Fiberreeds

[sessionsax]

Whats everyones opinion on these. What do you think of the following:

Harry Hartman fiberreeds
Natural Sonic
Carbon Toptone.

What is the comparison between them?

[SaxMBB]

I've used Fibracell and Legere. The Legeres tend to be dark sounding and hard for what they are marked. They are a clear plastic so they look wierd but do play ok. The Fibracells actually look and feel more like natural reeds. They tend to be brighter and their strengths are pretty consistent with LaVoz markings. If you get one too soft, it will honk like the old time plastic reeds. But, if you get one the right strength, I think they offer a good alternative. Especially if you have to let your horn sit for a long time between plays.

[sessionsax]

Thanks for the post and info. I was actually referring to the Fiberreed line instead of the Fibracell. I use fibracell also, and have had hit an miss results. A good one is wonderful -- the rest were an expensive waste of money.

Can anyone chime in on their Fiberreed line of products experiences.

[Bari Gordon]

I bought a Hartmann carbon toptone fiberreed (that's what the box says) for alto a number of years ago. Not a very scientific comparison, because I only bought one. (at $25 apiece, who would buy all three varieties to try?) I don't remember the strength and I've sanded whatever labeling was on the reed. It is 'zebra' colored with black and white stripes. I vaguely remember asking WWBW to recommend which of the 3 varieties would be best for a bright, jazz sound. My cane choice is LaVoz Med Hard or Hard sanded down (and maybe drilled)

When I first bought it I liked the sound I got, but playing it wore me out very quickly. It seems to have a relatively thick heart, and my lower lip would tire out as I played it.

Then I bought an SX-90 alto and play a Barone NY 8L hard rubber mouthpiece for my more mellow stuff. I put on the fiberreed and really like this combination. It is a little buzzy, but otherwise very reed-like. It responds well in all registers. And it looks marvelous!

The material reminds me of the Hahn reeds--made in textured layers. It can be sanded down easily, and seems to be long lasting.

Like I said, this isn't very scientific of an evaluation, but I do have a bit of experience with synthetic reeds. I play Bari reeds regularly on my baritone sax, cane on my tenor (after trying Bari, Legere, and Hahn), and use a Legere and a Fibercell when I double on clarinet. Of all of them, with my idea of an alto sound, I think the fiberreeds and the fibercells would come closest to being an alternative to cane reeds.

[Wolf Codera]

sessionsax,

the Codera natural sonic fiberreed manufactured by Harry Hartmann is made out of glass hollow fiber and foam resin, traditional cut. Using different ligatures and different positions of the ligature will change the sound.

Harry Hartmann's fiberreed is made from thinner material (which is less expensive) and uses a plastic sheet for thickness adjustment. Whatever ligature you use, the sound won't change too much.

The Codera carbon toptone fiberreed manufactured by Harry Hartmann is carbon fiber reinforced, traditional cut.
Even with a very soft reed you will get fat low register notes and easy poppin' out high notes. Using different ligatures and different positions of the ligature will change the sound.

I am just the designer (and trademark owner) of the Codera versions, I am not involved in the manufacturing process or quality tests.

[dshack]

Anyone actually tried any of these reeds in a playtest?

[django]

I've been curious about the Fiberreeds, too, especially about the differences between the three. WWBW has them on sale right now, so I may just get one...but which one?

It would be nice to get a natural cane equivalent for each of the three varieties.

The Fibracells are too bright and buzzy for me, the Legere regular is to resistant, the Legere studio is responsive but has this harshness or edginess on the outside of the sound, if that makes sense. So far, Plasticovers are the smoothest and darkest, while still being responsive, for me on my Brilhart Ebolin. I can get a nice Lester Young school kind of sound that way.

So...maybe I'll try the Natural? I am always a bit suspicious when the description says something about helping to capture a "vintage" sound, and I really wish they would just say something like, "If you are used to playing _____ reeds, then this one will probably best suit you." I really appreciate that Alexander Reeds does that on their website.