Reeds Help me choose 6 new Alto reeds

BeBopSop

BeBopSop

Member
270
worcester england
Hi all, I want to try/buy some alto reeds (so hopefully I can settle on one make and strength)
I am using Yanigisawa 6 MP, and have at the moment a
Rico select jazz 2M
Rico royal 1.1/2
Vandoren Traditional 1
All 3 of the above are workable, and I would appreciate your recommendations so I can make a short list of say, 6 more different reeds to try.
I dont know whether to stick to one make, and try their different types, or go through the whole range of diffent makes?
Thanks...
 
Pick the best of what you have and stick with it - OR work out what's wrong with what you have, then tell us what you're looking for.

The answer may be a change in reed strength, to me they all look on the soft side for your mouthpiece.
 
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Sax.co.uk do reed pack selections that I have bought to do exactly as you:

http://www.sax.co.uk/acatalog/Alto_Reed_Packs.html

everyone has a different opinion about reeds - but only one person's opinion really counts!
 
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kevgermany said:
Pick the best of what you have and stick with it - OR work out what's wrong with what you have, then tell us what you're looking for.

The answer may be a change in reed strength, to me they all look on the soft side for your mouthpiece.
Click to expand...
Hi Kev, thats what I want to do 'Pick the best of what you have and stick with it' I want to do this after a trialing on few samples,although the Rico select jazz 2M that I have works just right! Re the softness for my mouthpiece, this has been said before, but I have tried harder reeds (rico 2.1/2, Vandoren 2) but they are harder to blow and sound too 'breathy', I like to be able to make the alto 'sing', as I describe it, I dont want a tenor breathy sound,(I am not knocking this sound) I like to listen to it, but it is not what I want.I wouldnt say I have a weak embouchure, I played from 1992 - 1996 on the 3 different size saxes, then stopped playing and started again several months ago (on soprano) and then moved to alto. (I used 2s and 2.1/2s on soprano)
 
c9off said:
Sax.co.uk do reed pack selections that I have bought to do exactly as you:

http://www.sax.co.uk/acatalog/Alto_Reed_Packs.html

everyone has a different opinion about reeds - but only one person's opinion really counts!
Click to expand...

True. The problem is, however, that having played just one reed of a type, you cannot really tell. How often does one get a crappy one out of a box of 10? My experience is: at least two of them are bad. So chances are 1:5 that you'll have a bad one in a sample package.
 
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BeBopSop said:
Single LEGERE 'Signature' synthetic alto sax reed



£27.60
YIKES!
Click to expand...

Reeds direct does it under £20 with shipping. It does get expensive - I spent alot on the legeres to find a strength that fits my setup best. Factor in extra reeds for rotation.... somewhat ouch inducing. The flip side is the consistency I've experienced so far, which gives a big boost to my confidence - put reed on, play.

You might also want to consider fibracell, bari and hahn - much more affordable. I have tried out the other synthetic brands as well as regular cane stuff (vandoren, rico and hemke mostly) - and noticed that for the same brand of reed, it reacts quite differently to a different mouthpiece. So.... good luck on your travels 🙂 I'm sticking with my legere signature + vandoren V5 A27 as my combo for the foreseeable future - I'm more interested in making music than chasing "tone".
 
Gallen said:
Reeds direct does it under £20 with shipping. It does get expensive - I spent alot on the legeres to find a strength that fits my setup best. Factor in extra reeds for rotation.... somewhat ouch inducing. The flip side is the consistency I've experienced so far, which gives a big boost to my confidence - put reed on, play.

You might also want to consider fibracell, bari and hahn - much more affordable. I have tried out the other synthetic brands as well as regular cane stuff (vandoren, rico and hemke mostly) - and noticed that for the same brand of reed, it reacts quite differently to a different mouthpiece. So.... good luck on your travels 🙂 I'm sticking with my legere signature + vandoren V5 A27 as my combo for the foreseeable future - I'm more interested in making music than chasing "tone".
Click to expand...

I've been waiting in the wings, and now's my chance!
One make and grade of reed reacts differently in a different mouthpiece. Exactly why you should work/sand the reed to suit the mouthpiece being used :w00t:
So my recommendation would be to buy a box of say 2.5's and work on them until you can play low "A" down to "D" with little effort (same amount of puff), and you are there ;}

Exits stage left :mrcool
 
Legere are fine if you like them. Since, if I am not wrong, you are new to the alto, when you find the legere that sound fine for you, it means no fuss for months.
If you want to sick with wood, I would probably stay on RJS and try different strengths (2h?).

