Phat Reeds

[MonchMan]

In the old forum I recall a discussion of Phat Reeds. Whaere are they available? My local dealer has nerver heard of them.

[Andrew]

Steve Goodson (www.saxgourmet.com) talked a highly of them and talked about getting them in stock soon.

[rfenno]

There's a Phat Reeds website (phatreeds.com) and we're interested in signing up dealers. Contact me if you know anybody who fits this profile: Best sax repairs for miles, all the cats hang out in their shop. I've been selling off some leftover sample boxes an eBay and the results are very encouraging. I won't slip into Marketing Manager Mode here, but go ahead and take a look at the site and email me if you have questions. rfenno@mac.com

[johnc]

I am please to say that PHAT REEDS are available as of today in the UK. We, Eastcoastwind (Phat reed UK Distributor) had a shipment in yesturday. I took a few samples arounds to a few dealers this week. We are about to embark on a nation wide advertising campaign in journals such as Jazz UK and MI Pro. I will also be setting up counter stands. Shops such as Myatts, Allegro Oxford,Saxophone.co.uk all have a pack or two and know how and where to order. It will be up to the customers to get onto your local dealers and ask. If they are unsure as to where to get them from then tell them to ring John at East Coast Wind on 07812-646117. I had a few sample boxes which I handed out and the feed back is that these babies are a winner. Phat reeds -watch this space.

[Jazzed]

I am diggin' the samples I got at NAMM. I'm trying not to play them too much-- I still have 2 unplayed. They seem thicker physically and in tone than other reeds of the same # from other brands.

[rfenno]

Just to make this discussion more interesting, here are the retail prices for a box of 5 Phat Reeds:

Clarinet $8
Soprano Sax $9
Alto Sax $10
Tenor Sax $13

These are full-boat prices. Expect a dealer will discount from these prices.

[kaypea]

I have been trying these reeds the past couple of weeks.I first tried them on alto-2.5 and 3.0-have had good luck-three out of the box(of 5) for both played well and the strengths seemed to be about right.They are bright and buzzy but very responsive.Wish I could say the same thing for the tenor reeds I tried.I tried one box of 2.5 which is what I usually use with Java tenors and it was like-whaaa?None were even close to playable and three of them played like number 5.0s.Anybody else have any experiences similar to this or anything else they'd like to share?

[MonchMan]

I got a box of 2.5 (Edit) Tenor (Edit)yesterday, the first 2 I grabed out of the box were a dream, Gave me the sound I wanted with a quik lick. Needed very little prep.

[kaypea]

Were those tenor or alto?

[MonchMan]

Those were tenor, Currently I have a rented Jupiter 687GN with a Guy Hawkins 7 Metal mouthpiece.

[MonchMan]

[duplicate of above]

[rfenno]

We did have some problems with early shipments of tenors but I think the problem's resolved. This does raise an interesting point: Back in when the earth cooled, when I started, there were reeds which had great cane and heart, yet needed some adjustment. I remember expecting to devote a couple minutes to every reed in the box and when I didn't HAVE to, well, that was miraculous. I think now the expectation is we get them ready to go right out of the box without adjustments of any kind. There is a really formulaic approach to this in the Larry Teal book, kind of a flow diagram for reed troubleshooting. What we've tried to do is give enough heart and close enough fibers that the reed can TAKE adjustment without being rendered unplayable because they're too thin in the heart.

[rfenno]

kaypea, contact me offlist. I'd like to replace your tenor reeds with the new ones.

Thanks,

rfenno@mac.com

[Fun Bun]

I've been playing on these since I got my Goodson tenor. They really match well with my JVW Otto Link.

[ma kettel]

I had recently got some of the phat reeds and not sure what to think of them. I have only opened one box, (I have three) of alto #3 and two of the five were so warped they would not even lay flat on a piece of glass. I tried sanding and polishing them like I do with the Vandoren reeds but they still remained bowed. Is this a common occurance with these reeds? If anyone else had this problem let me know. I'm not sure I even want to open the other boxes. :(

[Fun Bun]

If you bought them from Steve Goodson, he lives in Louisiana. There is lots of humidity down there. Especially this time of year. I don't know where you live but possibly during shipping the reeds could have warped because of the changes in humidity. Every reed I have ever tried, when I first wet it it usually has a little warpage. That's the main reason I'm designing a reed case that will keep maintain relative humidity of around 70%. It's a long way from completion though.

[kaypea]

I doubt if the problems I've had with their tenor reeds have anything to do with humidity. First of all, a 2.5 shouldn't play like a 4.5.I've gotten them from a couple of different places,neither of them from Steve Goodson.Last time the distributor contacted me and offered to send me a free box after I told him the problems I was having-he told me that they had had some problems at first but that he thought it had been staightenned out.But they were the same as the first bunch I had tried.I also tried some 3.0s that a friend had gotten-same thing.I also noticed that the reeds had different lengths to them and all were shorter than Rico Royals,Java tenors,etc,which,in itself might not be bad,since different reeds have different cuts,but it seemed weird that with the alto reeds,the cut is actually longer than Rico Royal,etc.I told all this to the guy who sent me the free box but I haven't heard back from him.I might have forgotten about them by now.except that I've tried their alto reeds and have had good luck with them.

[Fun Bun]

From what I understand there is no industry standard when it comes to reeds strengths. I've always used Vandorens as a benchmark. Phat Reeds do play hard. Really hard. I'm using a number 2 Phat Reed where as I was using a number 3 Alexander Superial. But the #2s work just fine.

[Dr_sax]

At last I got 3 reeds for alto and 2 reeds for tenor both #2 sent to germany from London. I will check back later to report my experiance with these reeds.

[Vortex]

I had recently got some of the phat reeds and not sure what to think of them. I have only opened one box, (I have three) of alto #3 and two of the five were so warped they would not even lay flat on a piece of glass. I tried sanding and polishing them like I do with the Vandoren reeds but they still remained bowed. Is this a common occurance with these reeds? If anyone else had this problem let me know. I'm not sure I even want to open the other boxes. :(

Aren't the boxes sealed in cellophane or something like that like nearly all commercially available reeds?

[Dr_sax]

No, they were seperately individually in a labeled sliding cardboard. Up to now they play pretty well. They are about half a number stonger then usual rico royal reed, so #2 plays like a rico #2.5

[paulwl]

I've been using Phats off and on for about 6 months. They do vary in strength within numbers, but a good one will play big, easy, and last a long time without much babying.

Interestingly, I've found the clarinet reeds to play somewhat softer than numbered. They also tend to choke off in the altissimo, even if strong enough below. Has something special been done to thin the tips?

Mr. Fenno, long time no e. Drop a line sometime...paulwl AT optonline DOT net