Cheap Reeds Review Pt. 1

[@donl3248]

I played Alexander reeds exclusively on tenor, alto and clarinet for 20 years. Recently been trying less expensive reeds. Good results so far with Hemke on tenor and alto and Vandoren V21 on clarinet.

[@bobblues1158]

I´m not surprised about the Royals. Waiting for the Orange. Great fun!

[@kevindeibert3369]

back in the day, I only recall Rico (old brown box), Rico Royal (white/gray box with blue stripes), La Voz (green and black box) & Vandoren (purple plastic box). Later on I discovered Brilhardt, Carl Fischer, Roy J. Meyer, Symetricut Reeds. There was also a Bundy Fibercane Reed. This was way back in the 70's. Reeds have an amazingly long shelf life !

[@Sirvalorsax]

So true, I got sent a box of Vandoren ble box 1's by accident. They still played out of the box!!!

[@DynamixWarePro]

The Roayl reeds having by D'Addario on the box is just D'Addario phasing out the Rico name after they bought the Rico company. I usually play on Legere reeds and I had a couple of alto mouthpieces that didn't have the response I wanted with, so I bought a bunch of different cane reeds at different strengths to see which would work. I found any classical type reeds like Vandoren Traditional or Hemke, I had a hard time with due to either being a bit soft and buzzy or a bit too resistant but trying other reeds I found I liked the Royal reeds the most and like you I founf most of the consistancy issues were the strength but I liked the sound and the response of the good strength reeds.

[@dynoroad]

I found the same using the Hemke and Traditional or any other reed with a thin tip. What I like about them though is that they're often easy to play, good for general practice. But the thin tip can easily get overly buzzy, or even squeaky.

[@AndyPanda9]

I still have several boxes of the old Rico Royal. Just bought my first box of the new Royal by D'addario and they look very different but play very well - I prefer the old ones though!

[@donearnhardt6336]

I have had very good luck with Rigotti Gold reeds. Each strength number has a light, medium, and hard strength. I have been using a #3 light and they are very consistent. From the reeds being reviewed here, I have played the Hemke and the Royal ones with pretty good results.

[@awesomeblessings9659]

Took your advice, went with Fibercell and i think for an part-timer.. they feel as cane and are great. I bought Legere in many styles and Fibercell hit it on first one. Thanks.!!!

[@Sirvalorsax]

Great to hear!

[@JeniTehan]

Funny thing about the Royals, I got a pack of three, 2 strength, all very stiff and dried my mouth out like no other reeds I've ever played. Compared to other 2 strength reeds I had, even brand new ones, they felt way stiffer, like blowing through a 2x4. Stopped playing one of them, no good. Kept at it on the other two in my rotation, now they're my go to reeds! If I had anywhere to go, that is.

[@_Looft]

I play the royals on bari for school. I Honestly like them more than the green box vandorens I used before. I do agree that the consistency can be not the best at times though.

[@Sirvalorsax]

The are only $2 more per box than the Orange box also

[@AaronTMartin]

Thanks for another great video, SirValor. I had similar results with the box of Vandoren Juno 3 tenor reeds that I purchased a while back: 1 or 2 usable, but not great, and all five of them too stiff. I may try a box of 2 1/2 in the future. I've tried all of D'Addario's offerings; now I'm curious about the Giardinelli reeds.

[@menilmontant100]

......Hi....Sirvalorsax......many years ago,..trying to find the best sax reed ...I bought lots of them...Different brands....almost all of them.... One day...I purchased chinesse reeds.....Riyin.the brand.....Very..very cheap reeds.......But ...the best.... Nothing to envy from VanDoren,Rico, etc...etc...etc...That's why I think that all of them....are a myth....and a very good business......Regards

[@stevejohnson174]

you could hear the difference with the Royals come across with your playing... This sounds like its going to be a real fun series......for us at least :D

[@Sirvalorsax]

Lots of work, Lots of fun

[@Tutkanator]

Hi Sirvalor! Would you consider adding time tags to these types of videos? It would help viewers like me jump around the video and compare.

