Reeds Reed Gouging.

[PigSquealer]

I bought a box of those during lockdown just for the fun of it. They're ok, at least they play, or at least the two I've bothered with have, after a fashion, but the cane is certainly rough and nothing approaching the quality you get these days. They came in boxes of 25. There's no way to tell if the hole made any difference but I doubt it. The holes are very nicely drilled, They don't seem to have stayed in business very long.

Vibrator reeds (for saxophone) where made a few years around 1935. The cane on the table was grooved on the outside. It probably made it easier to clamp the reed on the mouthpiece. This invention was patented in China around 2010.

Ok guys, so what’s a young pro player have to choose from ??? @Tonehole is well educated in music. Actually has a degree in music on sax and earning a living playing. What’s needed is modern accessible goods that work and are affordable. Week in, week out. AKA consumables to earn a living playing on sax.

 

[thomsax]

Ok guys, so what’s a young pro player have to choose from ??? @Tonehole is well educated in music. Actually has a degree in music on sax and earning a living playing. What’s needed is modern accessible goods that work and are affordable. Week in, week out. AKA consumables to earn a living playing on sax.

I don't know what a young well educated sax player should do!?!?!?! Most things I know I have learn on my own or by other self-learned players/honkers. To threat reeds and search for good reeds, should be a part of the saxophone education.

 

[Jimmymack]

There is the odd picture of Coltrane playing a Vibrator reed for what that's worth which is probably nothing. The ones I have are Oscillators, made in France and with B&H printed on them, they have the holes. A young pro player can do what the rest of us have to do and try everything they can, experience the joys and sadness of success and failure and keep going. The problem with reeds is eternal.

 

[Tonehole]

I don't know what a young well educated sax player should do!?!?!?! Most things I know I have learn on my own or by other self-learned players/honkers. To threat reeds and search for good reeds, should be a part of the saxophone education.

Yep trial and error tends to be how one progresses but nice when others share their life experience and wisdom.
I think that is the purpose of the site?

I have been encouraged to give synthetic reeds a try by a few members who recommend them. I was not struggling with my Rico reeds. Since playing the Forestone on alto I now realise the potential advantages of current synths. I just need to dial in the right make and strength. As a musician I always want to advance and play to the best of my abilities and that of my equipment.

The problem.
Toronto is the biggest city in Canada with the most venues to play and the most instrument and repair shops in Canada. Yet I cannot even go to a store and buy a Hartmann reed let alone meet a player who is on one. They are not distributed in Canada only on Amazon. I have ordered an Onyx for tenor to give a try.

Looking for a more cutting and louder soprano sound the right synth reed may get me there. The Plasticover reeds I picked up for soprano are not doing it for me. I think I played a similar style of reed years ago.

Interested in trying a Durga sop mouthpiece and there is not one of any size in the city, not available on Amazon.CA. One in Montreal a 4 #8 for $900.00 CDN and a couple of 5 in a store in Vancouver same price. Only two Super Jets sop available in the city but in two different stores. They cost over $1,000.00 CDN on Amazon and cannot be returned.

I play for pay a lot, not a hobbyist but have a full time job as well, wife a son and mortgage.

I realise one pays their money and takes their chances. But looking to shorten the search to reduce the cost.

Cheers

 

[thomsax]

Yep trial and error tends to be how one progresses but nice when others share their life experience and wisdom.
I think that is the purpose of the site?

I just want to show that saxplayers are differtent. As saxophone enthusiast I do things that I believe in. I'm not saying that my way is the right way. I just want to point out there are other tools and methods to prepare reeds than to buy and use a "R......g".

 

[Tonehole]

As saxophone enthusiast I do things that I believe in. I'm not saying that my way is the right way. I just want to point out there are other tools and methods to prepare reeds than to buy and use a "R......g".

So what is your way?
I got taken to task for stating I play Orange box Rico reeds. My reed of choice, I have played others but have committed to them the past few years because they work for me and are inexpensive to buy at discount prices. After a little research and input from members we learned many of the sax greats got great results from Rico reeds before the fetish and flood of various reed makers hit the market.

