Good ol' orange box Rico's

[Saxaholic]

Anyone else REALLY enjoy these reeds on your axe? I have a Cannonball Alto and I went to the music shop today to try out that old "Master Model" Buffet Evette Schaeuffer, and I forgot my reeds. So I just used a new Rico orange that they sell just to test the sax. It responded great! From the Altissimo A down to the low Bb it was consistent and gave a great tone. I tried it on my Cannonball Big Bell, and the effect tripled. I couldn't believe it. Maybe it's just a fantastic reed, but I tried a few more from the same box and they all performed just as good. Needless to say I've switched to the Rico orange!

Anyone else have experiences like this?

[Gregg W. Jackson]

I travelled cross country and left all my reeds at home. The only music store in Springfield, Mass. that was open at 6:30 on a Friday night has one box of tenor reeds, Rico Orange 3 1/2. I bought them and played them all weekend with good results. I still take them out an play them from time to time. They don't have the refinement of my Alexanders, but they have a nice juicy sound.

[paulwl]

I think they don't enjoy much favor among serious players because they don't require a lot of adjusting to get a good sound. There's an axiom about reeds:
"If it plays well right out of the box, throw it out!"
It's not universally believed, but very hard to get rid of entirely.

[Cameron Wigmore]

rico reeds are a good deal. If you play a lot they will save you dough, and although you do have to adjust most of them, they play just fine. Very "free-blowing".

[Mike Cesati]

I agree ,for the economy factor I went back to Rico regulars. I used them years ago when I started. I started back with them and have been very happy. There are some duds in there plus ones that need some work but th :o e overall % of reeds that I use is pretty good. They also have a fat tone thats dark and I like that. Its funny though I had about 8 Rico Orange soaked and I was trying them . I was having trouble getting a good one then BAM. I put a reed on and it was killer. I happened to turn it over and it was a Superial that had got mixed in.True story. Superial and Rico orange are actually similar in strength and tonal quality.The Superials are great but I like the economy of the Rico.To me a good Rico will last about as long as a good Superial. it ended up as economics and the fact that I'm really not that fussy. A good reed is a good reed .

[saxtek]

About 40 years ago when I was in high school, I went to see Woody Herman's band. Woody's tenor sax star, Andy McGhee, was nice enough to spend almost all his break time with me the entire evening. I asked a lot of dumb questions about mouthpieces, and eventually I asked what kind of reeds Andy used.

"I use Rico reeds, because they are the WORST!" was his reply. When I asked why he used the worst reeds, he explained, "All reeds are bad and Ricos are the cheapest."

Since then I've tried lots of reeds and I found lots of good ones, but I always give regular Ricos a try, too. I usually use them - on everything. I play 10 different horns full time and often don't have time to work on reeds. I've become familiar with Rico reed strengths and I can guess which Rico to use right out of the box. If it doesn't last long, well, it costs half as much as a lot of other reeds, and I think of Andy McGhee. The next night I'll be in a different band, playing a different horn, using a different (cheap) Rico reed.

[Tears June]

I'm interested to know if Orange box Rico has same disavtange with SJ - Difficult for articulation after playing an hour ! I've found it is because the texture on the vamp & heart is more soft.


:cry:

Been playing on Rico's after using the old fibercane reeds for a number of years. They are just fine for the occasional playing I do now and the prce is right.

[Mike Cesati]

Tears June,the rico orange are different than RJS. The Orange play good and last. They aren't as bright as RJS. RJS get thin sounding quickly. I dislike them. Orange Rico are darker,woodier. My $.02

[Grantibibitus]

It's not an economy choice for me. I really do love the way plain ricos play. La Voz would be my next choice but they're just too stark sounding for my taste. The ricos, though not terribly consistent, seem to have a warmness about them. I play a Zephyr Bari with a metal Berg 105/1 using a double embachure, and rico #4's. To me the La Voz reeds make it sound like my horn's made of PVC, whereas the ricos give it the sound of a hand carved oak saxophone.

Viva los Ricos!

[mattsax]

A teacher of mine went backstage to talk with Eddie Daniels at one of Eddie's performances. Eddie was playing tenor sax with an Otto Link and Rico orange reeds. He explained that Links were originally designed with Rico reeds in mind. My teacher proceded to try them, but couldn't get them to work, so he gave the box to me.

I suspect that if you play a vintage horn that is already quite dark, these work fine. On modern Selmers, I think, they are just too bright, however.


