they're really all the same reed. The RW 3H compares strength wise(to me) to a Superial 3.5- I use both on my Jazzmaster(s) 7*. The Superial being the brighter of the two but not by much.

 

Thanks Thomas that really helps!

Anyone have any sizing comparisons for La Voz M for alto?

 

I've been using Queen reeds, (Regal Queen, to be precise) pretty much 100% for the last 8 years....altough I've recently switched back to La Voz for awhile. (I feel LaVoz quality is on the rise, imho)

If you've been playing LaVoz medium, I would go for Queen 3 or 2 1/2. THe Queen is rigotti's most "straight-ahead" reed, freer blowing feeling, comparable to regular Rico or Lavoz, perhaps a tiny bit brighter, or on the high freq side.

Roberto's RW reeds & Rigotti Gold have more of a classical-type cut, of sorts... a little more resistant feel & darker.

Thats my 2 cents.

 

Thanks Black Obelisk......a very helpful comparison.

Any info on Regal Queen Tenor strengths? I was thinking a 3 on my 7*.

 

I think the Regal Queen strengths are comparable to other brands. I play Queen #3's on tenor and they feel like the same ballpark as a #3 RSJ , LaVoz Medium, Rico Royal etc.
Tonewise they seem pretty vibrant and relatively bright.

 

I moved from La Voz to Rigotti Gold on both tenor and alto. It's an enormous improvement in my opinion. They respond quite differently, more brightly. The average quality seems to be much better. A box of ten cost me 31 euro (with shipping) so they are just a bit more expensive. I used La Voz MH on both horns, which I find roughly comparable to Rigotti 3,5. The Rigottis work great with my Link (9*) and FL spectruoso 285, on my alto piece (Phil-Tone Meyer 6M) I'm not so sure yet. Been playing these for a month and a half now.

Reine

 

I recently started using Rigotti Gold 3-medium on tenor and alto with my rock band (82Z with Morgan mouthpieces) and I am pretty happy with them. They might be the best reeds I've found for those setups. They have an easy-blowing low end without getting too soft at the tip. I have a hard time comparing them to any other reeds I've tried. Only Hemke has that free-blowing low end relative to the strong tip, but Hemke is a little stiffer in the middle so it has a darker core sound. The Rigotti 3M is a good all around blower if you want to make a big, rich sound. The altissimo is great too.

 

If you have a 7* tenor mpc, I would start out by trying a Queen 3. If you are used to harder reeds, like LaVoz MH or java 3 1//2 or 4, go with the 3 1/2.

 

I moved to RW reeds 4.5 hard from Francois Louis reeds (4.5), and I find subtle differences between the FL, RW, and Rigotti Gold even though they are all Rigotti cane. It feels like the RW reeds might have a slightly thicker tip than the Rigotti's but I have no direct info on that. The Rigotti's seem to be a bit brighter or thinner sounding to me. For the most part I am as happy with RW's as I can be with any reed and it's inherent inconsistencies. I keep wanting to switch to V16 4s but never seem to permanently make the switch...

 

Thanks for the info everyone. Very helpful. Anyone else?

 

Queen reeds ran quite hard when I used them (15?) years ago. I would say 2.5 for a LaVoz medium. But they only worked well for me on soprano and clarinet. For alto and tenor they seemed too "legit" for my taste. Very dark and resistant. But they may have changed.

 

View attachment 20606

The RW, Rigotti, and Queen reeds are all the same cane but the cuts are different.

RW has a little more material at the tip which gives a bit darker fuller sound. RW reeds are endorsed by David Sanchez, Mark Turner, Sam Newsome, and Najee.

Rigotti has less material in the tip and is brighter and buzzier.

Both RW and Rigotti come in micro strengths - 3 strengths for every half strength.

Queen is similar to the Rigotti but only comes in half strengths.

Check out the chart for comparisons.

One of the best things about these reeds is the quality of the cane. Many people are getting 8 reeds out of a box of 10.

Cheers!
Barami

 

Hey Barimi,

It's nice to see you on the forum. I don't expect you to remember me, but I am one of the many satisfied Roberto's customers that you helped out.

Don't be a stranger.

 

Does anybody know how does a Vandoren Java 3 and 3.5 translate to a RW reed

 

Here's a reed comparison chart showing Roberto's, Rigotti Gold, Francois Louis, Regal Queen, & Vandoren Java - among others...