[@Sirvalorsax]

Great idea!

[@lucassstache8069]

I probably make traditionalists screech, I use legere and haven’t changed it in a year 😂

[@lucassstache8069]

@Keanan nice. Use those legere 3’s on alto as well (I don’t play alto that much) I love that little crack right in the middle of my reed even though it doesn’t impact the sound😂

[@johnkotches8320]

I use Legere on everything except baritone Sax.

[@lucassstache8069]

@@johnkotches8320 I’m finding that legeres sound great on all my saxophones but not on clarinets, they’re very stuffy on those

[@517JET]

I play Legere signature reeds on soprano, alto, and soprano!

[@kevindeibert3369]

Royals have been my go to reeds for decades! I really like Lupafaro’s but they’re hard to find. I’m curious about the Gonzales and Alexander reeds

[@Sirvalorsax]

I was really surprised by the Royals.

[@llRoBoBinHoll]

I’m sure you already know this but Vandoren’s numbering is very different than Rico’s. A vandoren 2.5 is stiffer than a Rico nr 3 for example.

[@yvoncormier9762]

Do you find that the stiff reeds tend to play better after you've had a chance to wear them down by playing?

[@Sirvalorsax]

Absolutely!

[@Heir0]

Excellent

[@ivrz]

Yes to legere

[@re-com1236]

You should review the Boston Sax Shop reeds

[@Sirvalorsax]

After Part. 2, they are next and also the Rigotti Gold Reeds

[@AaronTMartin]

I believe he mentioned he'll be reviewing BSS and Rigotti Jazz Gold reeds after reviewing the inexpensive (or less expensive:) ) options.

[@apistosig4173]

By all accounts the Juno reeds are Java green box reeds, packaged and marketed to rival the Rico orange box reeds. To reduce the stiffness variation within a box of reeds the manufacture would need to issue a different array of reed strengths suchas 2s, 2,25, 2,5s, 2.75 and then strength 3. Example - if a reed measures 2.25 in its stiffness does the maker place this among the 2 strengths or the 2.5 strength? "Some" makers offer their reeds in strengths such as 2 light / 2 medium / 2 strong and then 3. Q: have you played Gonzxales Jazz reeds? Steuer Jazz reeds? I would suggest the Steuer a half strength less than your preferred as they're quite stiff, require a long breakin period but have wonderful durability. Your next presentation perhaps. Maybe trial the Rigotti Wild reeds and see what you think. regards from Melbourne

[@Sirvalorsax]

I played green box reeds for years and these felt nothing like them

[@apistosig4173]

@@Sirvalorsax hmm, very interesting. Do the Juno reeds remind you of anything else perhaps?

[@Imsoflattered0]

I had look at my blue boxes because I've been using them for years and calling them Rico Royal when it doesn't even say Rico anywhere on the box.

[@Sirvalorsax]

Lol

[@saxboss1]

The la voz are great for playing outside where you’re playing much louder, they’ve got a bit more durability than vandorens yet much cheaper

[@saxboss1]

@Keanan haha I have been there too!

[@86larsonrd]

I always come back to La Voz

[@The8TrackChap]

Could you do a similar review of different jazz cut reeds?

[@adamatari]

I switched over to D'Addario after trying the Royals. I think the La Voz are a bit bright and tend to work better on a darker mouthpiece - they have a very "open" sound and feel but are thinner on top. I'm mostly using the Jazz Select right now but I have La Voz as well and switch between them from time to time. The Royals are solid, not buzzy, and inexpensive. If I had to buy locally, I would be buying Royals (since none of the shops in my semi-rural area carry the other Daddario reeds). I find any of the daddarios suit me better than any of the vandorens. I'm not sure why but they just work better for me.

[@kevindeibert3369]

Pavane intro ? Is that you playing all the woodwinds?

