what's the best plastic reed?

[segaleon]

In your opinion, which is the best? I know cane sounds better, but the pragmatics of using a plastic reed are great: no warping, no need to worry about "is it wet or dry?", and more resistant to damage.

So, from what's out there, which is the best?

[Carl H.]

Best for what?

[MM]

On sax, for jazz and similar styles I find the Fibracell beats out Legere and Hahn. I have not tried the Bari models. I suggest starting with Fibracell.

[Enviroguy]

Hands down, it's the Fibracells. During my synthetic reed GAS attack days, I just about tried them all. The Legere was too finicky. The others sucked. The Fibracell responded great and would make the worst dog of a mouthpiece feel free-blowing. I still believe it is the best reed I have ever played. If I could have just gotten that buzzing sound to quit, I would probably still be using them. Ended up back with Vandoren Classics. They just sound too good to give up.

[segaleon]

Best plastic reed for getting a warm sound on a:
Soprano sax, hard rubber mpc (Link)

[ArnoG]

hahn works great for me-saved me hours and hours of sorting cataloging etc.
hardest part was getting used to not wetting it and taking it off once in a while to clean it. I use them on all my horns -really great in pit band work.

[Mope]

Best plastic reed for getting a warm sound on a:
Soprano sax, hard rubber mpc (Link)

Where's Roger Aldridge?

[Agemusic]

I have had good experiences personally and with my school bands with Legere's. Both on clarinet and saxophone.

[Little Sax]

Best plastic reed for getting a warm sound on a:
Soprano sax, hard rubber mpc (Link)

On bari, the Fibracells I've tried have been too "buzzy" and so I use Legere. On Soprano, I didn't find that big of a difference between the two. Since the Legere have more granular sizings (1/4 strengths), I stick with them on basically all my horns and I've found them ridiculously consistent. (I say that since I no-longer waste DAYS and DAYS conditioning reeds to be playable.)

I believe that the Legere reeds are supposed to be modeled after Vandoren (Blue Box) reeds, which is what I used to play exclusively. I get a very warm sound with the Legere on sop. Order one and give it a try. If it's the wrong strength, you can send it back to Legere and they'll send you a different strength. You can keep doing that until you find the strength that works best for you. (Check out their website (http://www.legere.com/guarantee.htm).)

Good Luck!

[fred12]

A few weeks ago I got tired of paying $10 each for reeds at the local music store and bought a couple of Fibracells for my bari. When I went for my next lesson, the first thing my teacher said was "what is that in your mouthpiece? Take it out!" I should add that the teacher is an experienced pro sax player, gets good gigs around the east coast. He said the reed had no "focus", and I must admit that even to me a cane reed sounds a lot better. Maybe personal preference but I don't think the Fibracell compares well. Maybe the type of mouthpiece has something to with it, since some experienced players apparently like these reeds.

[saxmanglen]

HAHN

[Bill Mecca]

I've played Fibracells for years. I have had affairs with Bari,and Plasticover but go back to the Fibracell, I find they play much like Vandoren V16's, which is the only cane reed I've liked in the past 10 years or so. YMMV.

[PhatSax]

In your opinion, which is the best? I know cane sounds better, but the pragmatics of using a plastic reed are great: no warping, no need to worry about "is it wet or dry?", and more resistant to damage.

So, from what's out there, which is the best?

Cane + plastic, gives you all the things you stated above. Rico Plasticovers work the best for me. I use them exclusively.

[Jazz House]

Everything home-made is better :)

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=58473

[Roger Aldridge]

Segaleon, if you haven't already done so please look through the threads that have already been posted on the Forum about the pros & cons of various synthetic reeds. You'll find a lot of good information.

Like cane reeds, there is no "best" synthetic reed. Each brand has its supporters. Selecting which reed to use is a completely individual matter and comes down to what works for the individual player. The best advice I have to offer is to try a selection of synthetic reeds in various strengths and see what works best for you on your soprano set up.

