Reeds Reed Ignorance

[Philsaxophone]

It seems I have been going senile for more years than I thought

When I started--I'm a late bloomer--I read about American cut and French cut reeds

The article said that American cut gave a "brassy, bright" sound suited for marching bands and the French cut gave a " mellow, rounded" sound suitable for Jazz

I dont know why but in my fuddled brain I rationalised that to mean filed and unfiled as the two differences


The thing is I can easily check which reeds are filed or not filed from the spec's, Rico Royal v LaVoz etc , but where do I find a table to tell me which are French cut and which are American cut

Tx

Phil

 

[daveysaxboy]

It seems I have been going senile for more years than I thought

When I started--I'm a late bloomer--I read about American cut and French cut reeds

The article said that American cut gave a "brassy, bright" sound suited for marching bands and the French cut gave a " mellow, rounded" sound suitable for Jazz

I dont know why but in my fuddled brain I rationalised that to mean filed and unfiled as the two differences


The thing is I can easily check which reeds are filed or not filed from the spec's, Rico Royal v LaVoz etc , but where do I find a table to tell me which are French cut and which are American cut

Tx

Phil

Grab all that info and throw it in the bin.Reeds like mp's are very picky.Its what suits you that matters.For me i can not after trying most there range get away with Vandoren reeds but loads love them.La Voz are nice but if you get 2 out a box of 5 your very lucky.For me the best reeds for working reeds per box,sound and lasting are Rico jazz select unfiled and Riggoti gold reeds.Had loads of other makes but for me these 2 work great.

 

[saxmaster]

It seems I have been going senile for more years than I thought

When I started--I'm a late bloomer--I read about American cut and French cut reeds

The article said that American cut gave a "brassy, bright" sound suited for marching bands and the French cut gave a " mellow, rounded" sound suitable for Jazz

I dont know why but in my fuddled brain I rationalised that to mean filed and unfiled as the two differences


The thing is I can easily check which reeds are filed or not filed from the spec's, Rico Royal v LaVoz etc , but where do I find a table to tell me which are French cut and which are American cut

Tx

Phil

You can tell by just looking at the reeds. French/ filed reeds shave off a strip of bark so that bark is a rectangle.
American reeds/ unfiled have bark that looks like a rectangle with a curvy thing at the top.
However, I use plastic so I don't worry about it anymore.

 

[Jazzaferri]

Personally I find that almost everycane reed needs some adjustment before it plays really well.

some mpces match up with lots of different reeds some are very fussy as to shape and strength. Embouchure also has an impact on red choice.

woodwind players fuss with reeds....its a fact of life

 

[jonf]

Grab all that info and throw it in the bin.

Its what suits you that matters.

Agreed. For me it's Rico Jazz Selects on sop, alto, c mel and bari, filed in my case. Vandoren on clari. It's just what suits me. One man's meat is another man's poisson. Or something like that.

 

[Colin the Bear]

http://www.tothestage.com/upload/RIBR_TipBook_Volume_1_2123.pdf

 

[TomMapfumo]

Part of the issue was that French cut reeds (thicker heart and thinner tip) were more suited to French mouthpieces which had a shorter facing curve/window and an American Cut reed ( more even profile with a thicker tip) was more suited to American mouthpieces which had a longer facing curve/window. Many mouthpieces seem to have a more medium facing curve these days. I am not sure whether certain mouthpieces are reed picky or simply have a certain facing curve which is paired with the wrong type of reed.

The text below is taken from an article found in "children;smusicalworkshop.com"

"...With more advanced students, they can learn about and discover the various cuts of reeds and when to use them. There are really two cuts of reeds: a rock-jazz-pop reed that is thinner at the heart producing a brighter tone such as Vandoren's Java; and a more classical reed that is thicker at the heart producing a darker tone. Knowing the difference between the two types will allow more advanced players to select not only a good reed, but also the appropriate cut of reed for the job. Sometimes as an experiment, I have the students play the classical reeds on the jazz tunes and vice-versa so that they can feel the difference between the two cuts, firsthand. Knowledge about their equipment is empowering - it gives students responsibility and ownership over their choices."

