[ianhart]

Hey everybody! Just wanted to share an experience that I am having with some NOS Rico 5's (woodgrain box). On my close tipped mouthpiece (Sumner 3) they absolutely SING on the notes that I was previously having a hard time with (extreme upper range, F# and above). Was previously using Vandoren Blue Box 3's with this piece, now realize that they might just be too soft. Did these reeds always come in boxes of 25? A store nearby had a bunch of boxes that had never sold YEARS ago going for about 5 bucks now. That works out to what, 20 cents a reed? Awesome deal, and I can feel my chops working like never before! They also sound good on a Morgan Vintage 5, but I prefer the softer reeds to them, just because of the demand on my embouchure. Any similar experiences?

 

[BYOB]

Oh wow...

Buy them all!

 

[ianhart]

I bought five boxes, I think I might be set for life, lol.

 

[Ferret]

Hmmm I'll give you $6 + shipping for a box :O

 

[jmathesonjr]

I switched back to Ricos about three years ago and have found them to be absolutely fantastic. I rediscovered them by buying a music store's woodgrain boxed backstock and have continued buying them in the orange box.

They must be doing something new with the reeds at Rico. They are more stable and respond better than they have in past years. I cannot really believe how well they work.

 

[nitrosax]

Viva La RICO!

 

[Nefertiti]

I have a case of vintage Rico's. I'll let them go for 200.00 a box. these are not like the reeds of today. These reeds were made from cane from the Swiss alps.
This area was devastated in WWII and all the cane destroyed. Some people think this cane vibrates better because the cane while growing was continually pounded by bombs which got the young cane molecules use to vibrating. Good Luck finding these anywhere else. Each reed has that vintage green tint to it but these are guaranteed to be unused. I have 2 special boxes that I sent to Hans Joehanson who refaced all of them so they are in optimum playing condition.

 

[Ferret]

So the new Reed Voodoo to get your reeds prep'd to play is to bomb the surrounding areas where the cane is growing? How does this go over with the local authorities? Do we have to pay underground Reed Bombers who aren't afraid to clash with the law?

 

[Grumps]

I still have old stocks of Rico Royal bari reeds, but my alto, tenor and soprano supplies have dried out. It was about three years ago that I began to notice the decline and I've found the modern offerings to be completely unusable for me.

 

[patseguin]

I have a case of vintage Rico's. I'll let them go for 200.00 a box. these are not like the reeds of today. These reeds were made from cane from the Swiss alps.
This area was devastated in WWII and all the cane destroyed. Some people think this cane vibrates better because the cane while growing was continually pounded by bombs which got the young cane molecules use to vibrating. Good Luck finding these anywhere else. Each reed has that vintage green tint to it but these are guaranteed to be unused. I have 2 special boxes that I sent to Hans Joehanson who refaced all of them so they are in optimum playing condition.

Nice Steve, you made me laugh out loud.

 

[alexd]

ive got a box of rico alto reeds bought in paris immediatly after the nazi's withdrew - my music teacher was in the allied forces entertainment division. he bought so many reeds, he still using them to this day!

 

[Swampcabbage]

I have a bunch of these in various sizes (tenor, alto, soprano, and bass clarinet which I use on tenor). I like to pull them out for special occassions. The cane was aged better and of better quality (probably because they didn't have to produce so many of them). The wood is darker and the grains are more consistent. Fortunately, I got great deals on them in the 80's and 90's ($5 for a box of 25 at the time).

 

[BYOB]

DId they change the cuts?

I mean, the change is quite drastic. Today's Orange Box Ricos and Royals (IMHO) are absolute crap.

 

[Adam]

Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with the cuts. The current Rico cane is complete, utter garbage. It is so mushy and immature, it simply does not vibrate worth a crap. I had been back and forth with Rico directly for a while regarding this and even ended up with a bunch of free reeds, but even they were worthless. They finally stopped respondeing to my e-mails... When someone tells me I'm being too picky, I'll pull out a (newish) reed (because they are just taking up space), wet it, and then take the corners of the tip and fold them so they touch above the reed, then do the same below the reed. It won't crack. If I try to play on one of these pieces of garbage (even before the demonstration), I sound like a bad student. Over the past several years, I've bought up whatever old stock (for bari) I can find. I know which boxes behave the way I expect (from buying up a lot of old reeds), and I know which ones to stay away from. There is nothing special about old "aged" cane, but if you think of it as a crop, it will be different year to year (like wine). I guess this will really only make a difference to you if you are looking for something specific. On bari, there are not a lot of choices for reeds. I've found Alexanders to be the best for new reeds, but they are so stupidly expensive (I pay less for a box of 25 Ricos than for 5 Alexanders) it's just not worth it to go that route.

 

[gary]

ive got a box of rico alto reeds bought in paris immediatly after the nazi's withdrew - my music teacher was in the allied forces entertainment division. he bought so many reeds, he still using them to this day!

Pssst. Have I got a deal for you.

 

[playitfunky]

I don't even use reeds anymore.

 

[playitfunky]

By the way I saw Pete Christlieb last night and got a chance to talk to him for just a second. He plays Rico Plasticover and told me that he went through like 20 of them before he picked the one he played on. It's a good thing he gets them free!!!!!!!!!! But seriously I can't believe how great he sounds on those reeds. I can't believe how great he sounds on any reed the cat flat out is a tenor monster.

 

[1saxman]

By the way I saw Pete Christlieb last night and got a chance to talk to him for just a second. He plays Rico Plasticover and told me that he went through like 20 of them before he picked the one he played on. It's a good thing he gets them free!!!!!!!!!! But seriously I can't believe how great he sounds on those reeds. I can't believe how great he sounds on any reed the cat flat out is a tenor monster.

+1

On the NOS reeds, I bought a box of #2.5 brown-box Ricos in 1965 that had been sitting in a store window for five years, on the sunny side of the street (hey, that would make a good song, wouldn't it?). The reeds were much darker in color with a very visible grain. They blew great. You can do the same thing at home if you can keep your paws out of the reeds for five years - just don't open the box, and put it on a sunny window ledge. On Plasticovers, I use them all the time and also have a few boxes of old ones from the '70s (bari sax, #1.5, not the most popular type). I was trying them out on tenor trying to get an early Plas Johnson sound, but it just didn't work for me.