[luispa]

Like cane reeds, there is no "best" synthetic reed. Each brand has its supporters. Selecting which reed to use is a completely individual matter and comes down to what works for the individual player. The best advice I have to offer is to try a selection of synthetic reeds in various strengths and see what works best for you on your soprano set up.

I agree. My experience about synthetic reeds tell me that a good reed should match your personal preferences and tastes + be consistent. Personal preferences can't be analyzed but yes the consistency, in this field Hahn and Legere are in the top.

[Canadiain]

I liked the legeres for consistency, but since getting the ATG reed prep system, cane wins hands down for tone. Now I can consistently finish cane reeds , the frustration of bad reeds is history.

If its for playing outside or doubling where you need a reed thats good to go NOW, I've had good results with Rico Plasticovers although they can be a little brighter than Rico Royals I usually start off with.

[baritone saxophone]

I like Fibracells. They are better than any cane reed I have used, and they doesn't warp. Legere and Bari are way to hard to play on.

[Roger Aldridge]

Legere and Bari are way to hard to play on.

Legere regular cut reeds seem to play stiffer than their strength size. On tenor I use a #2.5 Legere on a Morgan 6C mouthpiece (.090 tip with a very large chamber and low baffle). The last time I dusted off my stash of Alexander Classique reeds and tried them again it felt like a #2.5 Legere was comparable a stiffer #3 or a slightly softer #3.5 Classique.

The Legere Studio cut is much softer than the Legere regular. I've gotten up to a #3.5 Studio and it doesn't feel like it has enough resistance and tonal core for my taste.

The trick is to find the right Legere reed strength for your set up and you as a player. Also, when I first started trying Legere it took me a couple of weeks to get used to them. My chops had to adapt. But, after that I've been extremely happy with Legere reeds. I get a beautiful ringing sound on each of my horns with them.

Roger

[G-dawg]

Sorry to say this...but the best plastic reed is one that was never bought or is in the trash. :D

I've really disliked every variety I've tried. There is a lack of resonance, warmth, and "personal-ness" to the sound. Just my opinion....

[Roger Aldridge]

G-dawg,

Synthetic reeds are not for everyone. The old advice of "use what works for you" is certainly true.

Up to two years ago I was a cane reed fanatic. Whenever I tried a synthetic reed it sounded absolutely terrible to me and it went sailing into the trash can after a few notes. But, a couple of summers ago I encountered a "perfect storm" with my reeds. My band was playing a series of outdoor gigs. The weather was brutally hot and humid. I knew that I'd have trouble with my cane reeds. Plus, I had become disappointed in my favorite brand of reeds at the time and was having problems with them. Then, a classical clarinet buddy suggested I try Legere and I found them to be different from every synthetic reed I had tried. I was amazed that I could actually get a good quality of sound with them. As it turned out, the outdoor gigs were a piece of cake with Legere. I sounded good and, as I foresaw, my sax section buddies had various hassles with their cane reeds in the high heat and humidity. I just played away and smiled.

This experience helped me to see the potential of Legere reeds and I then put in the time & effort to see how good I could make them work for me. Now, no one seems to know that I'm not playing on a high quality cane reed...unless I tell them. I'm very picky about my sound on each horn and I can honestly say that I'm happier with the results I'm getting with Legere than with any cane reed I've used over the years.

Frankly, Legere reeds don't seem to work well on some mouthpiece facings. I have yet to figure out WHY. But, I know this to be true based on personal experience. After a period of trial & error I was able to match Legere reeds to mouthpiece facings that work well together. I'm especially impressed with how beautiful Legere reeds sound on Walter Grabner's clarinet and bass clarinet mouthpieces. Happily, Legere reeds also sound fine on my Morgan 6C tenor mouthpiece. However, I found that Legere does not work as well on some of the other Morgan facings I have. The trick, then, is to be able to find a good match between Legere reeds, mouthpiece facing, and ligature. This may be too much of a hassle for some players...and it's understandable. But, for me it's been worth it.

