Reeds What CANE reeds are your favourite?

[kamak]

On alto I use a Daddario Select Jazz 2H.

On tenor is use a Java Green 3 or a Forestone Hinoki MH.

I have a bunch of other reeds too but those are my favorites. The others include; ZZ 2.5, Legere American 2.0, Legere Signature 2.0, Forestone Black MH, Java Red 3, Rico Royal 2, and a few others too I think.

 

[lydian]

For context, like most on this board, I'm just a hobbyist, not a pro. While I don't really play as much or at the level of a pro, I do play a lot (~10 hrs/week) and have been playing for a very long time. And I do have very high standards when it comes to my sound. So I'm very picky about my reeds.

I don't actually play my favorites very often. I love Rigotti and BSS, but I can't usually afford them unless I find some NOS on ebay or from a private seller. LaVoz and Rico are a close second for me but much more affordable, so that's what I've played most of my life. Never played a Vandoren I liked on sax, although they're my favorite on clarinet. I hear Gonzales is similar to Vandoren, so that's a non-starter for me. I do play a few synthetics, usually when I'm doubling on clarinet. But that's another thread.

As for different classical and jazz reeds, the reeds I typically play are a bit too warm and buzzy for the ideal classical sound. So I tend to go up a half strength for classical sax. On clarinet, I can comfortably play the same reed and mouthpiece for both.

Consistency? Cane being a natural product, consistency is really going to be impossible. I've found this to be true on all brands. Anyone who plays cane is just going to have to accept this reality and deal with it. I deal with it with my pocket knife.

TLDR, my favorites, considering budget, are LaVoz and Rico (orange/brown box). I like Rico Royal, but they tend to not last very long these days. Not a fan of Plasticover. Even though the OP doesn't care about strength, I think it's an important consideration. LaVoz med-soft is just a tad softer than Rico 2.5, so it's in the sweet spot for me (on tenor). I usually have to work on my Ricos a bit, and LaVoz, not so much.

 

[turf3]

For context, like most on this board, I'm just a hobbyist, not a pro. While I don't really play as much or at the level of a pro, I do play a lot (~10 hrs/week) and have been playing for a very long time. And I do have very high standards when it comes to my sound. So I'm very picky about my reeds.

I don't actually play my favorites very often. I love Rigotti and BSS, but I can't usually afford them unless I find some NOS on ebay or from a private seller. LaVoz and Rico are a close second for me but much more affordable, so that's what I've played most of my life. Never played a Vandoren I liked on sax, although they're my favorite on clarinet. I hear Gonzales is similar to Vandoren, so that's a non-starter for me. I do play a few synthetics, usually when I'm doubling on clarinet. But that's another thread.

As for different classical and jazz reeds, the reeds I typically play are a bit too warm and buzzy for the ideal classical sound. So I tend to go up a half strength for classical sax. On clarinet, I can comfortably play the same reed and mouthpiece for both.

Consistency? Cane being a natural product, consistency is really going to be impossible. I've found this to be true on all brands. Anyone who plays cane is just going to have to accept this reality and deal with it. I deal with it with my pocket knife.

TLDR, my favorites, considering budget, are LaVoz and Rico (orange/brown box). I like Rico Royal, but they tend to not last very long these days. Not a fan of Plasticover. Even though the OP doesn't care about strength, I think it's an important consideration. LaVoz med-soft is just a tad softer than Rico 2.5, so it's in the sweet spot for me (on tenor). I usually have to work on my Ricos a bit, and LaVoz, not so much.

Apparently La Voz, Rico, and Rico Royal are all the same thing. La Voz has different strength labeling and Royal has the "filed cut" where they take off the bark in a line straight across. This is the information from D'Addario Company.

I didn't believe it at first either.

 

[lydian]

Apparently La Voz, Rico, and Rico Royal are all the same thing. La Voz has different strength labeling and Royal has the "filed cut" where they take off the bark in a line straight across. This is the information from D'Addario Company.

I didn't believe it at first either.

Yeah, I'm aware, and I do believe it. But they do indeed run a bit softer in my experience. Not sure how that fits into their production process, but maybe the final strength test sorts them a bit differently? Or maybe a medium soft is actually a Rico 2 and not 2.5? All I know is MS LaVoz is usually just right for me.

 

[skeller047]

Does anyone keep multiple brands/cuts of reed in rotation for the same instrument?

My reed case in my tenor pocket currently has 3 ancient Rico, 2 Rigotti and 2 Boston Sax Shop reeds in it.

My soprano reed case has 4 LaVoz and 4 D'Addario Select Jazz.

I am reed-brand-agnostic. I just rotate thru them in order. They all play more or less the same. Of course I have back-flattened and balanced them all. Now I am in the play and pray mode...

 

[cappers]

I really like them so tried a box of the tenor BSS Blue. Slightly warmer/deeper but seem less vibrant, but I got 2s rather than 2.5s so maybe too soft.
It's a toss up between the BSS Black and Alexander Superial DCs; I find the latter pleasantly livelier.

Some Alexander Superial DC 2.5s arrived this morning and I think they are still my favourite. Responsive, easy to articulate with nice a full tone. £22.19 next day delivery from Sax.