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Is anyone else finding Vandoren's to be inconsistent?

5K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  Brady 
#1 ·
So with my most recent purchase of Vandoren blue box 3's, I've found that I'm going through them quicker than usual. They are not lasting as long, their strength can differ greatly from reed to reed, and the tone I produce from them also varies from reed to reed. These reeds are almost $30 a box new, and I'm wondering if the price I'm paying is worth it. My professor (who was taught under Londeix and Hemke) swears by Hemke reeds. I've never liked them because I found out that they die out rather quickly. Makes me want to reconsider my options though, considering Vandoren's won't be getting any cheaper.

Wondering what anyone else might have noticed about this. Feedback would be appreciated :)
 
#3 ·
That was funny. =)

OP: Last I played, I found them to be rather inconsistent as well. I usually found about 5-6 outstanding reeds in a pack of 10, with 2 more being playable and the other 2-3 being just terrible. I'd say try to pick up the reeds that you like and work with them.

If you don't like a certain reed at first, I've often found that if you put it back it back in the box and come back to it a week later, it somehow *magically* becomes very playable. :)

Also, have you tried the new V12s? Perhaps they're most consistent or better suited for you.
 
#4 ·
Something seems to have changed with them since they started that wrapping thing. I find them consistant enough. Only, consistantly bad. After twenty years playing Java 3.5 on alto, I've moved to Rico Jazz with better results.
 
#6 ·
It's not the BRAND that's inconsistant, it's the quality of cane available from growing season to growing season. Some years are better than others.
Every reed manufacturer gets the best quality cane they can from what is available at the time.
It doesn't matter what reeds you purchase, there will always be a few 'gems' and a few 'duds'.
If you want consistancy, start using synthetics. Otherwise quitcherbitchen.
 
#7 ·
I used to use Hemke reeds, and found that they died out quickly too, but really liked the tone I got with them. I recently switched to the Vandoren V12's on alto, and the tone, consistency, and durability of the reeds are all a lot better than what I had experienced with the Hemke's.
 
#8 ·
Bandmom, I understand your point but if their growing season is going bad then their price should reflect that, not increase just because of their greed. I am well aware I will never get 10 out of 10 reeds, but when one reed won't even last me several weeks I have to wonder about Vandoren's production technique and or their storage/curing of reeds. You wouldn't be able to pay me enough money to pay on a synthetic reed, especially for the classical literature that I am playing.

I never knew they made the V12 for alto too...I'll have to give those a whirl and see how they compare. My Serie II was adjusted and regulated and all that fun stuff not too long ago, though it is due to go back into the shop again for its bi-annual regulation.
 
#9 ·
I too have noticed all my Vandoren have been playing differently recently. And not just Vandoren, but Rico, LaVoz, Hemke, Zonda, Gonzales, and a few others too. They all seem different, even if they come out of the same box! Drives me nuts. They seem to wear out after while if I use them too, which is a drag.
And by recently I mean the last 20 years or so.
 
#10 ·
I've been playing Vandoren trads #3 for 10 years on tenor. I just bought a box recently. They seem consistent to me, no difference from years past.

If you're changing mouthpieces, if you're not breaking them in properly, if you have unrealistic expectations on how a reed should perform, then you will inevitably find them inconsistent.
Every so often a thread like this pops up on any given reed brand.
I never understood those who say " I can only find one reed in ten that works ". Give me the nine that don't work, I'll make them work.
 
#13 ·
I never understood those who say " I can only find one reed in ten that works ". Give me the nine that don't work, I'll make them work.
Reeds are expensive enough. You shouldn't have to sand or rework them as a matter of course. You never had to in the past (at least not to the extent it seems you're expected to do today), and there are still brands where every reed is in fact playable. Vandoren is one such brand for me, and since I dumped Rico Royals years ago, and then grew unhappy with Superials, Vandoren Javas have filled in rather nicely. No, they don't seem to last as long as some choice reeds in the past, but they certainly don't die as suddenly as Hemke's. But no, I refuse to work on reeds in an effort to make them playable. Shaving them down just seems to make them brighter and too soft for my preferences anyhow. I'd just like them ready to play out of the box, thank you.
 
#11 ·
Daigle, I have recently started to sand and prepare these reeds again, in light of me finding that I can no longer play them right out of the box with the expectation that they will last longer than several weeks. My professor has actually managed to keep a reed for almost fifteen years; I'm sure he doesn't use it daily, but he does use it every so often. And its not that the reed themselves won't play, its just that their factors seemed to be varying much more than usual and their longevity did not seem to be typical. That's all I was asking on; thank you for a sincere answer.
 
#14 ·
Maybe you're playing more than before? (that would be a positive-but also not implying anything negative, ok?)
Maybe the cane was different from previous seasonal batches (that relative)

I would say, as others have, put the reed aside, let it dry, play a different one and come back to it.

But I also think that what you're hearing/feeling might be just a bit of what the player senses as opposed to what would be heard on the other side of the horn. Maybe on the other side of the instrument, without mentioning it to someone, no one would hear enough difference to make a difference.

Lastly I would say change up your embouture if it affects things enough to bother you. You need to get used to addressing the instrument in different ways anyway. Change your embouture until you get a tone that's different from your usual tone and play long tones doing it. There's no law says you have to do things one way and only that way. Some appear to take a lot of mouthpiece and others seem to take less but really all we're seeing is their lip seal. Not how the internal embouture/throat is creating their tone. How much is relative to the individual musician. Overall though, pinching the tip is not the way to go lol.

Our heads and necks are all different. No two of us play exactly the same because of that. Sort of, and maybe to some it sounds damn close, but.. you know what I mean. There's a difference between all of us. We all address our horns in our own unique way.

Maybe try addressing the horn in new ways and see what you come up with. Because if you're in a concert up on a stage and the reed dies, you have to accomodate. No one's going to excuse you for a reed that went south in the middle of a show. And sometimes they die flat and others they die slowly. We have to be able to compensate as best we can if we're going to play cane.

Harv
 
#18 ·
Ahh, the old complaint. Reeds are always going to be inconsistent no matter what brand, box, or store you get them in/from. I once had a spell with Vandoren where I might've only gotten 2 good reeds out of a box of 10 for around 5-6 boxes...but recently I just got 5/5 for my V16 tenors, so who knows.

I find the number of reeds playable in a box went from 1/4 to around half now, and I'm guessing part of the reason has to do with embouchere flexibility. The more you grow as a player, and the more you spend time shedding long tones, the greater the range of extremes (in reeds and mouthpieces) you can accomodate as a player, IMHO.
 
#19 ·
Everyone will think reeds are inconsisten at one point in time. Vandoren reeds, in my opinion and experience, and many other players I know, are the best reeds to play on across the board. Personally, I don't like playing on reuglar Vandoren reeds (the blue box). I like Vandoren V16 reeds (they come in the green box). I had always played on regular ones, but then when switching back to Alto, when I was buying a ligature, I needed reeds and got a half of a box of V16's for free, and I've been in love ever since. They have a different cut than the regular Vandorens, in the front you can see a dip, as opposed to the straight line across halfway down your reed, and I find the sound to be richer.
 
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