What are really good out of the Box Reeds?

[guesswhatiplay]

What I'm looking for here is not for long lasting reeds, but ones that are pretty decent straight out of the box. Like a just in case reed. Also these can be used for the practices in between when I'm getting new reeds. Basically I don't want to get screwed over:P

[milandro]

Reed is a natural product, its quality depends on the harvest just as much as the quality of wine depends each year on the harvest of that particular year.
One year is not to be compared to the next.

Lately I have been very satisfied with Ponzol reeds ( which are made in France I can’t remember if by Marca or Rigotti).

[HenrikGad]

I like the La Voz reeds and find that i can use about 6/10 reeds straight out of the box and they are pretty even allso.

/H

[BigHunk]

I have really good luck over the last year with Vandoren ZZ's being very consistently good & playable.I do use a reed geek on all my reeds & I am sure that helps as well.Also I play alexander superials(the yellow tin's) & they have been really good too.

Milandro,
I ordered some Ponzol Bari reeds a couple years ago and they were horrible,2 were chipped in the box & the other 3 were total junk.I am glad you are having better luck than I did.

[jlima]

François Louis Excellence
Rigotti Gold

[Berg-Man]

François Louis Excellence
Rigotti Gold

I'm done with RJS and Vandoren Java's after Jorge recommended these reeds to me. 8 out 10 in a box play great without messing with them. IMO they also have the best qualities of a Java/RJS in tone and last longer. Brilliance of Java with thicker core of Rico. Try them !

[saxpiece]

What I'm looking for here is not for long lasting reeds, but ones that are pretty decent straight out of the box. Like a just in case reed. Also these can be used for the practices in between when I'm getting new reeds. Basically I don't want to get screwed over:P

If a reed manufacturer could guarantee so called great playing reeds out of the box then all of the other reed manufacturers would be trying to work out how they did it.

The truth is that no reed manufacturer can guarantee anything except the hardness and cut of the reed.

So the only real judgments a player should use when buying reeds are to do with what cut and hardness they want.

Judging reeds on their interior cell structure and thinking one (best) manufacturer can produce reeds with just the right interior cell structure for some players personal liking, is just ludicrous because the reeds structure is not directly under anyones control.

The interior structure of cane can vary somewhat because it is a plant http://koppreeds.com/virtues.html

There probably are regional and growing techniques that make some difference on the canes cell structure but the canes cell structure is still going to vary somewhat.

A great playing reed for one person can be a not so great playing reed for another.

Notice how Rico (and probably all reed makers) do not test their reeds for playability because then they would be a used reed and also the reed's playability can be judged differently by different people so why bother.

[milandro]

Milandro,
I ordered some Ponzol Bari reeds a couple years ago and they were horrible,2 were chipped in the box & the other 3 were total junk.I am glad you are having better luck than I did.

I was so happy I bought 6 packs for tenor to be sure I had the same batch......

[Dave C]

I can't find the Rigotti Gold reeds in the UK, but the Francois Louis Excellence are available.

What is the equivalent strength of the FL Reeds to a VanDoren Java please?

[JL]

I find Rigotti Golds to play pretty good right out of the box. In other words, they don't require much, if any, of a break-in period. I still prefer V16s, which do need some breaking in, but they outlast most other brands.

I'm talking about tenor reeds. Don't know if the same holds for alto reeds.

[Berg-Man]

I can't find the Rigotti Gold reeds in the UK, but the Francois Louis Excellence are available.

What is the equivalent strength of the FL Reeds to a VanDoren Java please?

FL'S may be just a tad softer than Java's but just way more consistent. I'd get the same strength.

[spike421]

I've had good luck with Gonzales on Tenor and they're well priced.

[Dave C]

FL'S may be just a tad softer than Java's but just way more consistent. I'd get the same strength.

Thanks....

[Jazz Is All]

The truth is that no reed manufacturer can guarantee anything except the hardness and cut of the reed.

They can't guarantee the hardness either. I have had both La voz and Vandoren tenor reeds that were all over the place in terms of hardness. LV Meds that were harder than a MH and vice versa. Vandoren 2.5s and 2s that were harder than a 3, and vice versa. I got so fed up of the nconsistency I switched to Gonzalez for a year, because they are much more consistent in that regard. The only problem I find with them however is that they tend to split lengthwise for some reason. I never have that with Vandorens which usually just fray at the tip when they get old. I can sand those smooth again if I wantt, but you can't fix up a split reed AFAIK.

[Jazz Is All]

FL'S may be just a tad softer than Java's but just way more consistent. I'd get the same strength.

I just saw a chart online that says a FL is equivalent to a La Voz MH, which is the same as a Vandoren Trad which is a 1/2 strength softer than a Java.

But to answer the OP's OT, I offer this very funny/very true essay from Dave Valdez's Blog because IMO it tells it like it is as far as reeds go (which is too frequently the distance from the box to the garbage can).

http://davidvaldez.blogspot.com/2010...continues.html

A sample:

Getting a bunch of sh;tty reeds is mighty depressing, so you might try just to not open the boxes as long as possible. This will give you the false sense of security that you still have good reeds in reserve, which may not help your saxophone playing, but it WILL make you a happier person. You think I'm joking?

.........

The short answer is that all reeds suck and if you play the saxophone and expect your reeds to play well you're pretty much screwed.

[Smooth Sop Berator]

I think what you are asking for best describes what you will get from a synthetic reed. Not great, but you know what to expect when you grab one. There have been countless threads on this forum lamenting the variability and lack of quality control of pretty much any natural reed you can name, so if you want something that doesn't require breaking in, adjusting, and luck, I think you might do okay if you were to find a synthetic that works decently for you, at least as a backup as you requested.

[Grumps]

Vandoren Java Green number 3 reeds have all been good out of the box since I switched to them about three years ago.

[Steve Stockham]

I guess I am one of those guys who is happy with Rico reeds. I started with Rico Royals and went to Rico Reserves (which are still nice) and have recently become enamoured with the Rico Jazz Selects. All of the reeds I have examined have been of consistently good quality (possibly an incredible run of good luck?) Anyway, I'm happy!

[jazzdoh]

I can't find the Rigotti Gold reeds in the UK, but the Francois Louis Excellence are available.

What is the equivalent strength of the FL Reeds to a VanDoren Java please?

Howarth of London sell Rigotti Gold reeds in sop,alto,tenor and bari

Brian

[Dave C]

Howarth of London sell Rigotti Gold reeds in sop,alto,tenor and bari

Brian

Brian, thanks...