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Reeds Good reed upgrade

Ruaan

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South Africa
Hi All

I was wondering. I’ve been playing for a year now a noticed quite a difference the reed can make to sound. I’m currently playing with a Rico Royal 2 and feel like something different. Any advice on good reeds to try? I don’t like classical sounds. I’m more of a blues and pop guy. I know its about your own taste etc etc. but I’m still discovering my sound. I’ve been looking at the Vandoren ZZ and V16 strength 2.5. Also the La Vos medium.
Will appreciate any recommendations.
Thanks
 
What reed is best for you is an individual choice.
If you name any brand of reed then somebody likes it. Otherwise the company would not sell them.
So if each of us tells you our favourite reed type, then you will end up with a long list.

So I think you are going to have to buy a variety of reeds to try. It's expensive and frustrating, but I don't think there is any other way,

A couple more types to consider are Vandoren Java (Green) (probably 2 1/2) and D'Addario Select Jazz (unfiled) (either 2s or 2M).
 
What reed is best for you is an individual choice.
If you name any brand of reed then somebody likes it. Otherwise the company would not sell them.
So if each of us tells you our favourite reed type, then you will end up with a long list.

So I think you are going to have to buy a variety of reeds to try. It's expensive and frustrating, but I don't think there is any other way,

A couple more types to consider are Vandoren Java (Green) (probably 2 1/2) and D'Addario Select Jazz (unfiled) (either 2s or 2M).
Thank you very much. I appreciate your advice. There’s so much I still have to learn and discover.
 
That would be great to get testers but unfortunately not in my area. ‍♂️ Any online shops that ships internationally?
 
I think sax.co.uk sell assorted packs of reeds online. And various places (Gear4Music etc) sell the d'Addario assortment packs.. Not sure if Vandoren do similar (although sax.co.uk do their own Vandoren assortment)
 
Actually it looks like the sax.co.uk pack contains various makes now - even better. When I bought some you had to pick Rico or Vandoren I think.
Here it is
 
It's one of those Instant Can'O Worms threads ;)
Might help to tell us what horn you play - Sop, Alto, Tenor etc. ?
How long you've been playing and how often you play?
What mouthpiece and what tip opening are you using?
And maybe why your present Rico Royals Nr. 2 aint hittin' the spot for you right now. ?
Gruss - spike
 
Thank you for the link and everybody’s response. Really appreciate it.
I play a Yanagisawa W01 Alto Sax, yamaha 4c mouthpiece with a BG revelation silver lig. I’ve been playing for 9 months now and going strong.
I don’t have a problem with the Rico 2. I would just like to get to know the rest of the sax world (within limits for now) while I’m journeying. I’ve progressed relatively fast and would like to start discovering what I like and don’t like. I’m sure things will change as I go but hopefully I’ll have some sort of a refrence point because I’ve tried a few things. If I’m crazy thinking like this please let me know. The Rico 2 is just the “Rico 2” for me at the moment. So I would like to feel and experience different things, again, without changing major stuff while I’m learning.
 
Your limiter here isn't the reed, so much as the mouthpiece. Something like the D'Addario jazz would really open things up.
 
Don't go too big, your current piece is quite narrow. Suggest a 5 for now.
 
Don't change reeds and mouthpiece at the same time. Check out Reeds Direct. They are in Cambridge and do variety packs.
 
IMHO looking around for different reed brands/manufacturers is perhaps a distraction. Sure they make a difference but you just need to step up..My advice is to make small steps. Ricoh 2 is a relatively 'soft' reed. So a first step might be to try Ricoh 2 1/2 (or Van Doren 2 1/2). A thicker reed should still be playable but it will give your tone a bit more 'body'. Then you can move on to reed strength 3 (or a bigger mpc)
 
Legere Signature....but in the interest of full disclosure...while I am not sponsored I am a real fan of their reeds so horribly biased
 
Thank you all for your input. I feel I have a lot of direction now. Is there a big difference between the Meyer mouthpiece and the D’Addario jazz?
 
The D'Addario is basically a well made, improved Meyer.

I made the step up to a D’Addario D6M. I should have gone for the 5 but thought I’ll just take the plunge and go for the 6 to not spend double. The budget was a bit tight. I love the sound and can get a relatively good sound but only for a very short time before my mouth gives in. How long should it take me to get used to the mouthpiece? Should I mostly focuss on long tones? Any advice will be appreciated.
 
If you've gone up a size in tip opening you may need to come down a strength in reed. Royal may not suit the D'Addario. It's a french cut reed. When I tried the D'Addario mouthpiece, I seemed to get best results with an american cut reed. Try the orange american cut or Vandoren's Juno. Try different reeds. A new mouthpiece may need a different cut/strength. Gonzales RC (regular cut) are quite consistent and taste great.

D'Addario now own rico and the name is disappearing. I don't know what D'Addario recommend for a 6?

Having said that, it takes time to get used to new gear. It seems to take a lot of effort and concentration at first. Six months down the line, you can't understand what all the fuss was about.
 

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