[nigel ftw]

I play the blue box, size 3.5 on alto.

The 'new' that I refer to are the ones with the Vandoren name engraved on the reed in somewhat light brown color. The 'old' are the non-engraved ones with the Vandoren name in black paint.

The last 4 boxes of 'new' reeds have been horrible. I found a seller on Amazon who was selling the 'old' ones (he had bought them in 2006). Everything sounded superb again! With the 'new' reeds, my tone was always muffled, especially the high notes.

So what's going on? Has Vandoren changed their recipe? Or am I buying fake Vandoren reeds?

 

[cpaace]

I play the blue box, size 3.5 on alto.

The 'new' that I refer to are the ones with the Vandoren name engraved on the reed in somewhat light brown color. The 'old' are the non-engraved ones with the Vandoren name in black paint.

The last 4 boxes of 'new' reeds have been horrible. I found a seller on Amazon who was selling the 'old' ones (he had bought them in 2006). Everything sounded superb again! With the 'new' reeds, my tone was always muffled, especially the high notes.

So what's going on? Has Vandoren changed their recipe? Or am I buying fake Vandoren reeds?

Nigel, I am new to this game so I thought it was my inexperience, but, I bought a box of 3.0 Vandoren blue thinking I was stepping up. I found that two of the 5 reeds so far were ok. The other three either squeaked a lot or hard to blow resulting in muffled tone. I assumed the problem was me although I could not understand why I was ok with two of the reeds. I do find that soaking them in warm water for 5 minutes or so helped, but, the bad ones are never really good. I just bought a box of 3.5 silver, but, not ready to try them yet. So maybe its not me. Oh and the two that play well play great. great tone.

 

[Super Action Man]

I've had the same experience, but only with alto reeds. Thankfully, it has not yet spread to tenor, my main horn, but I know what I'll do when it does (switch to Zonda's).

 

[bandmommy]

Cane is a grass. Some years the growing season is good and you harvest a 'quality' product.
Some years the growing season isn't so good and the harvest isn't so good.
The past few years the cane has suffered poor growing seasons.
You guys really need to do a little research in agriculture to understand just why some years you get some 'primo' reeds, and some years you get only 'duds'.

 

[daigle65]

Vandoren switched from ink to laser printing, that's all.

There's no "recipe", cane has it's good and bad years. FWIW, I find no difference in quality with these newer reeds and I've been using Vandoren's for most of the 30 years I've been playing.

 

[milandro]

I remember that some people reported, when they introduced the individually sealed reeds, that they found beneficial to leave the reeds to " dry" in the air for some time before using them the conventional way.

Of course reeds would change from batch to batch, being a natural product, as Bandmommy has pointed out, some batches would be more or less resistant and in fact it has always been the case hence the need to " work" on the reeds ( clip them, file them, scrape them and so on), if anything this is way less a need now than it ever was in times past, I think.

 

[nigel ftw]

Of course reeds would change from batch to batch, being a natural product, as Bandmommy has pointed out, some batches would be more or less resistant and in fact it has always been the case hence the need to " work" on the reeds ( clip them, file them, scrape them and so on), if anything this is way less a need now than it ever was in times past, I think.

I've been working on every single reed from the 4 boxes (spread over 6 months), but of no avail. Either they are OK for a little bit or they are worse. I am thinking of trying another reed temporarily until the Vandorens come back to form.

I've stayed away from GAS successfully for the last 2 years...... Here goes 2012 researching reeds on SOTW!

 

[jazzznbluezzz]

Cane is a grass. Some years the growing season is good and you harvest a 'quality' product.
Some years the growing season isn't so good and the harvest isn't so good.
The past few years the cane has suffered poor growing seasons.
You guys really need to do a little research in agriculture to understand just why some years you get some 'primo' reeds, and some years you get only 'duds'.

Great! Next time I start squeeking and sounding muffled with Vandoren reeds
I apologize to the listeners and blame it on a poor grass growing season. Jazz people will understand :bluewink:

 

[JL]

I am thinking of trying another reed temporarily until the Vandorens come back to form.

Or maybe try another type of Vandoren reed. Maybe it's just the blue box reeds. I've been playing Vandoren V16 reeds for years and I haven't noticed any decline in quality whatsoever.

 

[nigel ftw]

I've been playing Vandoren V16 reeds for years and I haven't noticed any decline in quality whatsoever.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try the V16. I love the blue box because they give me a soft airy tone. This may not be a fair question because of the variables involved, but are the V16s similar?

 

[skeller047]

You can also try letting your reeds age for a year or two (or three or ...) I usually have about 3 or 4 boxes of reeds in my drawer; when I open a new one, I buy one then and stick it in the back. By the time I get to it, usually at least a year has passed. This seems to make a difference.

I'm also a strong advocate of learning to work on reeds efficiently. I think it's a big mistake to expect that reeds will play well out of the box. I also know that lots of saxophone players do this, discarding reeds that don't play well. It's worth the time and effort to learn to adjust your reeds, just like it's worth your time and effort to learn to play scales.

