Rico Select Jazz Reeds

[jazzmasta123]

Ummmm...ya i was wondering...ARE THESE REEDS any good?? Cause i really would like to know.

[Dauri]

I've tried almost every brand of Rico reeds except, Grand Concourse Select, and I think The The Jazz Select are the best. The have nice sound, that I think other Rico brands don't have.

[JS]

I like the Rico Select Jazz reeds a lot - they're fairly consistent, and I can really shape my sound on them. The only negative for me is that they go soft too quickly.

[Ritchie]

Yes, they are good. But the only way to find out and "really know" is to buy some boxes and try them for yourself!

[singlereed]

I like em but I like the Grand Concert Select reeds even better. Can't say why exactly, but they play really well for me, virtually right out of the box, they are consistent and apart from one or two that have died quickly, they have a pretty good playing life too.

[Gregg W. Jackson]

I like them, but in the Rico family, I like La Voz the best. That's because I play mostly blues and rock and La Voz have more guts and last longer for me. I like Select Jazz for a more mainstream jazz sound.

[hotsax]

Gregg,

I play blues & rock myself. And have been a dedicated LaVoz user also, but try some regular orange box Rico's. I used some last week on a gig and man was I floored! These ol' "plain Jane's" have changed what an awesome reed.I used about 4, alternating troughout the gig and everyone of them played great!

[Chris]

I like rico royal better, sorry.

[T-MAN]

Like Gregg, I prefer LaVoz over RSJ. I find they have a more powerful, gutsier sound and more projection, good for the contemporary music I play.

[markieg]

I've never heard of Rico Select Jazz before. I'm playing LaVoz hard now and I want to go a little softer, and I was thinking of trying a VanDoren Java 4, but how do the RJS's compare to the Javas? I should also mention I'm playing a Hite Premier that's been modified to about a .08-.085 and a more open baffle that standard, not sure exactly where it falls, but it's close.

[Dave Dolson]

I use RJS reeds for sop and alto. But I also use Rico Royals and Vandoren Java. Because I find only a small percentage of reeds in ANY box play well, my reed guards hold a variety of brands at any one time. I don't think it is the brand as much as it is the few good reeds in each box - and those can be any brand of reeds. DAVE

[Razzy]

I have to agree with Dave. However I have had my own trends. For some reason, RJS play very well for me on alto and sop, but not on tenor. And Vandoren Java play very well for me on tenor, but not alto (and never tried them on sop). So that is generally what I play: RJS on alto and sop, and Vandoren Javas on tenor. I like the RJS much more than any other Rico brand. I think they mor the floor with most Vandorens and Hemkes and such, but they are faily inconsistent. This used to be a real problem for me. Now, I just employ a reedknife and some sandpaper and typically I can turn a "dud" into a nice sounding, longlife reed. I've always had La Voz dying out on me and going very soft for some reason, even though I stored them the exact way I now store and prepare my Javas and RJS, so I switched to these. The La Voz I only like on bari: gets that extra cut needed without really sacrificing the tone quality. La Voz to me sacrificed the tone on alto, tenor, and sop.

Just for reference I use RJS 3soft on a Meyer 5 for alto, Vandoren Java 2.5 on a Meyer 6 for tenor, RJS 3soft on a Selmer metal classic E for soprano, and La Voz MH on a Selmer cs80 E for bari.

[Tears June]

I use SJ for alto before. I like the full & brilliance sound. however, the worst thing for SJ (alto only) is after playing for an hour, it's hard to control the articulation. Now, I switch to Java and Blue Box Traditional. I can use these reed for a hours straight.

[Gregg W. Jackson]

hotsax, thanks for the tip on orange box Rico's. I've played them before and I agree that they're great for rock. I'll give them another try when I get a chance.

[LoVeTheBlues]

With my berg larson 100/1 mp (tenor sax), I use the 3s in both the filed and unfiled. They work great for my loud rock n roll blues. I get better control over low notes with the filed.

[disgruntleddave]

I tried a 3 non filed and a 4 filed on my jj esp mpc (alto), mark 6. They played really really great on most of the sax, and altissimo was really really easy when compared to any other reed I have ever played.

the only problem is that they did not get the tone I wanted (too bright), so i am back to shaving down my own vandoran bluebox 3.5's.

[MB-913]

I don't have a dark MP and try before. I really want to know how's the sound like by using bright reed + a dark sound tenor MP + (like a Metal Link, ESP without the spoiler, Phil Barone Jazz Model or a Lawton P chamber).

EXmple:

Java reed + Dark sound MP = ? (For tenor).