I was informed on how to prepare reeds better. skeller047 gave detailed advice on how he quickly and cheaply prepared reeds with out spending more time doing it then playing it. I basicly played them right out of the box with no issues. I followed his advice and posted on this thread about it.

Then I received a chorus of advice from members that the new synthetic reeds were an easy go to for consistency. The Hartmann were promoted by many. So I decided to give synths a try. I have a hoard of Rico reeds they will last me a few years but thought I would investigate synth reeds. I was able to pick up a Forestone alto and a soprano reed plus 2 packs of Plasticover sop reeds for basically free at an estate sale.

On the weekend I played a 4 hour solo cocktail gig using the Forestone 3 alto reed. I had no problems playing on it and it required no maintenance. I found it a little bright to my taste but no listeners complained. I will order a warmer Hartman reed as recommended by members and see how that plays and have an Onyx tenor reed on it's way to try.


That is a synopsis of my journey so far on this thread.
Much of the fun is in the hunt.

Cheers

 

[Colin the Bear]

Running low in all departments, I just completed my restock SATB&C. A mix of Vandoren blue and D'Addario "organic". £130. They should hold me for 6 months, I hope.

Gear for music was a strange purchase process, that I didn't complete. £21 for a box of 5 tenor reeds, £22 for the postage from Sweden. Err... No thanks, but why?

Curly Woodwind are competitively priced, have a wide range and pretty quick to dispatch.

 

[Jimmymack]

I keep reading about the orange box Ricos and a lot of people seem to think they are decent. I thought I would give them a try until I found that they cost around £42 for a box of 10. At that price they should be good but as I can buy a box of BSS for an extra £8 I
I decided not to bother.

 

[Tonehole]

Whoa 5£ a reed is $10.00 CDN! I would choke on that.
I paid $16.04 CDN = $11.70 USD so an amazing deal for 10 new Rico Orange in a factory sealed box. This included shipping and no taxes my last buy.

 

[Grumps]

I was recently reminded that Vandoren tenor reeds come in boxes of five, not ten like alto and soprano. Hope they last till the Symposium...

 

[Colin the Bear]

The box of five tenor reeds I wanted, were only available from G4m, Thomann and Amazon. I got them from Amazon with free postage, by having them delivered to a locker at the local filling station. No worries it's open 24hours.

For those who use the Rico Orange by D'Addario, the Vandoren Juno is very comparable and cheaper.

 

[Tonehole]

The Onyx reed ordered on Alibaba arrived today. So a quick delivery from China for $ .50.
Now it gets more complicated. It appears to be a original though packed better than what is used in the States, Problem is I ordered a 2.75 M/H Tenor reed but received a M/H 2.75 Alto. They say I ordered a Soprano M/H 2.7 ? Regardless I did not order what they shipped so now we will see how they rectify it.

I am happy with any of those three reeds at the price charged. Really pleased if they tell me to keep it and send a free tenor reed!

The packaging appears to be much superior than what Hartmann currently offers?

 

[John Laughter]

Coltrane may have been on a 5* or a 6 in 1967

This not my research but from another player years ago who provided many setups. 18 pages.

John Coltrane: 1950-1955: Otto Link Tonemaster 5 and metal 50’s Duck Bill Berg Larsen. 1958-1962: Otto Link Tonemaster 6: 1962: Late Otto Link Tonemaster (proportional body and long shank) and a custom made 4**** model with the ligature spine put on. 1963-1964: Otto Link Super Tone Master New York model 6* and Otto Link Super Tone Master Pompano model 6 (Selmer metal ligature). 1964: hard rubber long shank Selmer soloist F. 1965-1967: hard rubber/plastic Selmer Goldentone 4 (refaced to a 6 by Coltrane, whose broken stumps of teeth were sensitive to metal, and eventually, hard rubber mouthpieces. Coltrane reportedly got the idea of making his own mouthpieces from Gato Barbieri).

