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Hi all,
(Quick introductory note: this is my first SOTW Forum post in many years after a long break from the horn. It's good to be back and great to be playing again!)
I am switching back to cane after much experimentation with (and money spent on) synthetic reeds. One of the brands that I am trying is Rigotti. I ordered a box of Rigotti Jazz Gold 3 Lights for alto from Amazon (not my original intent, but the Woodwind and Brasswind is not shipping them until late August) and a box of Rigotti Queen 3s from WWBW. The Amazon order, from a seller named G.B.S Music, just arrived today, a week ahead of schedule.
The first thing that I noticed was that the packaging looks quite a bit different from the images I've seen online. The packaging for this box of reeds is very (for lack of a better word) vanilla. I also immediately took note of the fact that the strength is listed as "3" and not "3 Light" like I ordered (the fact that Rigotti has three gradients per half-strength is one of the things that I found attractive), and on the bottom of the box, it states that the reeds are "unfiled" (you have to dig a bit in the product description for Rigotti Jazz Gold reeds listed on WWBW to find that they are unfiled).
I have not opened the cellophane outer wrapping, as I am thinking that I may return these. At the time of purchase, I paid $30 for the box, whereas WWBW charges $26. Oddly, they are now listed on Amazon for $46 for a box, which is another reason I'm thinking these may be fake. I know that Vandoren has a whole page on their website devoted to curbing of fake products and they have a serial number stamped on every reed now. I'm not sure of Rigotti's practices in this regard since I've never used them before.
Inside the mailing envelope, there was a business card for Ye Yu, president of Golden Bamboo Services, located in Minnesota, and a 10% off coupon for Dolce Music Store on Amazon. This is another thing that I found interesting, since the Amazon seller is listed as being G.B.S. Music, who has a 92% positive rating out of 52 reviews.
I am including several photos of the box of reeds. I'd love to hear your opinions. Should I contact Rigotti, or just return them and move on? Related question: where are most people buying their reeds (if you're in the US)? I may avoid Amazon moving forward. Thanks!
Best regards,
Aaron
(Quick introductory note: this is my first SOTW Forum post in many years after a long break from the horn. It's good to be back and great to be playing again!)
I am switching back to cane after much experimentation with (and money spent on) synthetic reeds. One of the brands that I am trying is Rigotti. I ordered a box of Rigotti Jazz Gold 3 Lights for alto from Amazon (not my original intent, but the Woodwind and Brasswind is not shipping them until late August) and a box of Rigotti Queen 3s from WWBW. The Amazon order, from a seller named G.B.S Music, just arrived today, a week ahead of schedule.
The first thing that I noticed was that the packaging looks quite a bit different from the images I've seen online. The packaging for this box of reeds is very (for lack of a better word) vanilla. I also immediately took note of the fact that the strength is listed as "3" and not "3 Light" like I ordered (the fact that Rigotti has three gradients per half-strength is one of the things that I found attractive), and on the bottom of the box, it states that the reeds are "unfiled" (you have to dig a bit in the product description for Rigotti Jazz Gold reeds listed on WWBW to find that they are unfiled).
I have not opened the cellophane outer wrapping, as I am thinking that I may return these. At the time of purchase, I paid $30 for the box, whereas WWBW charges $26. Oddly, they are now listed on Amazon for $46 for a box, which is another reason I'm thinking these may be fake. I know that Vandoren has a whole page on their website devoted to curbing of fake products and they have a serial number stamped on every reed now. I'm not sure of Rigotti's practices in this regard since I've never used them before.
Inside the mailing envelope, there was a business card for Ye Yu, president of Golden Bamboo Services, located in Minnesota, and a 10% off coupon for Dolce Music Store on Amazon. This is another thing that I found interesting, since the Amazon seller is listed as being G.B.S. Music, who has a 92% positive rating out of 52 reviews.
I am including several photos of the box of reeds. I'd love to hear your opinions. Should I contact Rigotti, or just return them and move on? Related question: where are most people buying their reeds (if you're in the US)? I may avoid Amazon moving forward. Thanks!
Best regards,
Aaron