[@ketong71]

I wonder if you Reed Geek the bad or stiff ones, would they actually play better.

[@sulaimanbeyah3308]

Would you review any of the cheap reed brands that you see on Amazon such as Cecilio, & other non home name brands?

[@stangetz534]

fyi its hard to scroll around and see what reed you are talking about. happy new year

[@espr7564]

What are the best reeds? There aren't any, it's all a hit and miss game. The words of Joshua Redman!

[@Sirvalorsax]

LOL!!

[@Danox94]

Juno were my first ever reeds (alto). Paired with a generic mouthpiece, the tone couldn't have been more bland

[@Sirvalorsax]

LOL

[@kevindeibert3369]

I used to use LaVoz reeds back in the day . They have a different response. Not my favorite

[@thepiper4u]

You now your stuff man I love your KZbin channel, I have one question for you did you paint your VR brute your self and if you did how did you do it it looks beautiful I'm looking to do mine in a color that my son used to love he passed away 4 years ago and I would love to have his baby blue on mine can you help me out thank you hope to hear from you.

[@Sirvalorsax]

My Cannonball is the dark amber lacquer which is a finish offered by the manufacturer. McGill Music Sax School channel has a video on a zebra stripe paint job he did on a saxophone that I would suggest you check out. I had a mouthpiece custom airbrushed painted that I did a review on. Timiy sax mouthpiece done up like a lava lamp.

[@UListenHere]

I use Rigotti, here, in germany the are relative cheap. For me this reeds are very consistent, Can You please, in future compare tenor saxophones? I buyed in february a selmer reference 36 , sounds really good, intonation is better than on my Selmer 137,xxx . But the springs are so strong tence. I almost thing its like the selmer reference is like 15 Set for guitar in compare to a 9 Set which is the 137,xxx. Also it needs more air , before the tone comes, but it has high f# :-) Im not sure if I should practise the reference so maybe it becomes as fast as the 137,xxx, which, I think, is 30-40% faster than the ref. Other, the inner sound in head from the reference is much louder than from the 137,xxx. Sorry for using comment to ask non context questions. Thank You for all the informational videos, I have learned a lot and still do! And I always look every day a coupe of times if You have something new online :-) sorry for my english, its a nightmare ... I know... :-D

[@Sirvalorsax]

Thanks for watching, I'm in the process of trying to do mroe saxophone reviews.

[@UListenHere]

@@Sirvalorsax Thats great, I think I will learn a lot,.Thank You!

[@lydiai.3658]

Do you have any experience with Gonzalez reeds?

[@johnnick1283]

Hey how are?!....Can I please ask you, how important is vowel sounds when playing the sax? Also when and why should you move your jaw/lower lip when playing the sax? I saw your video about the fulcrum but I just wanted a bit more understanding.

[@isaiahd9947]

To my understanding you usually don't want to move your jaw. I think there may be an exception for low notes in jazz though.

[@Imsoflattered0]

off topic but can you explain what all the letters mean on the kaizen shirt

[@Sirvalorsax]

They look like what the Japanese characters look like but with English letters and numbers. I've basically spelled it in Japanese use English symbols.

[@kneesoxxx7902]

Junior becomes boss of the family…

[@Sirvalorsax]

Great analogy and sweet Soprano's reference

[@javierquesada798]

you can fix it too

[@Tsax1949]

Does it matter how long you soak the reeds?

[@Sirvalorsax]

Yes, Usually no longer than 2 minutes in water. When I clean them with peroxide, no less than 5 minutes or when the bubbles stop forming.

[@Tsax1949]

@@Sirvalorsax Thank You! Great advice.

[@PaddieFunk]

13:09 out of your hundreds of videos, that's the first time we see you putting a reed on a mouthpiece. Royals win.

[@Sirvalorsax]

LOL!!

[@javierquesada798]

they sound like very hard and rough the number does not match the mouthpiece