 

[Tonehole]

Thank you so much for this information. I always wondered what he played during different years.
I will archive this info so it does not fall into the AI realm. I have been trying to get definitive info for a couple of decades now and yours is the most definitive list I have received and from a trust worthy source. So thank you once again @John Laughter. 🤗

Alibaba update-
Disappointment on the Alto Onyx reed they will refund if I send it back, they supply the label. I was hoping they would say keep and send the tenor reed for free. I want to try the Oynx on alto so will see which plays brighter.

I have a couple of different Hartman tenor reeds I ordered direct from them on route. So I have ordered a 2.75 M/H Onyx soprano reed from Alibaba to see what happens. The Forestone synthetic soprano reed I scored is playing really well on soprano at present.

It is definitely a plus not having to swap out reeds. Just pick up the horn and play and knowing that the reed will play well.

 

[turf3]

Ok guys, so what’s a young pro player have to choose from ??? @Tonehole is well educated in music. Actually has a degree in music on sax and earning a living playing. What’s needed is modern accessible goods that work and are affordable. Week in, week out. AKA consumables to earn a living playing on sax.

I'd suggest to choose from amongst

Vandoren standard
Vandoren Java
Rico/La Voz
Rico Jazz Select
Rigotti
Rico Royal

and learn how to adjust reeds to make whichever is closest to what you want, exactly what you want.

I would NOT commit to any oddball brand that you can't lay your hands on quickly. Think of driving across country in an Alfa Romeo versus a Ford F-150. Which one can you get serviced in Podunk?

 

[skeller047]

D’Addario have recently started putting the brand and strength stamp on the bark side of Rico reeds, just like they did with the Jazz Selects a couple years ago. My admittedly limited experience with the new Ricos has been quite positive, seems like they stiffened, or maybe “lengthened” is a better word, the spine a bit.

There are still some of the older, “logo stamp on the flat side” reeds out there. I recently ordered a box of 2.5s and a box of 2s. The 2s were the older ones, but the 2.5s have the stamp on the bark. A brief look with a strong light and the 2.5s seem to share this better spine shape with the 3.0s that I got a few weeks ago. But the test is in the playing, so I’ll give them a go today or tomorrow.

 

[John Laughter]

So thank you once again @John Laughter 🤗

You are very welcome. Glad to help.

 

[turf3]

Seriously, Trane played a GOLDENTONE? Now I've GOT to clean mine up and take it on some gigs. Along with my Mexi-Conn tenor.

 

[John Laughter]

From the NET;
Between 1965 and 1967, John Coltrane played a hard rubber/plastic Selmer Goldentone 4 mouthpiece, which he personally refaced to a 6 opening. He made this switch because the broken stumps of his teeth made his embouchure too sensitive to the metal Otto Links he used during the peak of his early and mid-career.
While the Selmer Goldentone was originally an entry-level student mouthpiece, Coltrane utilized it during his late, avant-garde period (around the time of the Expression album). The Goldentone and its history can be broken down into a few specific details:

• The Reason for the Switch: Coltrane suffered from dental problems—specifically broken teeth and sensitive gums—due to his extremely tight, "frown-style" embouchure and long practice sessions with very hard reeds. Switching to a hard rubber/plastic mouthpiece eased the pressure and irritation on his mouth.
• The Modification: He reportedly got the idea to modify his own mouthpieces from Gato Barbieri. Coltrane took his standard Goldentone 4 and refaced it himself using various tools to achieve a wider tip opening (around a 6). [1, 2]
• Other Notable Mouthpieces: The Goldentone is an outlier in his legendary gear history. For the vast majority of his career, he famously used a metal Otto Link Tone Master (sizes 5* and 6)—often modifying them with an internal wedge to achieve his signature bright, cutting tone.

 

[LostCircuits]

Seriously, Trane played a GOLDENTONE? Now I've GOT to clean mine up and take it on some gigs. Along with my Mexi-Conn tenor.

I was waiting for that post!
I mean, just as an encouragement to open mine up, too! To an 8* or so
🙂