Questions about Fibracell

2374 Views 14 Replies 13 Participants Last post by akumaJFR, Jul 17, 2007

aviator875

Discussion Starter · Jul 10, 2007

Hello peoples, i was hearing how great these Fibracell reeds were so i am intrested in getting them, but i want to know about your opinions on how their tone compares to a vandoren traditionals (3) on this setup or any setup? One more thing, are they generally darker or brighter sounding?

Selmer S80 C* and a dark Rovner lig.

Thanks

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foresterdjb

· #2 · Jul 10, 2007

I use them sometimes on both my alto and tenor, both with Morgan 3C mpc and rovner ligs. I find them to be brighter than any comparable cane reed strength, which may be good or bad depending on your taste.

They last a long time, so long that you may not realise that they are becoming softer/weaker as you adjust to the gradual change. But you will sure notice when you get a new one or switch back to a cane reed.

MM

· #3 · Jul 10, 2007

Yes, what he said. From your mouthpiece and reed choice, I gather you are a classical player. My guess is that would would not care for the sound, unless you just want to slap on something loud for big band or marching.

aviator875

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 10, 2007

yea i want it for marching band and some reed that has okay tone and that could last long for school

Dave Dolson

· #5 · Jul 11, 2007

Aviator: It has been my experience that Fibracells can work great when matched with the right mouthpiece. They don't play well for me on all of my mouthpieces, only certain ones (mostly closer-tipped pieces like the C*). The playing characetristics are one of increased strength over cane. As far as comparing them to Vandoren 3's - impossible - every player is different.

For instance, I recently received a Don Sinta alto mouthpiece and was told the tip measured similar to a C*. But with a Fibracell 1 1/2 reed, that Sinta mouthpiece smokes everything else I have or have tried.

Not so with cane reeds. And, even with a tip like the C*, the Sinta is 100% better for me than any C* I've played (I still have one). Further, any of the Fibracells I have don't play well on my more open pieces (like a Meyer 6S or 7M, Morgan-Bilger 6, Soloist F, Super Session F, Beechler Diamond Inlay, etc.).

This is NOT a recommendation for you to buy a Don Sinta mouthpiece, it is merely to describe the different experiences one may find with different set-ups and a Fibracell reed.

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bfoster64

· #6 · Jul 11, 2007

I recently tried some Fibracells on some of my fairly open mpcs and they seemed bright yet resistant, as though the heart of the reed did not respond as freely as with my normal cane reeds.

I suppose this supports what Dave is saying about using them on mpcs with smaller tips.

bluesaxgirl

· #7 · Jul 11, 2007

I use them for when I just want to practice and I particularly don't care about my sound so much and I want something to last for a long time. I think they are a brighter reed in contrast to my traditonal Vandoren's. I'm not saying they are bad reeds, I just prefer the Vandorens for their sound than the Fibracell.

DD

· #8 · Jul 11, 2007

I have found that using 600 grit paper on the heart of Fibracells that seem too resistant on more open pieces makes them much more playable without losing the sound. Don't hit the bonded edges though. Heresey, maybe, and certainly not what I was taught for unresponsive cane. Works for me - YMMV.

mayho

· #9 · Jul 14, 2007

I purchased a fibracell med.soft for my soprano. I like the tone but the bottom of the reed is so rough it tore my bottom lips to shreds. Anyone else have this problem? Solution? Thanks. Mayho

wersax

· #10 · Jul 14, 2007

They work fine on 8* to 9 pieces for me; I don't use close tips at all and only use Fibracells.........this is on tenor.......daryl

DanPerezSax

· #11 · Jul 14, 2007

I tried using Fibracells exclusively for a short while a few years ago. They last forever, but I found that trying to play with an amplified band and doing lots of hard blowing actually caused the reed to separate from a layer of synthetic stuff between the reed and the tip of the mouthpiece, thus destroying the reed completely. Now I always keep one as a backup, because it will last forever without being played much, and I know it will always sound the same, but I prefer my ZZ's.

Scottysax73

· #12 · Jul 14, 2007

I think they are a great back-up piece for when your reed goes on a gig. Although, and no one else has this problem, after a couple weeks and/or about 10 gigs, they literally stop playing for me. Like literally no sound comes out.
Heres my question: Ive been doin alot of gigs so i wanted to purchase one. WW&B lists them as premiers and they go by number. Sam Ash has them listed by soft, medium, med-hard, etc. So how are the most recent ones listed?

Bill Mecca

· #13 · Jul 15, 2007

The numbered Premiere are the newest incarnation.

wersax

· #14 · Jul 15, 2007

Bill Mecca said:
The numbered Premiere are the newest incarnation.

If the Fibracell reed is falling apart and isn't lasting very long, (or simply stops playing), then I'd suggest trying a harder reed strength. I don't blame anyone for choosing cane over synthetic, that's personal, but Fibracells should outlast cane by a mile and seem especially suited for the loud gigs.......daryl

akumaJFR

· #15 · Jul 17, 2007

From my personal experience playing a Fibracell Med Soft on Bari, I've found that I can play on very open mouthpieces with little effort with one. I just recently purchased a Runyon Custom 9 and Runyon Smoothbore 8 for testing purposes, and I can play great using my Fibracell, but they're almost impossible to get a tone out of with cane reeds. I'm currently using Vandoren ZZ 2.5's, and it's like trying to blow through a tree trunk with the cane reeds. The mouthpieces sing with my Fibracell. Very loud, very bright, but on a metal mouthpiece the reed has a buzzy sound to it, and it's somewhat harder to control. I might need to step up to a medium, but so far I love my Fibracells.

I double on alto in the swing band I'm playing in, and Fibracells are great for that. Since I'm only playing alto on one or 2 songs, a cane reed will dry out, but the Fibracell is ready to play at any time. I give them 2 thumbs up

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