According to quite a lot of ppl i've spoken to, the Vandoren ZZs are dubbed as pretty consistent reeds and they're made for jazz as well.

others might beg to differ

 

Does anyone know the best brand of jazz reeds that have the best consistancy? I've been using Vandorean V16s for god-knows-how-long. The problem is, there is usually only 3, 4, maybe 5 reeds tops in 10-box that are any good.

A couple questions:

1. Are Vandorean V16s typically used for big band/combo jazz?

2. What are some good brands of jazz reeds? Most consistant?

Thanks!

3-5 good out of 10 seems to be a lot better than most others using V16s.

Try the ZZs. they seem fairly consistent.

 

but seriously, i dun think there has been any brand of jazz reeds dat have not been labelled most consistent or most inconsistent.

your best bet is to yet again, experiment

otherwise, try tweaking the reeds a little. dutch rush, etc etc.

 

I'm not sure I know what a jazz reed is, but Alexander reeds seem very consistent to me.

 

OK, so I just wrote up a long reply, and then Internet Explorer shut down on me so, I'll try again...
I've noticed a huge improvement in reed playability since I started practicing my overtones religiously a few years ago. Also, I realized that I needed to change my outlook in regards to HOW reeds play. I was always looking for that "one" reed that just smokes compared to everything else, but you know what, I'm letting the reed have to much control over me that way. Every reed SHOULD be able to play, and play well at that - I just needed to change how I thought about reeds. It's not, "oh man, this reed sucks!" - it's, "what do I have to do to make this reed play?".
On another note, I use Alexander Superial reeds on every instrument that I play; soprano/alto/tenor/baritone and clarinet. The cane they use is markedly "superior", and the sound I can get with them is better than anything else out there, for me. Alexander reeds allow the natural harmonics in my sound to come out.

 

you tried rico select jazz reeds?

they are great for jazz music...

hugs

 

can someone tell me more about QUEEN reeds? :wink:

 

I'll be going to a local music store tomorrow to get reeds, and a couple other accessories. I'll try out some different ones, and see which ones I like best.

Thanks for the replies!

 

Vandoren ZZ & JAVA

 

La Voz has been pretty good for me

 

I find la voz to lack a complex tone, and to be pretty inconsistent. For tenor I like the consistency and powerful tone of Vandoren ZZ's. They seem to run softer than other reeds. where I'd normally use a vandoren 3, I use a 3.5 in the ZZ's. For alto I use rico jazz select. They seem to run kind of hard actually. I use 3soft on a meyer 5.

 

I've been actually getting a real good amount of good reeds out of Vandoren Java 3's. Just soak em in water for a half hour and like 7 of them are good. Maybe i'm just not that picky--but that's my two cents.

SG

 

I've been a Vandoren user most of my musical life too. I've found the old blue box most consistent personally. I have recently been working with the new ZZ jazz reeds. However, on alto sax I've gone to the reeds made by Tom Alexander (Alexander Superial) and for me they blow everything else away that I've used so far. They impressed me so much that I wrote the man an email from his website ( http://www.Superial.com ) ! Good luck, reeds, as you know, are so vital...

 

I know I just posted a similar thing to this a few messages ago, but if you're looking for a consistent reed for jazz, you won't find anything more consistent than a Legere Studio Cut. I've tried several now, and they all play perfectly in any weather condition, and they all play almost exactly alike. Way more so than any cane reed I've ever used before. And if you want a darker sound for any situation, just get a legere standard that's either a quarter or half strength weaker. Then you have a similar response, the same consistency, and it will work in any weather condition. I remember reading on the clarinet bulletin board (where the legeres are used much more) someone said that they'd rather sound 90-95% of their best sound 100% of the time than 100% of their best sound 10% of the time and 50-80% of their best sound 90% of the time. I couldn't agree more. =)

 

Alexanders are excellent. I prefer Fibracell.

 

I use Rico Jazz Select the most, and enjoy it a lot, although I've always wanted to try Alexander, as I've heard from many players that I trust that while Rico JS is good, Alexander is better. Fibracell I love on clarinets (though the best clarinet reed is a Legere, in my opinion) but I don't care for fibracells on alto, as it just doesn't help with the sound I want.

 

I used to be a Rico user, Regs,Royals, and Jazz Select. My reed bill used to be quite high. But now I use Vandoren Javas and get plenty of mileage out of them.

 

For clarinet and altosax I'd been a Vandoren Bluebox user for many (25+) years. Last 3 years I've mainly used LaVoz mediums for my alto S80F. I did also try Alexander Superial and DC, Java's and V16's, but they didn't work for me. Since I changed my alto mpc to a JodyJazz #8 I've been alternating between Vandoren Bluebox and LaVoz until I tried Vandoren ZZ (3 and 3.5). Every single reed out of the boxes was very playable. Moreover, they last a long time. My search is over.

 

I've tried many brands of reeds and have settled on Fibracell's for tenor. Awesome reeds...IMHO...

WWBW.com has great prices on Fibracell reeds. I use a medium strength and find them very consistant. I highly recommend them for tenor and alto. They are a little too bright for soprano. I use Rico Jazz for soprano.

Hope this helps,
Cary

 

Here's the URL to the Fibracell tenor reeds:

http://www.wwbw.com/Item/?itemno=21412