[2phunkey4u]

Hello experts,

out of curiosity: According to the facing charts on the JodyJazz website, the most popular tip openings on alto are around Meyer 6 and for Tenor around OL 7. Theo Wanne's overview of tip openings looks similar, so I guess that information is somewhat reliable. Now I wonder what the most popular reed strengths to go along with those openings are (in, let's say, Vandoren Java/ZZ as measurement of reference). Could it be 3 on alto and 2.5 on tenor? Or 3/3, or 2.5/2.5?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Bear in mind those tip openings are of different makes/models so by themselves (ie without the other criteria such as length of facing) are not so meaningful and especially in regard to what reed might go along with a certain tip opening.

I often get people buying a certain tip because that's what they think they need, only to then find it is very different to what they expected because of a previous mouthpiece make/model. In that case it makes sense to either exchange for a different tip/facing or use different reeds. But the whole thing is a bit complex than saying what reed strength is popular with what tip.



It's good that you mention a specific reed as strength numbers are not consistent across brands. But I wouldn't be able to say anyway as I haven't used a Vandoren reed for years.

 

[1saxman]

In the general sense, what you would probably find with a survey is that the most popular reed strength, across the board, all saxes, all mouthpieces, probably will come out to be about equal to a Rico 3.

 

[SydBre]

You could get a good gauge by looking at the threads "what's your alto setup" or "what's your tenor setup". I'd agree around the 3 mark.

 

[10mfan]

I can tell you with my 10MFAN mouthpiece line, that the most popular alto size is a 6 .078, and the most popular tenor size is a 7* .105. I am not sure what the most popular reed sizes are though.

 

[MusicSean]

I'd guess in terms of sales, globally, either 2.5 or 3.