Royal #3 or possibly Boston Sax Shop #2.5 or #3. Maybe one of the synthetics would work for you. BTW, BSS reeds are made by Rigotti so maybe you can find some of those that work. Players are extremely different in their reed preferences so its really not possible to sit here and figure out what you would like, For example, The BSS 2.5 reed was way too stiff/resistant for me so i sent them to my son, who plays a similar mouthpiece to mine with the same .116 tip, and he went crazy for them.

 

I know you specifically excluded BSS reeds, but for others who might find it useful:

I go between a D'Addario Select Jazz 3S (unfiled) and BSS 3. FWIW, the reed strength comparison chart on the BSS website suggested a BSS 3.5 or 4 to match the DJS 3S, but I found the BSS 3.5 to be far too stiff.

 

I too prefer the D'Addario JS's over the BSS and other Rigotti-based reeds (from a sonic perspective). I've just decided to live with the variability as my recent experience has been about 3 good reeds in a box of 5. I've played the BSS 3's which run a tad harder than the DJS 3 Mediums, and the Rigottis and Roberto's which come in many more strength grades and are probably easier to match strength-wise with the DJS Medium reeds.

 

Haha. I like that every single response so far has included the very boutique reed brand that you explicitly ruled out.

Never change, SOTW.

 

It was not by accident - if you go to the doctor with a complaint, and you say 'And I don't want this medicine', he will ignore that remark and give you a prescription for what he thinks will be the best cure, even if it is the one you didn't want. Its the science - follow it. 😸

 

If longevity is your concern and you can get used to synthetics, Legere has been a game changer for me. I play the DAJ filed 3m for cane reeds and dig either the Legere Signature or the new Legere American cut. 2.75 on those is pretty close to the DAJ 3m. It takes a little adjusting (mostly to the feel) but the légères play better than probably 80% of cane reeds for me and they are deadly consistent. Plus, one reed can last from months to years. For cane though, I find Rico Royals or Rico orange box to be fairly similar to the reeds you prefer. For Vandoren, the red box is closest, but for me they often tend to pitch flat in the upper range and altissimo for some reason.

 

MM…You sure start a lot of threads talking about the same reeds all the time. Maybe time to try something else or just pick on thing and actually play it until you decide what you’re missing in the micro-differences between “jazz” cuts.

 

LaVoz M - reliable quality reeds.

 

Sonically for me it would be Gonzales Jazz Local 627. You have to experiment with the strength. For me they are a bit harder than DSJ. A Gonzales LJ 3/12 is more like a DSJ 3 H. You can experiment with the Gonzales RC as well but these ones are even harder. Think at least 1/2 strength less. To give you a guide. On Vandoren Java Red I use 3 or 31/2. On Gonzales jazz local 3 1/2 which is strength wise somewhere is between the Vandorens. On Gonzales RC I use 2 1/2 or 2 3/4. One thing is for sure Gonzales Reeds last twice as much as the best Rico ever or even Vandoren.

 

I’ll be the outlier here and recommend hemke 3’s. I find these to be pretty consistent actually, and although a classical reed I find them brighter. Easy to find.

 

Not sure if I am bumping up in strength or changing preferences, but what from Vandoren or possibly Rigotti would be most similar to a "broken in" DSJ 3M tenor reed? I found Vandoren ZZ 3 quickly become too soft, but maybe ZZ 3.5? V16 3?

Supposedly the DSJ reeds have a thicker spine for a jazz reed; not sure how their tip thicknesses compare to others.

I'm not too interested in boutique brands (AW, BSS etc) due to price and availability concerns. The best price for DSJ tenors is a bit over $5 per reed which is high, given how quickly cane reeds degrade with playing time these days.

No one has mentioned Rico Orange Box. 3 1/2 would be about right.

LaVoz M - reliable quality reeds.

I would think a MH would be closer to a DSJ 3H..

It used to be that Rico and LaVoz were the exact same reed, just a different strength marking. Not sure if this is still true, but they are similar. Both are good, and would be what I would choose if I had run out of reeds in a small town (and couldn’t get Rigotti).

 

I would think a (Lavoz) MH would be closer to a DSJ 3H..

It used to be that Rico and LaVoz were the exact same reed, just a different strength marking.

I thought about that, but he said a "broken in" reed, which I think would be closer to a M. Would ultimately be up to him to check.

Also, I've played LaVoz for decades now and have never heard about Rico and LaVoz being the same reed -- they've never played at all alike to me. Where did you hear that?

 

I'm not sure about the similarity of the new Rico & LaVoz and if it's still holds true today. I know that reeds began to be frustrating (so I thought - read ahead), especially my beloved LaVoz (Med) and the D'Addario Select Jazz (formerly the Rico Jazz Select - 3S/3M range).

But to the Op, having become frustrated with the reeds of late and reading many of the threads here, I decided to refocus my efforts on reed modification and embouchure (which I'm not suggesting is necessarily your issue). Clearly for me however, I was having too many issues with too many brands to not open up my viewpoint.

My thought is that using the chart below (from: Reed Adjustment Chart | SAXOPHONE LESSONS IN SANTA ROSA, CA), I've been able to get a pretty good 'fine tuned' reed - even when out-of-the box it was not a particularly great reed. I also found that over time, I was allowing the mouthpiece to slightly slip out of my mouth, putting more lip towards the end of the reed (again this may not be of use but people to often gravitate away from good habits over time). The webpage gives some good advice on how, where and what tool works well for very specific effects. I found that I'm now almost exclusively only sanding on the tip, no more rail adjustment etc. (except for making sure the reed is flat). Now, many reeds play well, and it's just their particular facets that come through (bright, dark, buzzy etc.) and less fussing around.

 

I'm not sure about the similarity of the new Rico & LaVoz and if it's still holds true today. I know that reeds began to be frustrating (so I thought - read ahead), especially my beloved LaVoz (Med) and the D'Addario Select Jazz (formerly the Rico Jazz Select - 3S/3M range).

Well, the information was current when the interview cited in Postma's dissertation took place (in 2017). So, unless LaVoz reeds have changed dramatically within the past 5 years, it's still the same.

The thing that makes them play differently is probably the same thing that makes silver-plated horns play differently than lacquered horns of the same model: the power of suggestion.

 

Jess is a great guy 😉 he knows what he is talking about

 

Thanks @mmichel.