Reeds

[CSK]

I am a beginning alto saxophone player and I use number 2 reeds. Are there certain brands of reeds that are better than others? Any recommendations on a good brand reed? I am currently using mostly Vandoren reeds and I also have some Rico reeds. I will appreciate any advice or opinions.

Carol K

[tenor562]

Sorta. Heres the brands I've tried.

A Vandoren Classical Reed usually works, but be wary on hardness, I found mine slightly harder than other brands.

An Alexander Superial works well too, but they sometimes have a tendency to squeak for beginners, you have to learn to control the reed.

A Vandoren V16 is what I'm on now, and it seems to be working. It has more projection, a nice tone feel, and a fuller sound. I think I'd rather have a more legit reed, but since I'm not performing at the time, it doesn't really matter.

Rico's are ok reeds for beginners. One came with my new sax, and I found it to make the sax a little bit more stuffy, but it worked. Because of the price, they may be a choice.

When you can find a nice Rico Royal, they really sing. After my switching from Rico Royal to Alexander, I found a Rico Royal sitting in my room. I decided to play it, and was amazed, it was one of the best reeds I've ever played. Maybe it's something to do with age, that reed was around 10 months old.

Rico Grand Concerts stink. I will never buy them again. They had low response, and they really just didn't have the tone I was looking for. Never buy them, buy Rico Royal instead.

Well, that's all I've tried, I tend to like Vandoren and Alexander the best now

[kcp]

As a general rule, Vandoren reeds are a little stiffer than Rico reeds. E.g.: Vandoren #2 = Rico #2½ - But I wouldn't worry about it since either of these reed strenghts are ok for someone beginning on saxophone - If you find a reed too hard (too stiff) to play, then start with the softer one.

As of wich brand is best, both Vandoren and Rico make quality reeds and each of these reed manufacturers make several "models" (sorry for lack of a better word) wich produce different subtilities in sound and texture - Just start-off with the reeds you got and compare. In the long run you will try new brands of reeds like Alexanders or wichever, and eventualy you'll developp preference for sound, texture and feel. At that point you may end-up prefering onne brand wich match your preferences.

[Gandalfe]

I prefer La Voz on alto and alto is my primary instrument. Rico Royals work for everything else. I've tried Vandoran Java and ZZs but for the money they just weren't better than La Voz. I've tried other various expensive reeds and they just weren't better. I even tried the synthetic and synthetic covered reeds but for my taste they didn't vibrate as much as a pure cane reed. If you can get used to and like the synthetic, you'll probably appreciate not having to switch the reeds out so much.

[Michael Ward]

Hi Carol
Choice of reed brand and strength is personal and usually arrived at by much experimentation It's also dictated somewhat by the style of music played. To go between two extremes many classical saxophonists use traditional Vandoren and Hemke whilst a rock saxophonist may play on Rico Plasticover or Jazz select but these are just generalisations.
I use a mixture of reeds including Alexander Superial , Vandoren Traditional and Rico Royal. Alexander Reeds come in three cuts and did very well in the recent reed pole on this forum. They're a bit more expensive than some but the only way to know if you like them is to try them.

[CSK]

I would like to thank each person who replied to my question about which brand reeds might be best. I bought some Rico reeds earlier today. The ones I got cost $2.50 per reed. I got 4 of them. I don't know if they are Rico Royal or what. On the back of the reeds, it just says RICO. The other reeds I have are Vandoren. I probably need to do a little experimenting with different brands of reeds.

Carol K

[socrates]

How does reed hardness affect the sound? Is it true to say that the more hard the reed thus its sound become more harsh and growl-some?

I want my sound to have more "guts" in it. The lower register plays just fine but as I switch to higher register the sound becomes mellower, almost clarinet-like..
I use No. 2 Vandoren Java on *6 steel otto link with BG Jazz revelation.

[saxchado]

Socrates,

I would use at least a 2 1/2, if not a 3 for your set-up. Your problem is much like one I had some years ago....really sweet low end, but really not guts, especially up high. By switching to a 3 (from a 2 1/2) I was able to get more volume, but not lose the body. Don't jump to a 3 all at once, play 2 1/2 for a while, and then if that works for you, try a 3, to see if you like it even better. I personally, play on a slightly wider opening on a mouthpiece, and play the Vandoren ZZ size 3. Soft enough to be full, but enough strength to projectl.

Hope this helps you! Good luck!

[JfW]

Personally, I'm starting to use Alexander DC and Classique right now for concert work on Tenor (actually, the group has been on a 6-week hiatus). I've found the Vandoren Bluebox are stuffy and unresponsive, as well as less consistant than any other reed I've used. I much prefer their V16 line for overall performance and sound.

Hemke are also a favorite, but after using them extensively for a year, I can say without reservation that they die far too quickly. Otherwise, their response and tone is excellent, I've found

[saxchado]

Amen to the Hemke!

It was great while it lasted! :lol:

[HC]

Since your a beginner, it may be something to think about to stay away from Vandorens.