Vandoren Javas used to be my favorite reed, but lately the ones I have happened to get have been consistently bad (stuffy, hard blowing, often out of balance, but not easily fixable). I'm thinking of trying Alexanders or the new Vandoren ZZ's--not Ricos of any kind. :x

[Tears June]

Mike C

Thanks. You said Rico Orange (tenor ?) sounds more dark. How does it compare with Hemke, DC Superial & La Voz ?
I like very rich, thick & a bit dark tenor sound .

:cry:

[Mike Cesati]

Tears June,
I like a dark,husky tone also. The Rico orange with my Otto Link rubber mpc are a nice match.I like Lavoz also and Superial as well as DC Superial are good. Those would be my favorite 4 reeds. I don't care for Hemke.The orange Rico are all around good reeds for the money and they have a nice dark ,fat sound. With the Link there is a matchup there.

[I. Fallon]

There is a reason why Dexter said "Happiness is a wet Rico" in that movie.

They work great drilled too.

[Txsaxkat]

The last time I say Greg Piccolo he was using them on his tenor with a florida STM 9*

[Vortex]

Orange box Rico's? I'm not much of a reed snob, but those... eew. Any Vandoran will beat them.

[MM]

How do the orange box Ricos compare in strength to anything else? If you answer, please mention what size you're referring to (alto, tenor, etc.) Thanks.

[Tears June]

1) I wonder if Organe Rico tenor reed has similar sound with Rico Royal ?

2) How's Organge Box & Rico Royal strength compare with Java? Same or Java is more soft ? Example: Vandoren's 'Blue Box Traditional' & 'Jazz' is much harder than Java for the same hardness.


:cry:

[Gregg W. Jackson]

MM, there are several reed strength comparison charts around. The one at the Rico web site compares all the Rico products and two types of Vandorens. Go to http://www.ricoreeds.com/ and click "Downloads", then download the Rico catalog and scroll to the next to last page of the catalog.

[MM]

Thanks, but I was asking for some personal experience. I don't always agree with the reed strength charts. Also the comparisons are often different for different reed sizes (sop, alto, tenor.)

[Hurling Frootmig]

The best advice I can give anyone on reeds would be to try everything you can get your hands on if funds allow. Reeds are a very personal experience and what works for one person may not work for someone else.

[saxusa]

I use Rico orange box reeds on my alto. I buy the box of 50s. Can't beat the price. 8)

[-TH]

I have say that Orange Box Ricos are great! I read this thread sometime ago for the first time and got curious. I've been using Lavoz M's on my metal tenor Link 7* and I went to a local store and hand-picked five plain Ricos (#3). All of them were quite good, 2 very good ones. At first they were a little bit stuffy but after playing them awhile they produced a bright, projecting sound. Surprisingly they projected better than my Lavoz M's! Great reeds indeed!

Tuomas

[Razzy]

I like the sound but they die too fast to be worth it to me. I've been playing the same 10 RJS alto reeds for 3 months and no end to any of them is in sight (this box was $20, that's worth it for me!). An orange box rico would sound great but typically were inconsistent and would die out very fast, even with rotation of 10 or more. But it seems there's just not the same sort of "refinement" to the tone or something of Vandoren javas and rico jazz selects and those sorts of reeds. Those I typically play right out of the box too.

[popsax]

My brand of choice is Rico Royals. Sometimes my supplier is out of my size so I substitute the Royals with orange box regulars. No problem.

[Tenorsaxer]

I play Rico Plasticovers. You only get 3 or 4 good ones in a box of 5, but the ones that are playable, last.

[SteveZ]

I've been a long time lavoz user, but i've just recently switched to orange box ricos because, well, they sound better and they're more consistent. don't know why. The sound is dark and rich, with a singing tone that the lavoz reeds, and most others, lack. and the price is better than anything else out there. And best of all, i don't have to mess with them too much. If one doesn't play, i'll save it for later. It'll play after i sand it a bit.

[Karl Dunkel]

Many moons ago, when I still played regularly (I've recently picked it up again) my local music shop carried only Rico, Rico Royal, and LaVoz. I wasn't even aware that other brands existed. One of my dad's friends was a sax player, and he swore by the old Ricos. (He had a really sweet Selmer, too!) I tried synthetic reeds, once or twice, can't recall the brand, but I do remember them being really "plasticky". Is that a word?