 

[JL]

I love the blue box because they give me a soft airy tone. This may not be a fair question because of the variables involved, but are the V16s similar?

I don't know, because I've never played the blue box reeds. You really have to try reeds for yourself, in any case. Good luck finding what you want.

 

[cpaace]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try the V16. I love the blue box because they give me a soft airy tone. This may not be a fair question because of the variables involved, but are the V16s similar?

Reading a book on clarinets by Pino and he says to look at commercial reeds as an unfinished product. Especially today when they are not aged properly. He suggest sanding clipping etc. Also just found out that a member of my community is a player and he does exactly that; So he is going to show me how it is done and since I have several reeds that deem weak I will work on lthem and let you know the results.

 

[florian]

I have the same feeling that Vandoren once again is working on the reeds without telling everybody. Some time ago they did it with the clarinet reeds (i think it were the vandoren white reeds but i am not sure) and after many complains of a lot of players, Vandoren confessed to changes on the cut (that is what a reputable shopowner told me).
I'm playing for 20 years the v 16 ones and for over a year now their consistency is the worst i ever had, less flexible in sound, less durable and considerably harder than the old ones. Years ago i only needed 4 packs of ten reeds per year, now i need a new one every month or earlier without getting enough really good reeds for all the performances i have to do. An endorser of Vandoren told me that most of the reeds haven't aged enough and as he said: " I let them dry on a glasplate for several months after getting them out of the package."
The ageing problems started, i think, with the sealing of every single reed but i also think they changed something in regard of cut and hardness, I've noticed the first changes with new charges of reeds after the introduction of the red java and the v12. Maybe it is me, or maybe they shouldn't get their cane from china, i don't know. I've tried working on reeds with the reedgeek and ATG etc. but for me it never helped. And to be honest i never found a book that is really really helpful about working on reeds here in Europe.

 

[milandro]

You mean that you think that Vandoren can control how a plant as the Giant reed plant grows from one year to another?

If that was the case they would be magicians!

Vandoren cuts and grades reeds that are available to them as nature offers them!

2011 was one of the warmest year ever, since time immemorial ( In Holland it was since the beginning of measuring of temperatures) while 2010 was one of the coldest years on record and yet a plant ,the reed, would have to grow in the same way as another year. You choose which.
This is not physically possible! Variation will occur. So the weather and other variable conditions will have an influence. The reeds cut form the plants cut this year will not be as the ones cut last year and next year.

Incidentally most of what shops say are saying that they " have been told by ....." any company is just some sales representative talking sales, and that's as true about reeds as anything else! (this forum is full of that kind of stuff and every time it has been proven not to be true !).

 

[JL]

I'm playing for 20 years the v 16 ones and for over a year now their consistency is the worst i ever had, less flexible in sound, less durable and considerably harder than the old ones..

I've been playing them even longer (with a few side tracks to other brands), and I haven't noticed any decline in quality or consistency at all in the V16s over the past year, or over the entire time I've played them. So I've had the opposite experience. Who knows where the truth lies here? Once again this proves that reed choice is a very individual thing.

 

[bandmommy]

The 'ageing' of the cane, florian, is done before they even think about splitting the cane for making reeds. Some additional 'drying out' does happen after the reeds are made but it's NOT part of the 'ageing' process.
Seriously, do a little reading up on how/where the cane is grown, harvested, and aged before it's made into reeds.
You may learn something, and not believe what a salesman in a music shop tells you.

You want accurate information, ASK A DAMNED FARMER. We produce nearly everything you consume.

 

[olhonker]

I have given up on VanDoren reeds, even he new "Jazz" reeds are not easy blowing. I use and have used Alexander Superials , I believe they are the best reeds anywhere . They ae expensive and sometimes hard to find, only real active music stores carry them. Better going to Brass & Woodwinds, a good savings. Bruce Brennan

 

[cpaace]

Reading a book on clarinets by Pino and he says to look at commercial reeds as an unfinished product. Especially today when they are not aged properly. He suggest sanding clipping etc. Also just found out that a member of my community is a player and he does exactly that; So he is going to show me how it is done and since I have several reeds that deem weak I will work on lthem and let you know the results.

I watched several Youtube videos on preparing reeds. Last night I took my worst reed, one that I thought I should have tossed, and sanded it on the back of a glass bowl. I rubbed it to seal pores. Basically, for lack of all of the tools I followed the simplest of procedures. Whole process took less than 2 minutes. I then played the reed for over an hour and it was really good. Nice tone in all octaves, easier blowing. So it appears they are correct when they say that the new reed right out of the box is an unfinished product. I intend to work some more on my technique, perhaps apply some oil and see if it improves further. Will let you know.

 

[Dr G]

I have given up on VanDoren reeds, even he new "Jazz" reeds are not easy blowing. I use and have used Alexander Superials , I believe they are the best reeds anywhere . They ae expensive and sometimes hard to find, only real active music stores carry them. Better going to Brass & Woodwinds, a good savings.

I've been playing both Vandoren V16 and Alexander DC with good results - and this is at high altitude (7000').

http://www.wwbw.com/Reeds-Woodwind-Accessories.wwbw?o=3