Favorite brand or reed size

[Wailin']

I keep switching from Rico Royale to Vandoren reeds hoplessly thinking its the brand of reed that gives a better sound. Lately, it appears that any brand of reed can have a bad or good sound. Has this been your observation? I also notice that Rico Royales' number is .5 above van doren so that the 2.5 VanDoren = 3 of Rico Royal. Is this true? What size reed are you most comfortable with on your alto? What size reed of Rico or Vandoren is best for playing altissimo?

[saxusa]

Over the years I have found that all brands of reeds (cane) produce some duds. Sometimes,not to often, you will find a whole box of playable reeds. In most cases you will have one or two bad ones and other times half the box may be crap. With that in mind, I buy Rico regulars in the orange box. They are cheap and have about the same quality as other brands. Compared to Vandoren Traditionals, Rico regs and Royals are about a 1/2 size under. I use Rico #3s which are equal to Vandoren Trads in 2 1/2. I also found that Vandoren Java reeds to be 1/2 size under the Vandoren Traditionals. Yet, the tip of the Javas is thicker. Hope that helps. 8)

[Silscio]

I used to play on Vandoren Javas, and thought that they were far superior, but I tried some Rico Royals and i had to bite my words--I generally like them better. But I agree, I think that you can no matter what find reeds that will pretty much work from every different type of brand. I think that there are generall a lot more duds in a box of Ricos that in a box of Vandorens, though.

[Silscio]

What about making your own reeds? Who knows anything about that? It sounds intriguing...

[saxusa]

There is a book titled "Universial Method" by Paul Deville. It has been in print since 1908, and still is. In the beginning of the book there is a section on making your own reeds, with diaghrams. I guess that is how they got their reeds back in 1908. 8)

[Agent27]

Yes, VanDoren Blue Box reeds run 1/2 strength harder then they are listed. But Javas and V16's are right. So Traditional 2 1/2 = Java 3 = V16 3. I don't know why they do it like that.

Most of the Rico brand reeds (Rico, Rico Royale, Hemke, Rico Jazz Select, Plasticover) have the same grading system. Hemkes run a little harder thought. Rico Grand Concerts and like VanDoren Traditionals in that they are actually a 1/2 strength harder than listed. LaVoz has its own unique grading system. Rico Jazz select comes in 1/3 sizes but a 3 still = a 3.

In middle school they started me out on Rico Royals. In high school they moved me to VanDorens. I've tried Vandoren (Tradional, Javas, & V16's), Rico (Grand Concert, Plasticover, Rico Jazz, Hemke, LaVoz, Rico Royal), and Alexander Superials (Regular, DC, and Classique).

My preference are:
Alto: Vandoren Traditional(Classical) and Regular Superials (Jazz)
Tenor: Hemke (Classical) and Superial DC's (Jazz)

[Riff]

What size reed are you most comfortable with on your alto? What size reed of Rico or Vandoren is best for playing altissimo?

Reed size is dependent upon your mouthpiece facing.
The wider the tip opening, the softer your reed and visa versa.
Also, the longer the facing curve, the harder your reed and visa versa.

Since there are so many combinations possible between tip opening and facing curve length there can be no standard recommendation for reed strength. You just have to try various reeds to find what works best on your mouthpiece. On alto I play an Otto Link #7 metal mouthpiece with Rico Royal 2-1/2 reeds. Works for me.

Re: altissimo
Harder reeds yield easier altissimo but at the expense of ease in the lower registers. Again you must find the right compromise.

[Ezekiel338]

There are a couple of things to think about when discussing reeds. I use VanDoren Java 3.5s for both classical and jazz playing, and can get playability for much longer than others feel a reed should last. There are, as was stated before by saxusa, a limited number of out-of-the-box playable reeds in each 10-pack I purchase. One should consider VanDoren the best reed out there, even if it does compare to a RRoyale out of the box. This may seem controversial, except when one considers that the VanDoren has been shipped by sea after being in a humidity-controlled environment before its creation. Sitting in a dry shop will worsen the effects of the humidity changes it has experienced. The VanDoren's strengths far outway their drawbacks. They start with better stock. And anyway, we have ways of making them talk.

The first measure of how good a reed one has is to look at the parabola that appears when the tip is created. If the cane was not completely round, one will not have a perfectly symmetrical parabola. One can use a reed knife to shave down any high spots on a marginal reed. Another indication that the cane was not round is visible on the back of the reed (180degrees from tip). One may find that the reed is thicker on one side of the arch than the other. The greater the difference, the harder it is to get the read to play.

Reed prep is important, and most players overlook it, just slapping on a new reed.
WET IT: One should begin by wetting the reed. I usually suck on it for a while, but then hold the reed backwards in my mouth and pull water (from a small cup) into the reed. Usually one will feel the cold water coming out the back.
SAND IT: Hold the reed by the remaining smooth cane, not by the cut face of the reed. Sand the logo off with wet/dry 1000-1500 grit sandpaper being sure to only go straight front to back and never side to side (this ensures the grain of the reed won't break), rewetting (raises the grain and causes a smoother sand) and continuing until, when viewed at an angle to sunlight, one sees a flat shiny section that reaches from even with the tips of the parabola edges on the other side, to as close to the back end of the reed as possible. This is important for the reed to contact the mouthpiece completely without leaks. After the sanding is done, rub the face of the reed, being sure to move towards the tip only. This will close the little tubes that make up the grain.
SHAVE IT: If one's reed is still stuffy, one can shave it, but this is a fine art in and of itself (just ask a bassoon player or oboist).

Finally, if one is having trouble making a reed speak, in a pinch the reed can be moved more onto the mouthpiece, making it less resistant. The converse is true as well: If a reed is squeaking and seems too soft, try moving it up on the mouthpiece, making it more resistant.