Reeds again

[Tim]

Hey folks: Don't know how many use synthetics? However I would like those of you to chime in on the Fibracells and Legers? I have been using Fibracells for over a year now and will start replacing some that I have. Yes, they do last that long. They play very well. I do not squeak at all with them. I know Pete said at one time he did not like the Fibracells? Pete, let us know if you have changed on that view? Would like to hear about the Legers too if anyone has any info on them. I live at high altitude and do not have the drying problems that cane does at 6000 ft. Thanks. Tim

 

[Fraser Jarvis]

Have been using the Fibracells for quite a while now and really like them, tried Leger Signature 2.0 and 2.25, couldn't get on with them at all, squeaked all over the place, to dark as well...but thats just me...

 

[Merryfisher]

been using fibracell for what must be getting on for 15 years now & i can't fault them (med hard (they have recently changed the grading) with lawton 7 mpc) - fell upon them years ago after years & boxes of natural cane reed rejects - very few fibracell rejects! They play clean, sweet & bright, great with altissimo range. forget the 'snob' thing of the natural reed brigade - i for one would never go back to the days of warped reeds that sound like they have blocked sinuses!

 

[Rico Vandoren]

I was recently given a Leger 2.25 ( alto ). I found it more or less unplayable. Very stiff and very dark sounding. I'll be sticking with my usual reeds.

 

[Jack]

what's wrong with the Rico's?

 

[Gallen]

Legere Signatures for me... fibracells actually play very similar (to my ears) but the legeres just have more of a body/core sound that I prefer. One advantage of the fibracells is they look like cane, so ppl don't look at you funny ("is that a plastic reed?"). hths!

 

[allansto]

Ive got a legere signiture 2 that I tried cos I was at the time strugling with canes
Any way I tried it and played Ok but I found my tone not as good
Then i got my teacher to play it and he got a nice tone out of it.
Ive gone back to straigt ricos at the moment but at some stage in the future Im sure I will pull
that signiture out of the box and use it.

 

[Tim]

Thanks to all of you for your input! I am sure I will try a Leger at some point. Being at high altitude makes the Fibracels a good choice. Many good players recommend them for very dry climates. Tim

 

[Andante cantabile]

I have tried several Fibracells, but so far I have found it quite hard to get the reed strength that is right for me. I buy my reeds from the US, and my supplier doesn't stock Fibracells, so no further experimenting for the time being.

OTOH, I like the Legere Signature #2 on my tenor. The least I got out of one of them so far has been 132 hours of practice.

 

[thomsax]

what's wrong with the Rico's? View attachment 1179

I like them. Great reeds.

Thomas

 

[Tim]

Guys, Go to usareeds.com they have everything. Don't know about shipping out of the US costs? Great service. Tim

 

[Pete Thomas]

I know Pete said at one time he did not like the Fibracells? Pete, let us know if you have changed on that view?

No, but I do like Legere Signature (that's why I became a Legere endorser)

 

[Tim]

OK, Now I got to try one. What strength do you use? Now, I got to ask why you do not like the Fibracels? They have worked real well for me. Of course I only got just short of 3 years playing and I'm old! 69 next month. Arrrghhh!

 

[Nick Wyver]

Nowt wrong with Fibracells or Legeres. I used synthetics for years (also Baris) and only changed back to cane when I decided I really preferred the sound and found a method of keeping them that suited me (in vodka).

 

[Andante cantabile]

A postscript to my earlier post. This morning I used a Fibracell Medium on the Vandoren T20, and it worked extremely well. I usually prefer the T35. And I agree: there is nothing wrong with Ricos, but I prefer Rico Royals when I use cane.

 

[Tim]

Gotta love the Vodka!!! Just checked when I got the 2, 2.5 Fibracels. 1 year ago to the month. Just got 4 more today in the mail. I figure, 85% of my playing for a year on 4 reeds. Wow. They are soft on the tip now. So, I got the new ones and will keep on going with them. I practice every day when I'm home and play in my Jr. college orchestra. I am going to try a Rico Jazz Select this week. Tim Yamaha 62-2 Tenor Selmer M-6 Tenor Mayer 5

 

[visionari1]

........ Just got 4 more today in the mail. I figure, 85% of my playing for a year on 4 reeds. Wow. They are soft on the tip now. So, I got the new ones and will keep on going with them.........

That's great..... I get 100% of my playing out of one reed per instrument (alto & sop) per year...unless it needs changing.

I'm using Hahn reeds though....recently I've found when they get soft I shorten them, which stiffens them up, then I need to resand (carefully) untill they come into good sound and easy playing.

I make a small board the same curve as the end of reed, I use another little stick with sandpaper say grit anywhere from 240 to 400, attach sandpaper with doublesided tape and file/sand down the reed holding it on the first board I made. Sand across the reed rolling the stick along the curve not up and down.

I found this out when I rescued a reed when my mouthpeice fell on the ground chipping a couple of mm across half of the reed, so I must have shortened it by at least 3mm. After that it was playing very hard so used the sanding board/stick on the slope of the reed frequently testing the sound till it came back into a sweet sound.

Worked for me.....now my reeds which last very long anyway, will last even longer.

Cheers & Ciao
Jimu

 

[Tim]

Jimu: Thanks so much. I will try that with my older Fibracells. Tim

 

[Doodah]

I sit beside a guy playing bass clarinet who's had same reed for 25 years. I persuaded him to buy a box of new reeds, but he's gone back to the old reed. It still sounds alright in part of the range, but it just doesn't right in upper and lower range. :crying:

 

[saxnik]

I sit beside a guy playing bass clarinet who's had same reed for 25 years. I persuaded him to buy a box of new reeds, but he's gone back to the old reed. It still sounds alright in part of the range, but it just doesn't right in upper and lower range. :crying:

I haven't changed my bass clarinet reed for ages. Though that's because it hardly comes out of the box... :shocked:

Plus one for the Legere signatures though, been rotating two on tenor for gigs and practice since August, and they're great, just starting to show the strain now. I would have been through four boxes of cane reeds by now.

Nick