be trolling us with the same track and then we said there was differences with the same track. The difference is so subtle that its hard to say what that difference is. Most issue with Ligature is finding one that fits perfectly. But when you have alot that do fit perfectly, difference are so subtle. My 2 cents
haha. thanks and I swear I'm not trolling! really played each of them.
Man goes to show everyone is different. A 3 1/2 reed on a Link 9. I’d find that hard to play/blow but you make seem like it’s easy Bob. If I wasn’t looking I have no idea you were switching ligatures.
Bob, hey man. Great video. For the most part, I noticed no difference at all, and I kinda knew this before watching the clips of you playing. However, I did notice a bit of a tonal difference with the gold Rovner Platinum lig. It kinda brightened up the tone and gave you more highs to play with. I own a lot of these ligs actually and they make no difference in sound really. I feel like players get ligs for more of the visual aesthetic, and I'm guilty of that.
Great video, thanks! I do like the sound of the Rovner gold plated but overall differences are smaller than I would have expected. I am using a Dark Rovner on Otto Link 7*. Btw, great sound and tone ;)
I think ligatures don’t make much of a difference in the sound, but in the vibrancy of the reed to the player. For me, playing on a rovner, a Silverstein, or an ishimori for instance impacts how certain ranges sound and feel naturally
2,7,8,11 and thnx Bob
I haven't even watched this yet, and I'm laughing at the irony of the timing of the video, Bob. I've been playing on a Slant with a Rovner for the past 10 years or so, but after finding a drawer full of old ligatures a couple of months ago, the gear itch from back in my college days returned and I'm suddenly surrounded by various pieces and ligs. But I still end up going back to the Slant/Rovner since it's the most comfortable. Was your "Best Mouthpiece in the World" video ever on UA-cam? That video had such a profound influence on how I approached gear.
Hi James! That video was one of the first I ever made (that wasn't concert footage). Never was on YT... maybe I should unearth it. Nice to hear from you and hope you're doing well.
Been listening to you for over 15 years (crazy). It's hard to not associate your sound (& image) with your tried and true setup with a Rovner. If it ain't broke...
I always thought and felt as a player myself that ligatures change the back pressure and articulation a little bit. But sound wise they all sound very similar if not the same.
I think some of the ligatures have an easier time playing subtone owns which is what I was hearing.
Ok, I decided to subscribe, but only for your son. He deserves to see his dad get a play button. BTW - as long as the ligature is strong enough to hold the reed flat and stable to the table, the physics remains the same as does the sound.
I noticed very little to no difference in the ligatures with exception of two. With the Selmer H, it was noticeably brighter and the Rovner dark was darker. This was an interesting experiment. Thanks!
JLV sound wins hands down. I’m off to buy one. Thanks for great video.
As you and others have commented, I did not notice a huge difference between them. You can hear a slight difference between metal and the Rovners. I thought the "H" ligature had the most distinct difference from your usual setup. Hard to describe, but maybe a little more pointed. I wonder if metal vibrates with the mouthpiece more? If they all feel good then the next thing to consider is durability and cost. Also having a good fitting cap that seals is key. I find the Rovners are reed friendly and not too costly, but stretch over time. I mostly use traditional old school Selmer Paris 2 screw ligatures on Meyers and Links. The Francois Louis Ultimate works good for me on rubber Bergs.
It's not by much but solid ones sound softer and 'smoky', 'ringed' ones give more tone and crisper attack, especially lower down. Rovner 24 seems to combine the two and sounds best through my laptop speakers.
there are small differences and i like #2 most but #8 + # 9 come close i like #6 too, but you sound great on any of these!
Glad you’re back at it brother. You should have tried rubber bands and a shoe lace too!
Hudson is the coolest.
Haha! You’re right! Major missed opportunity.
The first two kept the Mark VI buzz in the lower range. Subtle but it’s a quality of I like about your sound. Everything after dulled that sparkle. A few towards them back 5-11 had a compression effect audio-wise especially in the upper stack. Almost like your reed was too soft and you were adjusting for intonation. Bottom line, you can play! 11 kept some buzz in the bottom.
It’s interesting that you made this video because I was just thinking about your sound on the latest Snarky Puppy single where you solo. To me it sounded a bit brighter/smoother. I’m assuming it was the ligature (maybe not). Still sounded like you, but I could definitely hear the difference.
Hi Bob, thanks for the video. I saw that you had a Selmer metal cap and a BSS superlative lig, so I just wanted to ask if those fit together? I'm thinking of getting a BSS lig myself.
To me, a good ligature helps locate and center the reed and is easy and reliable to secure. I'm not convinced that the ligature itself impacts the sound in any appreciable way, but if your reed is off center it certainly will.
