support Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces

Reeds Hurri-Cane Reeds, Steve Goodson

littleplum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Locality
Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Hi Folks

I have heard that Steve Goodson has designed a synthetic reed that you can scrape or trim to your own needs. It costs $20 per reed, which compares ok with Legeres etc but he wants $35 postage for 1 reed to the UK. Suprisingly I decided to leave it. I contacted his Uk distributor The saxophone Factory, but they are not stocking them and they were shocked by the price.

I emailed Steve a few months ago about the postage costs but the email was not posted on his forum or answered. The reviews on his forum are very positive but you do begin to wonder about the reliability of them.

Am I being tight fisted in not wanting to pay $35 in postage charges for a single reed?

answers on postcard please
 
Hi Folks

I have heard that Steve Goodson has designed a synthetic reed that you can scrape or trim to your own needs. It costs $20 per reed, which compares ok with Legeres etc but he wants $35 postage for 1 reed to the UK. Suprisingly I decided to leave it. I contacted his Uk distributor The saxophone Factory, but they are not stocking them and they were shocked by the price.

I emailed Steve a few months ago about the postage costs but the email was not posted on his forum or answered. The reviews on his forum are very positive but you do begin to wonder about the reliability of them.

Am I being tight fisted in not wanting to pay $35 in postage charges for a single reed?

answers on postcard please

Hi Littleplum,

I feel the general cost of reeds is becoming a little hard to swallow, especially as there is no guarantee that they will all play well, but it's a small running cost compared to some hobbies so I try not to get too hung up about it. I try synthetic reeds every now and then in the hope that I'll find something that works as well as cane and is more consistent, but thus far I've always ended up going back to cane.

As for the cost of postage, it seems excessive to me. But my other thought is that I'm not sure I'd be able to whittle it into the reed that fits my needs, I expect that takes skill and has to be learned so maybe you need a few reeds to practice on!

But then again it could be the answer, who knows? I might see about getting hold of a Legere Signature when they become freely available and I know what strength is equivalent to a Rico Jazz Select 2M.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of it if you get one.

Best wishes,

Chris
 
$35 to send a sliver of plastic across the Atlantic? Ridiculous. Good write ups on his own website? Not really reliable. Steve Goodson as a purveyor of high quality sax accessories without even a whiff of snake oil? I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
 
Have you tried Hahn reeds? They're about 15 quid, made of carbon fibre so pretty well indestructible and would probably survive scraping and trimming.
 
$35 is just too much. I get a dozen Links shipped over from the States for less.

I have yet to see a synthetic reed that has the richness of tone of cane, and I've tried them all (except this one, I should add). I'm holding out hope, though -- consistency and longevity that synthetics offer is pretty attractive. I would wait until one of the retailers over here stocks them or there is a consensus that these are truly great before dropping £35 on a reed.
 
I don't think you'll get a Legere Signature as soft a RJS 2M...you'd need a Studio Cut.
However, both Legere and Fiberreed wil replace your reed for a different strength, if you return it promptly.
Then there's Hahn, Bari, Fibracell, etc....all available at much lower prices...there must be something in there which is at least as good as SG's !! I've tried nearly all of them!
(And you can 'modify' virtually any of 'em)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I don't think you'll get a Legere Signature as soft a RJS 2M.

Yes you will, I have the equivalent of RJS 2S in Legere signature.

And I'm using them in my recording, they sound like normal reeds to me.
 
Yes you will, I have the equivalent of RJS 2S in Legere signature.

And I'm using them in my recording, they sound like normal reeds to me.

Hi Pete,

Did you get yours in Germany? I can't seem to find them in the UK at the moment.

Are you able to tell me what the equivalent Legere signature strength is, or should I wait until they are released? There is nothing on their website that I could see.

All the best,

Chris
 
Hi Pete,

Did you get yours in Germany?

Yes. They were still working on the alto version, but I thought the tenor signature were on general release. maybe not.
 