 

[sushidushi]

Here's another thread about reeds. It serves little purpose except to illustrate further that some people like some reeds and other people like others.

http://cafesaxophone.com/showthread...duce-better-sound-than-Javas-and-Jazz-selects

My son's clarinet teacher said yesterday with great authority that Rico reeds (all types for all instruments) were no good. I just said 'Oh, so you don't like them?' and moved on.

I tend to use La Voz medium soft or Vandoren blue box, strength 2. I sometimes like one and sometimes the other, but I lean towards La Voz. I really wish reed manufacturers would make variety boxes of the different reeds in their range, to allow the aimless like me to make easier comparisons.

 

[saxmaster]

Personally I find that almost everycane reed needs some adjustment before it plays really well.

some mpces match up with lots of different reeds some are very fussy as to shape and strength. Embouchure also has an impact on red choice.

woodwind players fuss with reeds....its a fact of life

I was completely oblivious to the fact that there can be bad and good reeds in a box. Probably due to the fact I used the cheapest reeds I could find .
However this was my main reason for switching to plastic as they are all 100% consistent, long lasting, easy to clean, and sound good (IMO). And they look cool haha. As my friend Sonia put it, plastic is fantastic!

 

[TomMapfumo]

Howarth 0f London sell single reeds at same price as if in a complete box - hence you can get as many as you want to try, even of different strengths, at a reasonable price!

This is one of the best reed comparison charts: http://www.saxophon-service.de/shop/z_57.htm

"Jazz Cut" reeds seem to be best of both worlds - thinner heart and thinner tip - and are my preferred choice for playability (Marca Jazz, Alexander DC's, Francois Louis Excellence, Rico Jazz Selects, Rigotti Gold).

 

[tzadik]

Different reeds have basically different profile... not so important if they are filed or unfiled.

Just an example for visualize differences (on Vandoren reeds... but it's the same for other reeds):

French cut is usually referred to reed design for classical playing (which are generally filed).
Not all filed reeds are for classical playing.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I saw these on the interweb. Might be one or two good ones in this batch

 

[MLoosemore]

If you could cut me a few 2's I would be forever grateful... French cut please

 

[sushidushi]

Howarth 0f London sell single reeds at same price as if in a complete box - hence you can get as many as you want to try, even of different strengths, at a reasonable price

I do wish I still lived in God's own country. I think I might pick my next box on the basis of the graphic design on the box. It's probably as good a way as many on which to make a decision.

 

[kevgermany]

Thomann sell single reeds as well, small discount for buying a box. RJS work well for me.

 

[aldevis]

I do wish I still lived in God's own country. I think I might pick my next box on the basis of the graphic design on the box. It's probably as good a way as many on which to make a decision.

Don't do that: Alxander reeds come in a very cool tin box, but I've always been unlucky with them (and disgusted by their customer service).

RJS (my current main choice) recently hired a color blind graphic designer (that horrible pinkish box cannot have any other explanation) but they are fairly consistent.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I have some "white crane" all the way from hong kong. £8 for 20 including a trimmer. The tenors were so good I sent for some altos. With a little clipping and a bit of faffing they're better than some I've tried.

 

[MrPizza]

Don't do that: Alxander reeds come in a very cool tin box, but I've always been unlucky with them (and disgusted by their customer service).

I too had a tin of Alexanders, they appeared really uneven, the 'bark' ran almost all the way to the tip on a couple of them. I sent them an email and got a snotty reply, which was annoying and disappointing. However, they all actually played very well for me, and lasted ages. in the end, i was impressed. So I will probably get some more soon. And they did come in That really cool tin.......

 

[tzadik]

I tried many Alexander reeds (bought as single reeds from Thomann...): the Alexander NY is interesting... they are like a parquet slat.
Dark silky tone... and they are good as doorstop too.

 

[Saxade]

Personally I find that almost everycane reed needs some adjustment before it plays really well.

Now Ain't That The Truth!