Which Reeds should I buy?

[stephenmerkh]

Hey, I need to buy new reeds for my soprano, and am not sure what to get...I own a dukoff D8, and i usually prefer darker, sweeter sounds (sort of like kenny G) any help would be great!! including brands, #, and any other information!
Thanks alot!

Stephen

[silvin]

Rico Royal 2,5 ?

[bluesaxgirl]

What do you use now?

[Simon Weiner]

^ Corn Flakes.

[bluesaxgirl]

^ What?

[stephenmerkh]

What do you use now?

I'm actually using Rico Royal 2.5 at the moment...but i just bought my dukoff, so i wasn't sure if i should switch reeds as well. Thanks

P.S. tried the corn flakes...didn't work to well;)

[cjpts]

Maybe you're better off trying bran flakes - they've got a different cut ;)

[hgiles]

La Voz M

[bandmommy]

Maybe you're better off trying bran flakes - they've got a different cut ;)

Bran Flakes for sure if you're into Smooth Jazz.

[RootyTootoot]

Why not try a selection? I doubt anyone here can really tell you what will work best for you on your mouthpiece. Let us know how the bran flakes work out. I believe KG is a fan of bran flakes. I prefer toast and marmalade myself. But then kenny is a millionaire and I am a hamster. ;):)

[stephenmerkh]

Hey, Thanks for the advice...quick question, has anyone tried "grand concert select"?? what were the results
The reason I don't "try a selection" is because i live in brazil, so i dont have the option of trying out diferent reeds...not many options down here, plus it's like 10$ a reed O.O
Stephen
P.S. The corn flakes just didn't give me the tone i wanted! But the toast was great(except for the occasional crumb i would spit out the sax...thankfully, I don't think anybody noticed)lol

[hgiles]

Honestly, I cannot see a distinct difference in any reed brands. Maybe between one cut and another but not across brands. Rico Royals or La Voz suit me just fine and cost less.

[saxplayaJ]

i play hemke 3's on soprano and they play dark and consistant. there is body in the sound produced by hemke reeds.

[BYOB]

Honestly, I cannot see a distinct difference in any reed brands. Maybe between one cut and another but not across brands. Rico Royals or La Voz suit me just fine and cost less.

You do have a point - I find myself buying reeds now more for the consistently and the number that'll play out of the box than the actual 'tone qualities' offered by said reeds.

[themacintrasher]

i play hemke 3's on soprano and they play dark and consistant. there is body in the sound produced by hemke reeds.

Thats what Mr. Gorelick uses.

[saxplayaJ]

It's an excellent reed that everyone should give a go on!

[saxman568]

try vandoren blue box

[hakukani]

Hey, I need to buy new reeds for my soprano, and am not sure what to get...I own a dukoff D8, and i usually prefer darker, sweeter sounds (sort of like kenny G) any help would be great!! including brands, #, and any other information!
Thanks alot!

Stephen

Darker, with a D8?:shock:

KennyG a dark sound?

What am I missing here?:scratch:

[harmonizerNJ]

I have been using Rico Royal 2.5 reeds on my soprano for a while. Lately, I have been testing LaVoz Medium and Rico Jazz Select 2Hard for my soprano, but I am still in the trial phase with them.

Based on my experience with reeds on the alto sax, I would say that the Rico Jazz Select reeds capture the same positive characteristics of the good reeds in a box of LaVoz, but that the Rico Jazz Select are more consistent.

I have been a long time user of LaVoz reeds on the alto sax. If you decide to try LaVoz on your soprano, and you have never tried LaVoz before, be aware that they are very inconsistent - try all the reeds in a box of LaVoz reeds before you make your decision as to whether they a good fit for you.

[DanF]

I did something the other day on a whim. I was in my local music store and picked up an orange box of Ricos. You know, the ones we used in school before there were 20 different kinds to select from. It occured to me that I hadn't used these reeds in over 15 years so what the heck, I needed a few practice reeds. When I got home I strapped one on my tenor and "HOLY CRAP"! :shock: That "student" reed made that horn come alive. I randomly selected a few more thinking it was a freak reed and only one in the box but it wasn't. All of them played the same. After years of playing all types of Vandurens, RJS, Plasticovers, Fibracells etc., I was really amazed. I don't have to spend as much money on reeds as I had been doing. What have you got to loose? Try a few yourself.;)

[Bill Grant]

After experimenting for the past year I have had the best results with Hemke 2.5s for my soprano. I have one of those Van Doren reed resurfacers on back order, and I bought some #3 reeds to use on it when it arrives. I've always found that reeds that have an upside down "v" when held up to the light play the best regardless of the brand. It's too bad that you can't buy a single reed from the box anymore, at least not in my area.

[Pete Thomas]

Your question is "Which Reeds should I buy?". The only real answer is "whatever works best after you've tried a few out". The answers you'll mostly get are the reeds that everyone thinks is best for them.

I don't think there's a specific reed that would sound like Kenny G. Different set ups can make different people end up sounding similar.

e.g.
Player A + setup B = sound X
Player E + setup F = sound x
Player A + setup F = sound y


I just use whatever reed is next in the drawer, often it's a Vandoren

[SMOOTHJAZZ]

OK, this questions has stumped me. You are using a d8 mpc, and you want a dark sound like Kenny G???

First, you are using the worst mouthpiece for a dark,soft tone, and second,
Kenny G has the brightest, edgy sound Ive ever heard on a soprano. Nobody comes close to his brightness.