Change in Fibracells?

[Stencilman]

Anyone notice a drastic difference between the old Fibracells and the new half-strength ones? Does anybody have success sanding the tops of Fibracells to make them softer?

Those are my questions, here's my story:

About a year ago, I bought a bundle of alto Fibracell reeds from a music store that was going out of business. These had the old-style strength rating: most were Med and the rest were Med Hard which I thought were a good match for me since I normally played the same strengths in LaVoz. Most of these Fibracells play stuffy/resistant and seem much harder than they are rated. Only 2 out of 12 play freely (they are truly awesome and have lasted for about 6 months of regular playing). I've bought a couple more Med strength Fibracells recently from WWBW, and they're stuffy but playable.

Then I bought a some of the new Fibracells from Charlie A for tenor and soprano. All of these reeds play extremely well, as close to perfection as I can imagine. The funny thing is that the #3.0 Fibracells for tenor play easier on my alto than any of the old Med's for alto.

I've been sanding the tops of Fibracells to soften them up, but this old batch doesn't liven up after sanding. They play a bit softer but still pretty dead and unresponsive. When I got really agressive with the sanding, the reed chokes off too easily.

I was order some stuff from WWBW so I threwsome "Premium Fibracells" into my order. I sure hope that these are as good as the ones I got from Charlie.

Comments?

[Frank D]

Try the Bootman reed drilling technique described elswhere on the board. I do this to many of my Fibracells, and it helps the stuffy ones become more responsive and playable. Smells awful when you drill the reed, though because of the carbon fiber.

[Stencilman]

Thanks, Frank for that reminder. I tried drilling a couple of the least resistant reeds and now they play great. One MedHard was impossible to play so I drilled it and sanded the top as well and now it plays perfectly.

That gives me 10 more Fibracells to play with assuming the rest can be rescued. I've been able to rotate a couple Fibracells for about 4 months so that gives me a potential two year supply!

[Helen]

Anyone notice a drastic difference between the old Fibracells and the new half-strength ones? Does anybody have success sanding the tops of Fibracells to make them softer?

I noticed exactly the same thing. The 1/2 strength different reeds are more consistant and free-blowing. I have never tried filing or sand them, nor have I tried drilling them. Although I should probably try Bootman's technique on the older Fibracells that I've got kicking around that I wasn't too happy with.

[Frank D]

The drilling thing works pretty well. My lousiest reed on alto became my #1 after drilling it out. Be careful, though, I drilled all the way through one and ruined an $8 reed :oops:

[sax rookie]

Is there a posting anywhere that equates the old rating vs. the new?
I use a fibracell medium-soft tenor reed, what 'number' reed would that be now?

[Bill Mecca]

http://www.fibracell.com go to the strength comparision page....

MS is 2 or 2.5

[Stencilman]

Ok, now that I'm convinced I can rescue my batch of old Fibracells by drilling them, I received 6 of the new Fibracells. These are labelled "Premium" and came in 2.5 and 3 strength. All six played as they are rated and were almost exactly the same: very free blowing with good tone that I've come to expect from good Fibracells.

That is a load off my mind since I've had nothing but success with tenor and soprano Fibracells.

[Goose]

Can anyone post the website of Charlie A?

[Stencilman]

www.gigdust.com

[Doctormyeyes]

I'm a 54 year old alto beginner (well, not quite, I've played other instruments most of my life). I tried some of the medium soft fibracells just before the transition to the Premiers. The one 2 1/2 Premier I've tried seems identical to the old medium soft in hardness, but, if anything, even more consistent from low to high notes on my horn. I've found all the fibracells vastly easier for me to get a good tone with than any of the assorted Vandorens and Ricos that I've tried.

What I love about these reeds is that from a novice's perspective, they remove bad reeds from the learning equation. Before, when I was having trouble maintaining a good sound I was never sure if it was me or the reed. Now I can't blame the reed!