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View Full Version : Extent Of Effect


jaankaden
07-14-2004, 08:08 PM
i have heard a lot of good things about fibracells and have been recommended on quite a few occasions to give them a try. i eventually did, and was definitely impressed by the quality of the entire product, even the case (or you could say especially the case! haha). they sounded great and i was sold on the consistency it promised and more than delivered. a couple of them have now found their way into every case of mine, though only as a backup during gigs since i haven't been fully weaned off canes yet.

that said, i am very interested in investing in using fibracells exclusively for all my performances and setups, but am faced with a particular question which i hope the more experienced people (billmecca especially, since he appears to be one of the most hardcore of fibracell fans!) here would be able to help answer.

most of the more popular brands out there carry a whole assortment of reeds claiming to facilitate the production of every possible sound one may try to achieve (alright, maybe it's just one brand, and we all know which one). to be honest, i haven't exactly entirely bought into that theory just yet, despite the fact that i currently use quite a few different models depending on the sound i'm looking. i do, however, believe in the mouthpiece shaping the sound, which explains why i have a different mouthpiece catering to most of the different sound needs i may have.

this brings us to the fact that fibracell, as at this point in time, carries only one model of reed. i would like to find out if it is entirely possible to produce any type of sound one may desire using only one model of reed. saying that one would have the option of switching mouthpieces and ligatures to suit the sound needed, would he still be able to achieve the various sounds (rock, jazz, classical, etc) if he was able to use only one model of reed?

my reason for asking is because i now depend on quite a few models for my individual sound needs and i would love nothing more than to entirely switch to fibracell, or any one particular reed model, for all my setups (rock, classical, traditional jazz, modern, etc). any advice would be more than appreciated.

CodyW
07-14-2004, 09:44 PM
I know that alot of saxophone professors at various colleges stick with the same reeds for classical and jazz. They get their sound change from the mouthpieces.

Steve J.
07-14-2004, 11:49 PM
A different mouthpiece is going to have a much more dramatic effect on your sound than different reeds.

I find different brands of reeds are definitely different soundwise but in a more subtle way than a mouthpiece change.

I think you have to journey into trial of many different mouthpiece & reed combinations to see what floats your boat and tweaks sonic interest. Settling or being entirely happy with a sound rarely lasts for me. I consider this a good thing..... constantly exploring something more "me".

Personally, I love the reliability and longevity of a fibracell but can't stand the sound on any of my set ups. Too harsh too buzzy. I truly wish I could like the sound. I try new ones every year or so just to be sure. I too

"would love nothing more than to entirely switch to fibracell, or any one particular reed model, for all my setups (rock, classical, traditional jazz, modern, etc). "

For me, I'm on a constant search and remembered characteristics of different brands dictate what reed I play based on what musically I have to play.