Bob, you HAVE TO play that brilhart three band. It most definitely is the coolest looking ligature!
Actually, a 1940's King 3 band ligature. Came with the Zephyr Specials'.
That's great Bob! Work harder on your UA-cam subscribers number! So we'll see you more often!
Of course there is audible difference, especially in intonation, tonal bias and resistance. All cloth ligatures have issues in hitting higher notes precisely, and they play with an audible "delay" and with tonal bias (subdued). Whilst metal ligatures hit all high register notes more perfectly. On top of that, Rovner Gold Platinum delivers remarkably even response across all registers, all is balanced out.
The biggest difference I heard was between the Rovner Van Gogh and the King Brilhart triple band. I use a Vandoren Optimum which look a bit similar to the King Brilhart which is the one of yours I like the best. I like the brighter sound with rich overtones over a dark, plain tone.
I occasionally battle test my equipment once I get “comfortable” with a particular setup to prove that I have made the correct decisions in selecting my hardware. The most difficult battle is usually among ligatures. Similar to NFL teams not named Lions or Jets, ligatures are usually quite similar in sound and response. However, recently I have noticed that particular setups do favor one or two ligatures over the throng of others.
I was already subscribed, so I can't help you with that.
I can't say that I heard anything that you couldn't chalk up to variability of playing from one time to the next. The closest I cam was to noticing was on the low note at the end of the first half: there may have been more resonance on some trials. (I'm a bass nut.) But, again, it probably wasn't the ligature. It would be interesting to hear if there's a difference using a shoe lace, or a couple of rubber bands and a pencil.
I noticed no difference whatsoever! You sound great, BTW!
In 30+ years of playing, I notice very little difference among ligatures when you are playing only the sax..add in a band, and you’ll never tell the difference. So, with that, my priorities for ligatures are: 1. does it keep the reed securely on the mouthpiece so when I adjust for tuning it doesn’t move? 2. Is it easy to put on and remove when changing reeds? 3. Is it versatile and able to fit on different sized mouthpieces? 4. Does it look good? 5. Inexpensive….it’s hard to meet all the requirements sometimes…I have some that I love, but aren’t easy to change reeds, or that move when I adjust the mouthpiece (Silverstein!)…and then the Rovners are pretty much good at everything but maybe the looks department…
Selmer 2 screw for the win
To me, you sound exactly the same (awesome) on all of them.
We are taking very small differences from the listener (us being saxophone players specifically) we can hear them. Other people may not even notice even the slightest difference. But the person playing may "feel" a difference behind the horn. "Response, resistance". How that particular reed, liked a particular ligature, that particular day lol etc. I won't say which one I THINK sounded the best... that just contributes to the rabbit hole LOL
totally agree. it's about how it feels/resonates back to you (the player)
@@bobreynolds I have been making my mouthpieces and my ligatures only for my personal use for more than 20 years now and I can say with absolute certainty (sorry for the presumption) that the ligature and the mouthpiece must have certain characteristics in common for the reed to make a "coherent system" with everything the rest (mouthpiece, neck, horn, player). Whoever listens always hears the same sound, whoever plays, on the other hand, finds it more or less difficult to get it out.
This has a huge impact on the "artistic" result based on how free the artist is to express himself. Your Big Fan Bob!!!🙏
Agree! And a lot of what lig feels the best is the one that you get used to as well as fits your mpc the best. For me, has to feel a certain way as well as be functionally solid and easy to use as well as fit the mpc the correct way.
Hi Bob,I"m sorry to hear about your equipment getting stolen, but you had dinner with Candy Dulfer and her husband that was kind of cool,I will be in Amsterdam this summer, do you remember any sax shops you were in? are the horns there cheaper then in the states. I enjoy your posts ,and when you go out with Snarky Puppy and get a chance to solo with them. thanks for what you do. Lou
I was listing with monitor speakers and from what I could hear, there isn't too much of a difference between them, maybe subtle differences in some. The Rovners Van Gough and Dark sounded a bit darker than the others and the the Versa sounded more dense and darker the other two fabric Rovners. I think the JLV sounded a little different, maybe the sound wasn't as big as the others not sure.
I have tried lots of ligatures and with the Rovners I have tried: Dark, Light, Versa X and Platinum, I found the Light had the most resistance, especially when playing low notes. The Versa X I have stopped using as after using it for a number of plays, if I put a plate in it, the plate has a habit of falling out. Platinum felt the most free blowing and brighter due to being metal.
