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Best Soprano Synthetic?

2K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  luispa 
#1 ·
Seeing as I don't really have too much time to really spend preparing and breaking in soprano reeds I've decided to try synthetics out.

So in your opinion what would be the most similar to java 2 1/2s?

I look forward to your replies.

-mwhaa
 
#4 ·
I have Fibracells for my sopranos, altos, and clarinets. In my experience, the Fibracells play a whole lot stronger than do cane reeds at similar strengths.

Also, Fibracells for me are very mouthpiece sensitive, meaning that they won't play on most of my favored open-tip pieces without requiring more embouchure strength than I have.

I have a large selection of mouthpieces for my horns and have gone through them all to match soft Fibracells with mouthpieces. I ended up with one or two mouthpieces that will play okay with certain pieces, and then I set them aside (completely assembled) so I can take just mouthpieces with me for travel purposes.

Older Fibracells come in strengths described in words (SOFT. MED-SOFT, MEDIUM, etc.). The newer Fibracells come in numbered strengths (1, 1/2, 2, etc.).

I use a Fibracell SOFT or 1 1/2 on clarinet exclusively. For soprano, I travel with a Selmer S-80 G and a Fibracell SOFT or 1 1/2. For alto, I use a Don Sinta mouthpiece with a Fibracell 1 1/2.

If I were to use a cane reed on those pieces I'd probably be at a #3 on clarinet, a 2 1/2 on the S-80 G soprano, and a 2 1/2 or 3 on the Don Sinta alto piece.

For your cane Java at 2 1/2, I'd suggest starting at a Fibracell 1 1/2. DAVE
 
#6 ·
I have now taken the plunge and ordered Fibracells. After looking at their chart, I ended up choosing the same number as I do with Vandoren blue box.

Alto (3 1/2: Rousseau JDX8 and Selmer C*) -- a little brighter than a typical cane reed, but not excessively so. Response is better than 9 out of 10 cane reeds in a box, and it's clear as a bell from low Bb to altissimo D. I can even squeeze the altissimo notes out of a Selmer C*, which I was not able to do with the vast majority of cane reeds I tried. I am very impressed by this reed. I give it 9 out of 10, and I have probably only had two perfect 10 reeds in my entire life! I will happily take a reliable 9 any day of the week.

Tenor (2: Link STM 8*) -- again a somewhat bright reed, but not excessively so, and responsive from top to bottom. I got altissimo G#, A, and Bb without a whole lot of effort and that is remarkable considering I have never gotten altissimo to work reliably on tenor before. Now I have reason to hope I can do all the "stunt saxophone" tricks on tenor the way I can on alto or bari! I'm not a good enough tenor player to make the call, but this reed is also quite acceptable in my book. I'm not as excited by it as I am with the alto -- call it an 8 out of 10.

Soprano (3: Selmer C*) -- whoops, looks like I misfired a little on this one, I should have gotten a 3 1/2. It's still better than 6 out of 10 Vandoren blue box reeds though. I'm having a little trouble controlling this one, but there's no doubt in my mind it's too soft. I give it a provisional 6.5 out of 10, and that is likely to improve if I get a harder one or a mouthpiece better suited to this one.

Bari: I didn't buy one. Now I'm wondering why not.
 
#7 ·
I have now taken the plunge and ordered Fibracells. After looking at their chart, I ended up choosing the same number as I do with Vandoren blue box.[...]
If you normally play Vandoren blue box reeds, you really should give Legere a try.
 
#10 ·
Mwhaa, I believe you asked about soprano reeds. May I suggest that you try Rico Plasticover #3s. I play Plasticovers on all my horns, but the soprano reeds are the most consistent. I can usually play every reed in the box, once in a while I get 4 out of 5. Good luck.
 
#13 ·
There is a new twist. I also ordered two boxes of Lazarro alto reeds -- the ones where you can get 20 reeds for 20 bucks, SHIPPED. They showed up today. (I got a mixed order -- one box of 3 and one box of 3 1/2 -- because the 3's are for someone else.)

Well I usually play blue box Vandoren 3's on alto, and I got 3 1/2 in the Lazarro. They're still too soft, I should have gotten 4's. But they do play almost straight out of the box -- I had one in my mouth only as long as it took to assemble the instrument, and that was sufficient preparation.

They're not premium quality, but they play surprisingly well -- not just for the price, but in general. I will keep the whole box around as instant backup if the Fibracell does just suddenly turn to mashed potatoes mid-set... AND my four prepared Vandorens are all split/chipped/warped/whatever. They're a little on the bright side, but considering I'd be using them to back up a synthetic reed, I don't see this as a problem.

Of course a good cane reed beats a Fibracell. The thing is, they don't stay in that condition for very long, and it takes quite a while to get them to that point. The Fibracell JUST WORKS. I'm trading some peak performance for more consistent performance, and far less maintenance. That doesn't mean I have to forsake cane reeds. It just means that for certain situations, the synthetic makes more sense and for others, cane makes more sense.

I have a contingency plan for everything else that could possibly go wrong, so I'm not going to be caught with just one playable reed! I usually don't get below three working reeds at any point, and currently it's more like ten for alto, five or six for tenor, the same for bari, four for soprano, and another five for clarinet that I can appropriate for emergency soprano duty if necessary.

The whole point was saying that synthetics don't have to suck any more. They might not be your cup of tea, but some do actually work now. I've been advised to try a Legere on soprano and clarinet, but they are completely smooth and I do not particularly care for that. I may give them a shot anyhow.

If one of the Fibracells does go from hero to zero in a matter of minutes, that would not be a new experience. That's how my cane reeds die too.
 
#14 ·
Thanks all for your help.

I picked up a legere 2 1/2 and I could not be happier!

-mwhaa
 
#15 ·
After playing a festival outdoors last fall I immediately ordered Fibercells for my tenor and sop. I will never play an outdoor gig again where I have to change instruments without a Fibercell. The 2 1/2 for tenor is a good strength for me, but the med. soft for sop. a little too soft.
 
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