MARCA REEDS Please note we no longer sell reeds on this site

I am pleased to announce I am now an agent for

the finest reeds for the finest players – Currently stocks are low so please ask Les if your strength of reed is available – go to Contact or email lesclarinet1@gmail.com

I have used them for over thirty years during my career in London with the RPO, LSO, Philharmonia and for many TV and film sessions and for my work in Welsh National Opera and on all my solo recordings

I value excellence in sound and MARCA reeds deliver that excellence and a unique, wonderfully rich, vibrant tone, full of interest and harmonics – more than any other reed I have tried. Furthermore their price point is very affordable enabling professionals, students and even beginners to have the best reeds available.

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL UK ORDERS

Please note Saxophone reeds, for all saxes, Contra Bass clarinet reeds are available but not advertised here – if you wish to buy Sax or any other single reed other than those listed please contact me – I can offer very competitive discounted prices.

below is a short montage of the products available here – please click on the start button to view it

I believe in good value for my customers and I applaud MARCA for delivering such high quality cane for a fair price.

Their cane is some of the highest quality I have ever seen and it is totally organic. MARCA are a family company owned by the Guccini family in Var Provence the area where the best cane in the world is grown as it has the perfect climate for reed cane. They have produced organic sustainable cane for clarinet reeds since 1957

Sometimes a reed is cut in a way that makes it slightly imbalanced and MARCA along with every other reed manufacturer in the world are not immune to that phenomenon.

It would be dishonest to claim every reed in the box is perfect – there is no such reed!

For those reeds needing adjustment I use the Ridenour ATG system a great simple device for fixing reeds to perfection sold on this site.

Companies advertising computer cut “reeds of perfect dimensions” are trying to convince people they have a superior product because it is cut by computer and measures very precisely. This is irrelevant as a reed can be measured and cut perfectly but still not play well.

The reason is: the millions of pores – the cane fibres, are hollow and microscopically small and are sometimes distributed throughout the cane unevenly, causing irregular cane density. The result of this phenomenon is a stuffy unresponsive reed.

Clarinettists tend to discard those reeds, but if the cane is good it is often a mistake to discard such a reed when a few simple adjustments can turn the unresponsive reed into a wonderful reed. This is where the knowledge of how to balance reeds is crucial. For the best easiest and most efficient way to fix reeds see the new simple foolproof EEZEE REED system AKA SMERf.

The secret of acquiring great reeds is to start with good cane – and MARCA produce excellent cane.

Few reeds are “perfect” straight from the box as cane is a living breathing substance which changes with climate and some sort of adjustment even to seemingly perfect reeds can enhance them and make them play in a more focussed way.

I urge you to try MARCA as they have a wide range of products from the Primo developed as a beginner reed with a very modest price tag that delivers and delivers a clear and warm sound and is incredibly good value for money. They along with the other products in the range happen to be a perfect match for the Ridenour Pro mouthpiece and they sound great in combination.

I supply a selection MARCA reeds free of charge when I sell a clarinet – I have confidence that they will deliver a great result for my customers who buy Ridenour clarinets and am honoured that MARCA FRANCE have agreed to allow me to sell their product here.

The flagship of the brand is the Superieure, a long blade-length thick heeled reed with a considerable harmonic content (more than any reed I have tried) to carry the sound into the hall. I have used these for most of my career in conjunction with Premium – another reed made by MARCA. The Premium is shorter in the blade with a thick heel and produces a satisfyingly full bodied, round sound.

Please note: free shipping is for UK customers only – customers from other countries should contact Leslie direct via the contact page and place their order via email.

Left: Supérieure – available in 3 , 3.5 Clarinet reeds – long blade, thick heel lots of harmonics and interest in the sound. A big concert hall reed that can carry beautifully to the back of the hall even in Pianissimo. (My reed of choice along with the Premium for many great concerts on TV and Operas)

Purchase (price includes shipping to UK, discount for multiple purchases) please state reed strength:

£16 25 per box of 10

Right – Primo – available in 2, 2.5 designed for less experienced players, shorter blade thinner, vibrant reed, works well even in professional concerts well matched to the Ridenour pro mouthpiece.

(price includes shipping to UK for UK residents)

Left – Premium – available in 3.5 only – shorter blade thick heel – a compact full bodied sound ideal for less resonant acoustics but equally good in the big hall.