Reeds Can you guess the synthetic reed?

[Pete Thomas]

See here:

http://tamingthesaxophone.com/saxophone-synthetic-reeds.html

 

[Chris J]

Makes the point very well. There is nothing to really distinguish between them. They both sound perfectly good reeds.

My guess, and it can only be a guess, is that the number 2 recording is the synthetic - only because the bottom notes remind me of my Légère

Chris

 

[Morgan Fry]

Smallish but noticeable difference on my laptop speakers. The first one tone is more even throughout, and more centered. Response is better, too. Might have as much to do with the difference in cut as material.

 

[Jules]

I reckon number one's the synthetic.... there's a bit of 'hollowness' to the low notes which,well, reminds me of my own experiences of synthetics (by the way- re your article- have you tried Fibracells?)

 

[Pete Thomas]

(by the way- re your article- have you tried Fibracells?)

Yes, I didn't get on with it at all.

 

[Chris98]

I'm going against the trend, but I think the synthetic is reed 1, it sounds very consistent and even up the scale, where as reed 2 has that occasional cane quirk that throws a curved ball towards the top of the scale making it slightly less even.

But to be honest the differences are so slight that I'd reckon you would have equally minutely different soundclips if you used the same reed and had just taken the reed and ligature off and put them back on again.

Pete the tone is one very important thing, but how does it feel against the lip and when using articulation?

Best wishes,

Chris

 

[Bari251]

I would choose reed 1 as the 'better' reed. I've never tried one. Mainly because you can guarantee that I would have to buy five or six, in order to find one that suited my embouchure. How do most people cope with this problem, or is it just my difficulty in finding the right combination of mouthpiece/reed/ligature?
Malcolm

 

[cherrybyte]

reed 1

 

[Justin Chune]

I think that No. 1 is the cane reed, and I preferred the sound of it as well.

Jim.

 

[old git]

That Pete Thomas knows something. Enquired whether a medium soft or soft Fibracell would work on a PPT 9* and Pete said he didn't know. Tried the 9 with a medium soft for quite a while but then noticed that Pete was using RJS 2 Medium. Found that 2 Soft to 3 Medium were on my reed shelf so tried 2 Soft, then 2 Medium and 2 Hard but that nice Mr. Thomas knew his stuff. Now must get YC to have a go and confirm.
Whichever is the synthetic, I'm getting one.

 

[kevgermany]

This from the page:

Both wood and metal were quickly accepted as an ideal solution to the problem of replacing an unstable material, as the sound was either not affected or to many people⁽s ears, the sound was actually better.

Should it start 'Both ebonite and metal...'?

Preferred the sound of the first reed, so my guess is that it's the cane one.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Glad to see someone is paying attention.

Yes, it should have been ebonite.

 

[AlanT]

I hear the first as cane, the second as synthetic..I say this because there are sound quirks in Fibracells that I've played that I believe I hear in the second sample. If I'm wrong oh well, I'm an amateur what do I know.

 

[rhysonsax]

I voted for reed 2 as the Legere, purely because the very first note seemed a touch hesitant to speak and that was my experience with Legere reeds. Other than that I heard little difference between the two on my small speakers.

Rhys

 

[Pete Thomas]

And the answer is......

Redd 1 is a Legere Signature

 

[half diminished]

And the answer is......

Redd 1 is a Legere Signature

So now that we all want one…………. what strength do I need as a replacement for my Marca Jazz 3s?

 

[kevgermany]

Wow - that's impressive. Time to sell shares in Arundo Donax and invest in plastics....

 

[AlanB]

No, but Reed 1 seemed just a tiny tiny bit smoother in the lower register which might suggests that it might be the synthetic one.

 

[Morgan Fry]

And the answer is......

Redd 1 is a Legere Signature

I'm impressed. I'll have to go get a couple now. Is that the new model you were talking about in another thread?

 

[Martin]

Very interesting....reed 1 certainly sounds the most even throughout the range.

Martin