I had a Francois Louis Ultimate ligature and while it gave me the best feel and felt the most free blowing out of any ligatures I have tried so far, the rough edges of it scratched one of my mouthpiece tables and it never really stayed secure when tightened and would move if I needed to adjust the mouthpiece on the neck and scratch the sides of the mouthpiece, so I would never use one again for that reason.
I have tried all BG Duo ligatures and I found that each one has a difference in the sound. The brass being the most mellow, Silver being brightest, gold plated having a big rich sound and the rose gold has a warmer sound with good projection if you need it. I currently use a Rose gold on alto sax and on soprano sax, a gold plated one and a silver plated depending on the type of sound I want. They fit every mouthpiece I have, with even tension being one screw and they don't move when tightened. You just need to be careful not to tighten too much as I broke the screw of the silver plated ligature doing that.
I preffered the buzz that I can hear from the Rovner Verza and Francois ligatures hehe
My wife went to Japan and brought me home an Ishimori Woodstone mouthpiece and ligature. That was about 10 years ago. I liked it right away and now I don’t think about it much. It’s not responsible for any of my numerous deficiencies as a player, I’m pretty sure, so I don’t see the point in changing. I’m wondering though, Bob, if you even bring your mouthpiece in for a tune up? Is that a thing? I just clean mine with baby shampoo and a soft toothbrush. After this long, should it have some other type of maintenance?
I heard essentially no difference. I always liked my Rovner. Definitely no reason to change after your video. Thanks for your comment on the overall experiment.
Literally no audible difference at all. You sound equally fire on all of them 🔥🙌
I think the biggest difference is between metal and non-metal ligatures. I feel like non-metal one’s overly dampen the vibration that I feel, and another thing I’ve heard people say, is that cloth/rubber/leather ligatures flex and stretch, which means if the reed warps on the mouthpiece, the ligature won’t keep the reed sealing. So, a metal one would keep it clamped down and your reed will seal for longer. So for me, if it’s metal, and most importantly, doesn’t move or slip when it’s on the mouthpiece(!), it’s good enough, but Ishimori woodstones are my current favorite
I forgot about the ligatures and listened to the tune, thinking of bass notes and chords, not ligatures, but I guess you need one of them:)
Hi Bob,
What is your preferred ?
I have that 3 band ligature. I absolutely love it. I believe it's from brilhart
Actually, it's a '40's King 3 band ligature. Apparently came with King 'Zephyr Specials' and perhaps other King models of the period. Over the years have picked a couple of these for alto, and 1 for tenor. My personal favorite ligs to use. Have seen a number of old photos with sax greats of that period using these. They look great and work real well holding the reed in place. What else is needed in a lig?
@@Give0me0abreak007 Thanks for the info. I really dig the way these look and perform also. I bought a 26xxx BA years ago that had one in the case. I play metal now, but when I pull out a HR mouthpiece, it's usually the ligature I grab.
When your embochure and air is as well crafted as yours, nobody will hear a difference on any of these ligs... You sound like Bob on all of them. But yeah that King lig has style to it :)
That being said, it's more of a personal feel type thing. Did you notice anything that stood out as great? Or bad? I'm playing an old no-name brass ligature from the 40s on my tenor piece.
Thank you Bob for this and all your other amazing videos. Since returning to my tenor after a 10 year break, the range if ‘gear’ options has become baffling! As for ‘Ligs’ this is something I couldn’t understand how they could make a difference in performance. Thank you for your excellent comparison, for me I couldn’t hear any difference! I guess Lig choice is more about usability and look 😎. Thank you.
Única diferença, uma mais bonita que outras !😁
Maybe some ligatures tend to 'soften' a little the attack (the first Rovner) and others add a consistency to the shape of the sound (especially the vintage triple band and the Rovner Versa). But these are so little details and when you play it longer, even if the feeling is a little different, everything sounds quite the same.
Hey Bob, your mouthpiece is a vintage Otto Link or it is one of this "modern" ones Tone Edge? I have one for alto, but i didn't played it for a while 'cause I switched to tenor (with another brand of mouthpiece)
Just regular tone edge not vintage.
There seems to be a difference between a lig that is solid (like the Rovner) as apposed to one that has less material covering the MPC.
Well that's all I could hear.
The first ligature is a King ligature from the 1920's and 1930's
Versa never disappoints…
I'm still very curious about your mpc! Off the shelf Otto Link and you have one of the best tenor sounds out there AND you use it for everything!
He's probably had it worked on
That said, 99% is still him
The classic hard rubber link Tone Edge has the perfect tenor sound.
Thanks, Bob. I was wondering what had prompted the switch to the BSS Superlative in the video for ‘Bet’. Is that your new go-to now?
nope. was just having a bad reed/equipment day and figured a temporary change up couldn't hurt.