I've just found this on www.bill-lewington.com:

Légère Signature Reeds - New for 2010
[SIZE=-1]Designed to the most exacting specifications, these reeds deliver all the depth and warmth that elite players demand. The new Signature Series Reeds are the ideal solution for elite players looking for that something extra who haven’t yet found the perfect sound with our other reeds. Months of testing with top professionals including Larry Combs and Barnaby Robson have demonstrated that the new reeds can add another dimension to the already rich Legere sound. Mr.Combs, former Principal Clarinet in Chicago, has said that the new reeds “feel and sound very natural.”[/SIZE]
Might not be the reed for me after all then as it's
[SIZE=-1] the ideal solution for elite players[/SIZE]
Well an elite player I am not!

Cost seems to be £26.99 and strengths: 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75 & 4 [SIZE=-1].25[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]2.5[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1].75[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]3[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]3.25[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]3.5[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]3.75[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]4[/SIZE]
 
So what strength are you using, to match the RJS 2S, Pete?
 
I used to have a great Legere Studio tenor reed that was by far the best non-cane reed I have tried (Bari, Bari star, Fibracell, Hahn, Hartmann Fiberreed). Then I split the tip with my reed cover and the Studio that I got to replace it was OK but nothing special.

I can't tell from the Legere descriptions, but does anyone (Pete ?) know the difference between their sax reeds, particularly the Studio and Signature ? I'm looking for something close to RJS or Vandoren Java.

Rhys
 
So what strength are you using, to match the RJS 2S, Pete?

2.4 on tenor, a bit softer on alto, but the Legere signature alto I tried at Frankfurt was not yet in production, and I don't think they'd finished working out the grading.
 
2.4 on tenor, a bit softer on alto, but the Legere signature alto I tried at Frankfurt was not yet in production, and I don't think they'd finished working out the grading.

No, they don't appear to have a "2.4" ....pretty unusual grading anyway, eh?....... maybe it was a slightly 'scraped' 2.5 :)
 
No, they don't appear to have a "2.4" ....pretty unusual grading anyway, eh?....... maybe it was a slightly 'scraped' 2.5 :)

Could be they were still working on grading the tenors as well then, it has 2.4 written on it anyway.
 
Just to clear up the grading thing... Pete received a prototype reed that had been measured at the factory as 2.40± in strength. It would be stamped as a 2-1/2. We brought a pile of reeds to the Frankfurt Musikmesse to get an idea of how hard the various players think the Signature reeds are. There is no real consensus between the reed makers as to what the numbers actually mean. With one marking of reed i.e. 2-1/2 you will always find a small variance in strengths. With cane reeds as much as a 1/2 strength between the hardest and softest reeds in a box. This is the same for mouthpieces as they all play a little differently. One mouthpiece maker calls this the "ghost in the machine". I personally think that the Signature tenor reeds are graded very similarly to the Java reeds. The grading system is like the rest of the Legere reeds, in 1/4 strengths. The Studio cut reeds played a little hard in the lower register and a little soft in the upper register. This is why it is so critical to get the strength just right with the Studio cut reeds. The Signature reeds are extremely consistent from the lowest note to the altissimo register. You can play from a whisper on low Bb (If you have done your longtones!) to a roar. The high notes are bang on. The reeds are also great on open mouthpieces. I normally play an 8* JodyJazz and tested the Signature reeds on a 10* Jody HR and it played great. O.K. I know, I am raving. I will say this though, since developing the reeds with Guy Légère in February of this year I haven't played a cane reed. Before then, I was a confirmed wood-a-holic and now I never touch the stuff.
As far as getting the Tenor Signatures is concerned I believe that they are just now shipping so it might be a short while yet before they show up. You also might need to inform your shop as they may not even know about them yet.
D.
 
Hi David,

It sounds like these 'signature' reeds are going to be worth trying when they become available, and thank you for clearing up the slight anomaly with the grade of Pete's reed.

Best wishes,

Chris
 
Yes, thank you David....it's all much clearer now.
 
Back
Top Bottom