When I buy unknown reeds, I always buy at least a couple of them; they often are not consistent within the same brand/strength.
 
John i would stick with cane for now so as to find your sound.
I play Legere signature through out on all my horns but they are somewhat inconsistent strength wise on alto.
The new packaging i.e. in boxes legeres seem better but the old stock are allover the place,you have to sand or scrap them as they are nearly always too hard,or maybe i have just have been unlucky,but once they are right you are then set for a long time.
I do not find this on sop or tenor.
Buy a couple of each then find what suits you.

Brian
 
Hi Brian, so far the Rico 2 with the Yani 6 Mp, is a sound I am happy with! I suppose I wonder if there is a better setup out there to make me sound better? I think the best thing for me is to stick with this set up (I will buy a few more of this reed ) just in case it is a specially good one? And work on my tone.
 
BeBopSop said:
Hi Brian, so far the Rico 2 with the Yani 6 Mp, is a sound I am happy with! I suppose I wonder if there is a better setup out there to make me sound better? I think the best thing for me is to stick with this set up (I will buy a few more of this reed ) just in case it is a specially good one? And work on my tone.
Click to expand...


John its probably best for now if you are happy with the sound,don't worry there will be plenty of time to try other setups,we all wonder whether there is a better horn,mouthpiece,lig and reeds out there,its all part of the journey.
When you buy some more reeds you can always try other brands along with your Ricos.

Brian
 
Love the new Avatar, but does remind me of Ronnie Corbett without specs!

Reed choice is very subjective. I would certainly recommend getting a box of reeds and preparing a few of them (say 4 or so) by soaking them first in luke warm water, and following the method outlied on the Alexander Superial Website: Alexander Reeds-Breakin In I use this method and my reeds usually last 6 months and more.

If I was recommending six reeds they would be:

Marca Jazz, Rigotti Gold, Alexander DC, Francois Louis, Rico Jazz Selects & Alexander NY. I would say that I have yet to find a bad Marca Jazz reed - they have all played excellently (I use them on Sop, Alto & Tenor).

Reeds Direct ( http://www.reeds-direct.co.uk/instrument/reeds/alto-saxophone.html ) have the best prices, but some others can have decent sale items ( eg. Page Not Found ).
 
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TomMapfumo said:
Love the new Avatar, but does remind me of Ronnie Corbett without specs!

Reed choice is very subjective. I would certainly recommend getting a box of reeds and preparing a few of them (say 4 or so) by soaking them first in luke warm water, and following the method outlied on the Alexander Superial Website: Alexander Reeds-Breakin In I use this method and my reeds usually last 6 months and more.

If I was recommending six reeds they would be:

Marca Jazz, Rigotti Gold, Alexander DC, Francois Louis, Rico Jazz Selects & Alexander NY. I would say that I have yet to find a bad Marca Jazz reed - they have all played excellently (I use them on Sop, Alto & Tenor).

Reeds Direct ( http://www.reeds-direct.co.uk/instrument/reeds/alto-saxophone.html ) have the best prices, but some others can have decent sale items ( eg. Page Not Found ).
Click to expand...
Thanks Tom I will give them a go and let you know if I can improve over my boring old Rico 2,and its goodnight from him!
 
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Hi John,

I would definitely recommend trying several different lines, as they all have slightly different dimensions. This can make a big difference for a player. You will naturally gravitate to one or two primary brands that work for you. I would try to start with a 2 at the lowest strength if it isn't too uncomfortable.

There is Rico Reserve, Rico Royal, La Voz, Hemke, Select Jazz, and Plasticover you could try....

ADMIN NOTE: This member appears to be an employee of D'Addario (Rico, La Voz, Hemke)
 
johnboy said:
I've been waiting in the wings, and now's my chance!
One make and grade of reed reacts differently in a different mouthpiece. Exactly why you should work/sand the reed to suit the mouthpiece being used :w00t:
So my recommendation would be to buy a box of say 2.5's and work on them until you can play low "A" down to "D" with little effort (same amount of puff), and you are there ;}

Exits stage left :mrcool
Click to expand...

I have been giving some thought to sanding my legeres, and I do have one I've put out of regular use, may try 🙂
 
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