Anyhow, my regular reed of choice at that time was the regular old Rico, I really liked the way they played and felt. I was sorta disappointed to read the negative posts about the Ricos (and the other reeds also). Heavens, throw away a reed? I played every one until it just about fell apart - mostly due to financial considerations. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that "back then" I usually could only buy a few at a time - buying a whole box at once seemed like something only rich people could do...

Now I feel like a kid in a candy store - imagine my surprise when I learned that there were more than two reed manufacturers!

Food for thought - have the old Ricos really declined that much in quality, or have our collective tastes gotten pickier?

[disgruntleddave]

question: How do the regular rico's play in relation to lavoz, rico select jazz, vandoran blue box, javas, and vandoran v16s?

I mean strength wise, resistance, TONE ESPECIALLY (Bright, dark, buzzy, etc), and any other qualities? Im gonna check em out in a while and want a general idea of what I'm gonna get.

Playing mark 6 alto with a 0.076 jodyjazz esp mpc. I am looking for a darker pure tone - i get a bit of that with the vandorans, but i have a lot of trouble getting decent altissimo with em, and the bell tones are harder than they should be to get out.

[Saxaholic]

Setup: Cannonball Big Bell Nickle Plated alto, current Meyer 5MM, rovner dark lig, orange rico's.

I get a nice, smokey dark tone on my sax w/orange rico's. You need to find one that works for ya though. For me, I'm not too picky. I suck on a new reed, slap it on and just play. They usually work for me. High notes are nice and juicy, low notes are lush( although sometimes flat, more w/my embouchure).

Strength wise: Check out the strength chart at http://www.saxgourmet.com/reed_strength.htm to see a difference.

Resistance: Usually depends on the reed you get. They have alot of resistance at first, but once they're wet and you played a few low notes for warmup, they're effortless. Weird, but for me, that's how it works. Response is easy for me( then again, I suggest its the horn and mpc, not necessarily the reed).

Tone: Usually dark......."woody" some can call it..........smokey I say. Not usually buzzy or bright. Again, depends on the reed and if you modify it.

They're horribly inconsistent though. Economical, they're cheap. I play every single one of them; they always work for me, even if some are much better than others. I'm not too picky. Once you have a reliable horn/mpc setup, I think it's all nit-picking.


I used to play RJS, which are brighter and buzzier than the Orange Box Rico's. Then again, it all comes down to a few things. Strength ( S, M, H and what hardness 1.5-5) and all the other things.

Bottom line: It's a reed. Just slap it on and play.

Saxaholic

[disgruntleddave]

thanks. I will definately check em out when i go down to the shop next (gotta buy some other stuff too). Hopefully Il get a decent one when trying em if they are that inconsistant, but should be fine non the less.

[Mike Cesati]

I totally agree with saxoholic. I have the same results

[disgruntleddave]

once you break em in a lot do they go really soft and play badly? how long can you play the average reed before its too played to play anymore effectively?

[Saxaholic]

All depends on the reed. Usually they play pretty good for a while. I've used some of them for one day, I've used others for months.

Remember: If you slap on a new reed, then go blow your brains out FFF without properly breaking in the reed, it's probably not going to work very long ( same thing as if you didn't stretch your legs then sprinted for an hour, your muscles wouldn't be working too well afterwards).

Break them in properly, don't overblow on them at first, and they should all work for you. They haven't gone soft on me at all. I use every single one of them suckers and they work great.

Saxaholic

[Crimmy]

"Rico with a decal" in the words of a former saxophone professor of mine....

Doesn't anybody use Vandoren Blue box reeds?

[disgruntleddave]

I do, but they dont work all too great on my mpc, plus they are horrible for me for altissimo.

[Saxaholic]

I just bought a box of Vandouren ZZ #3 reeds, and the three I've tested so far work fantastic. Still 7 more to go......each one has been consistent and gave my a nice, full, more complex tone than the Rico's I've been using. We'll see how consistent they are and how long they last.

Saxaholic

[Howlin]

Hand picking saves a lot of wasted time. I do find the Rico Jazz more refined and better cut generally.

[retread]

I switched to orange box Ricos becuase of the dark, husky sound, not to mention the price. Today I grabbed a reed from the reed holder and noticed a clearer, sweeter upper register. Thought I was really mastering the Ricos. When I put the tenor away I noticed I'd been using an old LaVoz.