@@bobreynolds sometimes it’s like that I guess. Happens to me every day 😂
I personally think that with a ligature that can fix the reed to the mouthpiece well, with that I am satisfied, and I think it is better to invest in a good mouthpiece and reeds.
not a fan of the ring type ligatures like you get with syos; i like a good screw!
I know I'm late to the party, but do you not have the Rovner Platinum upside down? I think the screw should be at the bottom reed side. As per Rovners' instructions. The Rovner dark sounds best to me. Catching up with your posts - great information 👍
This ligature can be used both ways.
Bob, maybe the Barcelona ligature is by Chono from “Sax-On”
as long as the ligature is holding the reed on to the mouthpiece and allowing to get a good seal there really isn't much difference between them, So which everyone you choose will be best for you. The rovner ones are great for me they are a leather type material not metal so they wont indent my reed if i screw the ligature too tight or won't chip it if i accidentally hit the ligature while putting on the reed, and the rovners have only one screw rather than two so its quicker to get on. But in terms of changing the sound, if there is a difference only the most trained ears would hear it and tbh it does. not really matter. Go with what looks good to you and what fits your needs.
I thought your sound was a bit more clear in the upper range with metal ligatures. Personally, I've only found ligatures affect response only like 5%, but Rovner's always played kind of unresponsive and muffled for me. I played on old metal ligatures that were cheap until they broke. The only kind of ligatures I've noticed a significant difference were gold plated ones like the BG tradition gold plated. but that's a $150 ligature 🙃
The only one that I noticed any difference was the H-lig. It seemed like your subtone was cleaner. Everything else was practically identical on my computer speaker.
I can't guarantee most listeners would note a discernible difference, especially when it's a good player, as that will trump most factors (horn, mouthpiece, reed, lig, etc). However, while I didn't expect to hear any real differences, as you went through them, I certainly could tell some sounded a bit harsh, thin, less full & warm, whereas your old standby, the Rovner Dark, and especially their Versa, did sound quite full & warm, something I always want to hear in my own playing, & probably why, despite those cats who think Rovners are horrible ligs, I've used them for probably 30+ years!
While not being an equipment junkie, nor OCD, I do have at least two different ligs, blade, & trimmer on hand, at all my gigs. As we know how that reed that sounded great that afternoon, or previous night, might be a whole different animal once on the hit! And I do know ligatures do, or can make a difference, not huge, but enough to get closer to how we want to hear our own sound. I once spent an entire day at a Sax Shop in Chicago, trying out all kinds of different mouthpieces, yet at the end of the day, the only thing I had played that really improved my sound, was a ligature! It was when the Winslow ligs first came out, and so I bought them. However, I've ended up mainly using Rovners (with a bag of stripped screws to show for it), but recently bought some Winslow copies, and find I'll use them once in a while, especially when I need a little more resonance, which can help on a low-volume gig, with a reed a bit stiff or flaccidly dulling...
befor making any comments everyone should listen to the whole thing without looking at the video. You hear what you think you should hear. The “big difference” between the rovners and the metal ligatures are something we think we ought to hear, even if there’s no differences. The fact is that it’s opposite: when Bob plays a rovner he feels that his sound is less bright- and compensate by making the sound a little brighter. And the opposite (making the sound darker) when he plays a heavier metal ligature.
have you ever played with a Vandoren Optimum Saxophone ligatures?
I think the Francois Louis was more resonant. The King 3-band sounded good too. But reeds make the most difference to me. As far as ligs go- I want one that holds the reed securely, is really easy to get on and off, looks cool 😎, and doesn't cost a lot...... I haven't found one yet! 🤷
rovner ligatures are good and not too expensive
Did not hear much if any difference, but to be honest, I was not really scrutinizing that hard. I was digging the consistency of your playing. I think the player would realize more of a difference than the listener as far as a difference in resistance and response. I like a ligature that holds the reed well without being over tight but allows the reed to seal well. Prefer a metal H or Vandoren Optimum depending on the piece. Both are quick, that's good too. Play on🎷
Ligatures don't really change the way the horn sounds, if anything they offer small changes in the feeling or response of the mouthpiece. Its subtle and subjective anyway.
I heard differences but they would be hard to quantify and/or rate. I liked the 'plumminess' of #2 after #1 but before long I couldn't tell where I was and was reduced to thinking "that sounds fruity" or not, and "those high notes remind me of the Moondog record" or not.
Honestly, how much help did you expect a guitarist with a near dead laptop to be ? 😊
😂
Should I play long tones and overtones or just buy a new ligature and a Mark VI?