Roger

[wersax]

I wonder if the facing/tip opening of the mouthpiece you're using has any effect on the playability of particular brands of synthetic reeds? Legeres seem to work well on clarinets, (which I no longer play), and Roger, (Aldridge), says they work well on his Morgan 6C.........I play a 40's Berg 130/2 and Legeres just don't work for me on that. Fibracells, on the other hand work well.....I've noticed that a lot of players that employ Fibracells use facings 7* and larger, with softer, (3's and lower) reeds. I wonder if there's something to this?..........daryl

[Roger Aldridge]

Wetsax,

In conversations I've had with Walter Grabner about Legere reeds it's his opinion that they work better on mouthpieces with a closer tip. I cannot help but think the facing curve also plays a large role....but it's such a subtle thing. A couple of weeks ago I dusted off my Morgan 6EL and tried it with a #2.5 regular Legere. Man, it sounded TERRIBLE! Of course, there is nothing wrong with my 6EL (minty condition) or the Legere reed. For whatever reason, there's not a good match betweeen them. One of these days I'll try a #2.75 Legere on the 6EL and see if that helps. When a #2.5 Legere goes on my 6C the sound is glorious. Go figure!

Walter Grabner and I are also on the same page about the Quebec version of the Legere clarinet reed. The regular Legere clarinet reed doesn't do anything for me. But, the Quebec is everything I want in a thick cut clarinet reed. Stunningly beautiful sound!

Reeds are one of Life's many mysteries.

PS, the Legere Studio saxophone reed is a whole other story. It's a thinner cut than the regular Legere....more like a ZZ perhaps. It's possible that it might be a better match for larger-tip mouthpieces.

Roger

[Tobias]

Fiberreed

Why is nobody talking about this brand. After I've had tried Legere and played Firbracell longtimes for me Fiberreed the best synthetics.

Especially the Carbone Toptone.

http://www.fiberreed.de/webshop/shop_content.php/coID/12/product/Referenzen---Musiker/XTCsid/ca35e866773ade3b1cb06d38641ac6ea


Here is an other good Thread about Synthetics
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=84823

For everybody who can read german, a detailed test about synthetics:
http://www.saxophonforum.de/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=2

[saxmanglen]

The fiberreed looks a lot like a Hahn synthetic reed.

http://www.fiberreed.de/webshop/images/product_images/popup_images/2_0.jpg http://www.hahnreeds.com.ar/hahn.jpg

[Tobias]

Actually they once worked toghether and they use the sam prinzip for their reeds.
I don't have much ecperinces with hahn but they didn't pleased me

[uksaxman]

Tried em all, I use Fibracell ona Link8* and love them. You guys who think they are too buzzy...have you used them in the last year or so? as they are much improved and not buzzy in my opinoin. Last me about 6 to 9 months per reed, for heavy practice and gigging!
Uksaxman

[MojoBari]

Not all synthetic reeds are "plastic". Fibracells are primarily made of Kevlar fibers.

I find Fibracells buzzy if they are softer than a 2.5. A 2.5 has a little buzz which I like, others may not. 3.5 and harder sound somewhat dead to me. I think the key is to use a tip opening that allows you the use a 2.5-3 Fibracell. I have not tried a Hahn.

Bari brand reeds are bright. I used them for a while. But I eventually prefered Fibracell with a little more baffle in the mouthpiece. Legeres are great on clarinet. Perhaps as others have said, their sweet spot are the stiffer strengths. So I can see where a more classically-minded player would like them on sax.

I find if you buy them at 6-12 month intervals, you sometimes will get a variation in reed strength you can use to your advantage. Some Fibracell 2.5s are stiffer than others. I have one I marked with a pencil as "2 3/4" which is my go-to bari sax reed. I have tried re-working Fibracells but I find buying a bunch and micro-grading them works better. You need to lay out some bucks initially, but they can last years.

[luispa]

I have not tried a Hahn.

Keith, it's worth to give them a try.