[Matthew]

Are Lavoz reeds working well for anyone? I used to play them before I switched to V16's, but I havent been happy with my new reeds, so I was wondering if anyone else thought they are still good.

 

[TeeJot]

Hi,

The Lavoz are good reeds - like the V16.
If they're working well for you, depends on your mouthpiece and yourself.
IMHO the V16 have a lot more edge than the Lavoz.
Try Vandoren ZZ or Gonzales reeds.
Perhaps they're working better for you than the V16.
Good luck! :-D


Cheers,

TeeJot

 

[dirty]

I finally got the box of Lavoz Mediums that I bought last month to work for me. I previously couldn't get into them and went back to RJS 2H. Lately, though, my bank account has had very little money going into it and a little too much coming out, so I pulled out the Lavoz and started to play. Once I got used to them, they play great for jazz, with less edge than the RJS, and a little thicker, to my ear, although that might be because they are a little bit harder. I like them so far, and I'll be using them for awhile (no choice, really). I'll keep my remaining RJS on hand for when I need a brighter sound, but I think that switching to Lavoz full time will not be just fine.

 

[retread]

LaVoz are excellent reeds, and very consistent, especially considering the price. The MHs are particularly good for me, and they're not much stiffer than the Ms.

 

[Martinman]

I finally got the box of Lavoz Mediums that I bought last month to work for me. I previously couldn't get into them and went back to RJS 2H. Lately, though, my bank account has had very little money going into it and a little too much coming out, so I pulled out the Lavoz and started to play. Once I got used to them, they play great for jazz, with less edge than the RJS, and a little thicker, to my ear, although that might be because they are a little bit harder. I like them so far, and I'll be using them for awhile (no choice, really). I'll keep my remaining RJS on hand for when I need a brighter sound, but I think that switching to Lavoz full time will not be just fine.

Had you played the La Voz before, or where you breaking it in for the first time?

I think they are better after having been aged a month or more. I have this really great La Voz now that gives me this really nice Michael Brecker type buzz on my Link. However, when I first started playing it it was really bad, but I let it sit for a while and tried it again, and wow....

 

[GAS_Wyo]

I was just commenting last night about the LaVoz "Cool Jazz" bari reeds I got with my horn. It was a box with 9 of 10 that had never been played...Medium stamped in a green oval on the vamp.

I totally agree that these reeds play better after having been broken-in. I am playing these on a Link Tone Edge 6* It's a great Big Band combo for me.

 

[Matthew]

Thanks for the comments, I'm going to give the Lavoz a try again. I thought the V16's were too much edge and I only got a few good reeds in a box ( cough cough Vandoreon)

 

[pc1234]

Everyone's experiences are different, but I'm pretty comfortable with La Voz mediums across the board - for soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. I say this after having spent the last several months experimenting with Vandoren V16s and ZZs (2.5 and 3) for each horn. I recently re-tried the LaVoz's (which I played throughout high school and then stopped for several years) and it was like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. Everything I like, from a nice controlled subtone down low, to highs with just enough buzz. And they're cheaper, too (especially the bari reeds).

 

[joelsp]

I have used lavoz reeds for about 8 years. I have tried all sorts of other reeds just make sure I'm not missing something, but I always end up coming right back to the La Voz. The only reed that has come close for me is a hemke, but even it didn't quite play as well as my trusty la voz reeds. Also, I have found that they are very consistent. I almost never get a "bad" one.

 

[gearaholic]

I used them for a while when I'd only been playing a couple years on alto, but switched when I realized how crappy they were. Plus they just came 10 thrown in a box, which always irritated me. However, I think Rico has started paying attention a lot more to LaVoz. I recently bought some for tenor because they were the only choice besides Java at a local store. They actually come in proper boxes, individually cased, and the cut is fairly good! I was quite surprised when I discovered it was by far the best reed I could get to work on a WWBW Guardala King I was testing (Medium). This kind of makes sense since Brecker used LaVoz on his Guardala. They really seemed made for each other, down to the shape of the tip rail. I plan on getting a box for alto just to see if they've also made any improvement. But, I still think they could use a much better strength-grading system.

 

[danarsenault]

My Meyer 5M Richie Cole alto piece just begs for LaVoz mediums.

 

[Wailin']

They work really well depending on your mpc. My Guardala mpc works well with it. V16 worked quite well on Links for me.

 

[Saxmusiclover]

I use La Voz mediums with Meyer 6M. Sounds great to me. Recently I've switched back to Ricoh Jazz Select just for the sake of variety. Also sounds great although the La Voz sounds a tad brighter.

 

[dstack79]

Thanks for the comments, I'm going to give the Lavoz a try again. I thought the V16's were too much edge and I only got a few good reeds in a box ( cough cough Vandoreon)

i too find the V-16's to have an undesirable edgy sound to them. LaVoz shld be better for you in this regard. I think they're great reeds.

 

[Matthew]

I just got my reeds and they're great! I'm using mediums and they play very well right out of the box. To me they are a little bright, but they have great projection. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[retread]

I just got my reeds and they're great! I'm using mediums and they play very well right out of the box. To me they are a little bright, but they have great projection. Thanks for all the advice!

If you want a darker sound, try the LaVoz MH, slowly broken in so they don't play too hard. I've always thought a reed that plays easily right out of the box often ends up too soft after breaking in.