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<blockquote data-quote="skeller047" data-source="post: 628722" data-attributes="member: 9069">When I was a student in the 1960’s, it was Vandoren for clarient, and Rico or LaVoz for saxophone.&nbsp;&nbsp; Classical saxophonists also used Vandoren, but most jazz and pop players didn’t like them.&nbsp;&nbsp; R&amp;B, funk and pop players often used Rico Plasticovers.&nbsp; We knew they were the same reeds, but they were more convenient because they didn’t need wetting.&nbsp; I found out much later that Rico and LaVoz were the exact same reed, but at the time people were strongly in one camp or another.&nbsp;&nbsp; I did have a brief fling with a brand called Olivieri (from Spain, I think) in the late ‘60s, but they were only available in a couple places, and sometimes were hard to get.&nbsp; I did not use them for more than a year or two.&nbsp; There were a few other brands, but most music stores did not carry them.&nbsp;&nbsp; And frankly, Rico were better than most other brands.&nbsp;&nbsp; (LaVoz too, but we Rico-heads didn’t like them LOL.)&nbsp; 90% of the pros I knew in the 1970s and ‘80s used Rico or LaVoz reeds, with the rest using Vandoren or some of those odd brands (Vibrator, Marca, Hemke, etc.)&nbsp; Vandoren only had one style (what is now called “blue box”), and Rico or LaVoz had no other styles.&nbsp;&nbsp; All that changed in the 1990’s and 2000’s - D’Addario bought Rico, more manufacturers and boutique lables started to buy private label reeds from Marca and Rigotti, Hemke and Lurie were already being made by Rico, and Rigotti started to retail their own brand.&nbsp;&nbsp; Then Rico branched out with different styles, Vandoren did too, Gonzalez started shipping worldwide, and we have the multiplicity of choice we have today.&nbsp; Which really all come from five companies - D’Addario, Vandoren, Rigotti, Marca and Gonzalez.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="skeller047, post: 628722, member: 9069"] When I was a student in the 1960’s, it was Vandoren for clarient, and Rico or LaVoz for saxophone. Classical saxophonists also used Vandoren, but most jazz and pop players didn’t like them. R&B, funk and pop players often used Rico Plasticovers. We knew they were the same reeds, but they were more convenient because they didn’t need wetting. I found out much later that Rico and LaVoz were the exact same reed, but at the time people were strongly in one camp or another. I did have a brief fling with a brand called Olivieri (from Spain, I think) in the late ‘60s, but they were only available in a couple places, and sometimes were hard to get. I did not use them for more than a year or two. There were a few other brands, but most music stores did not carry them. And frankly, Rico were better than most other brands. (LaVoz too, but we Rico-heads didn’t like them LOL.) 90% of the pros I knew in the 1970s and ‘80s used Rico or LaVoz reeds, with the rest using Vandoren or some of those odd brands (Vibrator, Marca, Hemke, etc.) Vandoren only had one style (what is now called “blue box”), and Rico or LaVoz had no other styles. All that changed in the 1990’s and 2000’s - D’Addario bought Rico, more manufacturers and boutique lables started to buy private label reeds from Marca and Rigotti, Hemke and Lurie were already being made by Rico, and Rigotti started to retail their own brand. Then Rico branched out with different styles, Vandoren did too, Gonzalez started shipping worldwide, and we have the multiplicity of choice we have today. Which really all come from five companies - D’Addario, Vandoren, Rigotti, Marca and Gonzalez. [/QUOTE]

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