They are great reeds and I use them a lot, but they are also very inconsistant as well. I would probably throw one or two of them away out of a box of ten.

Ricos are very consistant and I have great luck with La Voz.

[CSK]

Thank you for your reply to my question about reeds. I think you may be right that I should stay away from the Vandoren reeds. I've been thinking about this. I recently got some Rico reeds. I think there is one called Rico Royal and then there is just the Rico. Which one would be better or is either one ok? I haven't tried a La Voz reed.

Carol K

[Kareeser]

CSK... if I were in your position, I wouldn't worry about reeds quite yet.

Granted, I've only played for 4 years, but I didn't start worrying about reeds/mouthpieces/setup until last year (when I discovered this forum, ironically).

I played fine then, and I play fine now. :)

(If you'd like to know, however, I use Vandoren 2½'s. Personally, I do not see much of any difference between Rico 2½'s and Vandoren 2½'s [except the strength change]. That's because my level of playing clearly does not need me to be worried about reeds just yet. :))

[Vortex]

CSK - Go with the plain orange-box Ricos. Rico Royals get a real bad vote from me.

[saxchado]

by contrast, the Rico Royals get a strong vote from me. I find them to be more consistent, and much easier to play, right out of the box. they don't last as long, but they don't need the tedious break-in process of the Vandorens and the Alexanders.

[Vortex]

My discontentment from the RR's arises from how they're really just a plain Rico with a file cut. At $15 a box at many online stores, for a few more bucks you could get a box of Vandorens (which are generally superior in tone, playability, longevity, and finishing). Apart from that, it's a ripoff because Rico orangebox are (at one particular website) $33/25r as opposed to $15/10. Rico has a lot of specialty reeds (GCS, RJS, Hemke, etc) which are also much more playable than RR's, and cost only slightly more.

[Joe Linux]

I have a degree in Music History, and played as a drummer in jazz bands throughout college. Ultimately, I switched to accoustic piano and electronic keyboards. In college I had a semester of Clarinet class.

Recently my son took up Alto sax, and I started learning to play it with him. I got a separate mouthpiece and a "hard" fiber cell reed. The mouthpiece was a generic "Jean Baptiste" mouthpiece from Sam Ash Music. I enjoyed playing sax so much that I decided to buy a "Solist" tenor from Kessler Music.

Anyway to address the issue of reeds, I was of the belief that a Fibercell reed would be a good bet for me as they last a very long time and will play reasonable well without sucking on them before you play. What I have learned is that the reed's stiffness has to match the "lay" of mouthpiece or the amount of opening of the tip. The original Fibercell was too hard, and It hardly worked so I shaved off the top with a straight edge razor blade by holding the reed on a hard smooth flat surface and gradually removing material by scraping it with the razor blade perpendicular to the top surface of the reed. Supposedly you are not supposed to do this with Fibercell reeds, but it does work, and I was able to get the reed to play.

When I got my Kessler Solist tenor sax, I ask Dave Kessler to supply me with what he thought would be the right weight He sent me a medium soft Fibercell. It played, but seemed a bit too stiff. Because of the issue of not modifying Fibercell reeds, I ordered a Fibercell "soft." It played a lot better. I then started experimenting with Rico Royal mouthpieces after Dave sent me a Kessler Custom 50% rubber mouthpiece to try. I didn't notice much difference, if any, between the more expensive Kessler and the basic plastic one that came with the sax. I found both Kesslers to offer a tone similar to a Rico Royal A-5 mouthpiece. I also purchased a Rico Royal C-5. The C-5 gave me the sound I was looking for with the "soft" Fibercell. However while it has a good jazz sound, it seems to have overtones which make it seem to be slightly out of tune when playing along with more legit types of play a-longs like "My First Recital" On the other hand, it does blend with Jim Snidero's "Easy Jazz Conceptions" book. I have ordered a Rico Royal B-5 to see if it will blend better then the C-5. Dave Kessler had sent me a Vandoren 2.5 natural cane reed, but it was too stiff. I tried to relax it by stroking it with my fingers and flexing it over time, but it didn't do much good. Finally yesterday, I decided to shave the top, and made it at least playable. What I noticed is that the natural cane Vandoren does sound considerably better than the Fibercell reeds. According to a book I have, a good reed will be too stiff in the beginning as it will get softer as it ages as it is played. The book suggest not playing any one reed tor too long of an extended period. So my thinking is that a person needs to find the right weight reed for their mouth piece, and then get about three of them going so that you know that you have some spare reeds that will work. This would be true with Fibercell reeds too.

It seems in the beginning, a person will have to do a fair amount of experimentation until they find the right mouthpiece and reed combination. It should be easy to play in all ranges and give the sound you are looking for. I'm glad to learn that people like the Vandorens but find them stiff, as that is my experience with a single Vandoren reed. I hope that I can buy some single reeds of different weights to put me in a ball park range. At that point, I will buy a box. This is lengthy commentary, but I hope it helps. In short, my advice would be to experiment. Unfortunately it costs money.