The new AK Clarinet Gen II ligatures have been engineered by a Mechanical Engineer & Woodwind Player to meet the demanding needs of musicians. With well over 2 years of R&D and a solid year of testing with some of the world’s most renowned professional musicians, the AK Ligature offers performance characteristics and user functionality that players might not have even realised they were missing!
Made in Las Vegas, Nevada with precision CNC machined parts (on a CNC that is owned by AK Ligatures to guarantee quality control). Completely hand assembled using a “Stress-Free” assembly method to maximise performance.
Why Does It Work?
"The problem is that when you look at all of the higher end performance ligatures currently on the market, they all have a shared similar design concept: Minimise the physical impact of the ligature on the mouthpiece in hopes that it will minimise the ligature’s impact on the reed’s vibration.
While most of these ligatures are truly solid performers with excellent execution and performance, they still are based around a similar flaw in design: All other ligatures clamp the reed to the mouthpiece. This “reed clamp”, no matter how elegantly the ligature is designed, naturally detracts from vibration of the reed and thus takes away from your performance."
This AK ligature is designed so that the ligature sets itself in place on your mouthpiece without the need for a reed. The ligature, in essence, becomes part of your mouthpiece rather than a separate piece. The function behind this is to suspend the reed cage in a set position below the mouthpiece table. This is where the performance happens: our magnetic reed plate. We use the magnet for several reasons, but the primary is so that the reed plate is truly independent of the ligature instead of bound to the rigidity of the ligature via a traditional mounting screw or rivet.
With the magnet, the plate is not physically clamped on to the ligature and instead is a separate piece, free to self-level and vibrate along with your reed. Operated by a simple lever, once engaged, the magnetic reed plate helps to lightly hold your reed in place, completely independent of the rest of the ligature. There is no clamping effect. Instead, the reed is allowed to fully vibrate, free of response deadening restriction from a ligature forcing itself onto the reed.
Furthermore, the free-floating reed plate is able to self level to the reed in all directions which greatly increases the number of “good reeds” in a box as it compensates for a reed with an uneven spine that other ligatures might struggle to seal. This concept truly makes your reed independent of any external force and allows for the most vibration, the most dynamic control and the most response that you will ever achieve from your reed/ligature setup.
Everyone who tries the AK Ligature is completely blown away by the improvement to all facets of their performance. When you get to try one for yourself, you will be too!
Instructions and guidance for fitting the ligature can be found here: https://www.akligature.com/instructions/
Our specialist trained staff are able to help you. Please contact us or call us on 01628 630800
I have bought several ligatures - they all were a slight improvement on the basic design. However, this one is quite a leap in improvement of ease of blow, creation of note, and mellowness of tone. The ligature can remain attached to my mouthpiece. The reed is then slipped in, and an over-centre lever lowers a pad to press it to the mouthpiece. But the reed does not have to share and endure the tightness needed to clamp the ligature. Also, one gets 14 days to return items if not suitable.
£200 is a lot to pay for a ligature and it took me a while to decided to try this new design. I was attracted to this model by the logical design which locks the ligature to the mouthpiece allowing just the reed to be removed and refitted. This design allows the reed to be held securely with the minimum of vertical pressure, rather than the squeezing method of most other ligatures, which allows it to vibrate freely and produce a lovely tone with an excellent response.
The ligature is beautifully made and although very strong looks like a delicate piece of jewellery.
I love it!
After some perseverance l got used to this new concept of a ligature and would recommend it.
Great product! I can really hear a difference in tone using the same reed!
An excellent ligature that helps the production of a rich sound. The improvement in dynamic range is very clear. It is a clear improvement on the other ligatures I have tried. It may seem complex, but is very easy to use. A new version is pending that has a shallower profile, but this gold-plated ligature is highly recommended.
Dawkes Music & Windcraft Ltd are a globally recognised UK based Music Industry company that have expert staff who specialise in products, performance, teaching and repairing in the brass and woodwind sector.