Opinions on Maccaferri reeds ??

[Lovayne]

Who has tried Maccaferri reeds (for tenor sax mainly) and what are your opinions on how they play, strength comparison, consistency and how long they last compared to other brands?

[JMac]

I picked up a package of the 'My Masterpiece' line not too long ago (alto, though) and have been pleasantly surprised by them.
To me, they play somewhat like the rico (orange box) for strength and lavoz lines for mouth 'feel', but seem to last longer before I notice a decline in tone quality (ymmv). I have played 3 reeds from the box of 5, and all were playable, despite the fact that one looked like it shouldn't have played well. It had one very thick fiber about 1/16th of an inch from the edge gave the reed a 'bent' look, but it played just fine. The cut was very even and only one reed needed an adjustment with a reed knife one time to flatten, which is less than most other brands I've tried.

IMHO they offer a good value for the money, and would recommend trying them to see if they have the sound (and feel) you're looking for, particularly if you're on a budget.

Hope this helps and best of luck in your quest!