Reeds Vandoren V16 (Tenor) - 3

[Veggie Dave]

I've been playing Vandoren's V16 2 1/2 tenor reeds for a few months now and, for the most part, have really liked them. However, after discussing a few playing issues I have on here I decided to go up to a 3.

I must say that I like the extra control I now have but the extra resistance these things produce is unbelievable. At first I thought I'd left something in the bell! I do like to be a little exuberant when I play but after 30 minutes I feel like I've run up a mountain and I'm starting to look like Dizzy Gillespie. The jump from 2 1/2 to 3 has also had a very noticeable affect on the higher tones (rather than notes) as well - unless you play really hard they're not there. This makes the combination of Metalite M7, which doesn't have much tone outside of the high range, and these reeds a little soulless.

It would appear that I'll be buying another, different, box of reeds very shortly...

 

[Colin the Bear]

Scrape them down a notch.

 

[Veggie Dave]

I never thought of that. Right, time to find a YouTube video on how to do it.

 

[Veggie Dave]

I need a soundproof room! It's far too late to start blaring away on the sax but having read and watched vids on reed scraping, I can't wait to have a go!

To be honest, I'll still be getting different reeds next time I go shopping because I'm far too lazy to mod every reed I use, but this should be highly educational.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Every wrong turn is an opportunity to explore new territory. I hope you find a short cut

 

[Jeanette]

Do report back

Jx

 

[altissimo]

I found Vandoren Javas to be a bit more flexible and nicer to play, but not everyone gets on with them

 

[kevgermany]

I've used RJS on tenor for years now. But I switched to Marca Jazz for alto and sop. Still not settled for bari.

 

[thomsax]

The V16 reeds worked well for me when I played Dukoff mouthpieces (on all saxes) Then I changed tenor and baritone mouthpieces and the V16 was not as good as they were on my Dukoff. Now I play plasticcover 3½-4, soprano 2½, and they are great. I'm a "hard blower"!

 

[Veggie Dave]

I found Vandoren Javas to be a bit more flexible and nicer to play

That's what I'm going to try next.

I've used RJS on tenor for years now.

I quite like them but they didn't seem quite right for me. The problem with reeds is that there are so many to choose from...

I'm a "hard blower"!

I can imagine the V16 being a good live choice if you're playing with an amplified band as they're pretty forgiving when it comes to playing a little more enthusiastically. Just practising at home, on the other hand...

 

[Veggie Dave]

Reed Scraping Report: Well, that was easy. Using the vids and tutorials I found last night I balanced the heart of the reed and then reduced the thickness of the tip. Comparing the tip thickness purely by eye, it's slightly thicker than a standard Rico 2.5 but it's no longer the scaffolding plank it was.

And it plays beautifully. You can play incredibly subtly and quietly and you can absolutely scream it. In all honesty, I think the Metalite is heavily muting the full range of tones, which is a shame, but I'm now a very happy bunny again.

So, top idea Colin!

For anyone interested in the simple mods I did, this vid is what I based my experiment on.

 

[Jeanette]

Great stuff, well done

And thanks for reporting back

Jx

 

[Veggie Dave]

And thanks for reporting back

De rien.

It's good to know that tweaking reeds isn't actually that difficult, and it's just saved me £20, too. If I ever find people to play live with it could be a very valuable lesson, but I'd rather just play a reed straight out of the box.

 

[saxflutist]

The Vandoren V16 Jazz feel a tad softer than the regular V16s to me. So you might like a 3.

 

[Veggie Dave]

I've been playing Java Green 3s for a while now and they seem to suit me, although I may have to go a little harder if I want to master altissimo.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Buy a clipper.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Buy a clipper.

Cutty Sark?

 

[Colin the Bear]

No cutty nice.