Vandoren M|O Ligature Alto Sax G

As my headline hopefully explains, I really think this is the perfect ligature for a Vandoren V16 mouthpiece and possibly for many other Meyer-type mouthpieces. Having tried other ligatures and having had persistent reed sealing problems I really wasn’t sure if this would make any difference, but it really has! The success of this ligature is due to a couple of details. Firstly the fit is very precise, holding the reed very securely. Once tightened it really doesn’t move! The other detail that makes all the difference are the little raised clamping bars that run across the back of the reed . These are shaped to the exact shape of the curved back of a reed meaning that the reed can’t move away from the mouthpiece table if it swells. A V16 mouthpiece table isn’t flat, it is designed with a slight concavity to it along its length and I think this is why some ligatures fail to work properly with them. The design of the MO ligature though works perfectly to pull a reed into this concave shape and create a perfect seal…it really works extremely well!, I wish I’d bought one earlier!

This is really a nice ligature, much better than I was expecting.

I recently bought a Jody Jazz HR* Custom Dark, which has quite a small body, and was finding it hard to align the reed using a standard two screw ligature, which obscures the view. I do have a Selmer single screw ligature and that is very easy to fit but it's a bit lightweight in sound. The Vandoren is just as easy to fit and sounds great. It has a very clear and open sound with plenty of body. It's not as dark as a Rovner Dark, but it allows the mouthpiece /horn to sign without the dampening you get from a Rovner.

Very good value, especially at Thomann's price.