Synthetic Saxophone Reeds Compared

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

Jazz Select (Cane reed) 2:14 Fibracelli (Synthetic) 2:26 Legere Classic (Synthetic) 4:42 Legere Studio (Synthetic) 4:56 Legere Signature (Synthetic) 5:12 Forestone Hinoki (Synthetic) 8:05

[@MacGyverGear]

Legere Signature is @5:12

[@BrunoNeureiter]

the classic is at 4:42, not at 4:12

[@nowthenad3286]

Brilliant review. I didn't know that Hugh Dennis played the sax so well.

[@brianlapham6515]

I'm a bari player, primarily jazz. I've played the Bari brand reeds for years and liked them. I'm trying out Fiberreed, carbon fiber reeds. I like them better. I use the Classic for more rock funk sounds and the brown for more old school 30's- 40's big band stuff.

[@JeffHendricks]

I've been using Bari brand alto reeds for ages. It's not the most responsive, and you can't really tune it for perfect response, but as a "throw-it-on-and-play" kind of practice reed, it's fantastic, and hasn't worn out in years (unlike Fibracells). Never have to worry if it's dried out or starting to fuzz on the tip. I suppose I should try some of the newer stuff that's come out in the last few years...

[@wiejetze8397]

I can say that my favorite is the Signature, too. Sounds really natural and smooth. And my second one is also the Hinoki. Thank you for that comparison!

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Always a terrific presentation. Thank you Jim.

[@anonymousguy7723]

If the Legere Signature reeds are great now, I can only imagine how well they will improve them in 5 years time...

[@DynamixWarePro]

They are currently working on new Alto Saxophone Jazz Reeds which they say give players more colour and edge in the altissimo range while maintaining fullness in the low register so I am looking forward to that.

[@raven-bg5qv]

4 more years

[@jhemarasigan321]

Yes.. its so good... ❤️🎷

[@salomaorodrigues8425]

Estou aqui agora para te dizer que ela soa melhor do que a 5 anos atrás!! 😆😆😆

[@RSVikingJohn]

Personally, I enjoyed the edge of the Legere Classic, however, the Legere Studio was pretty cool too

[@joeblankenship377]

To me, it sounds night and day. Cane reeds are more crisp and clear sounding, whereas the plastic has a little bit of muddiness to it. The advantage of the plastic reed is that you can use it for practicing and not wear out all your good reeds.

[@rayopeongo]

Legere allows you to exchange reeds within 30 days for a different stiffness, and the synthetic reeds have a lower equivalent number than the cane reeds. For instance, I used to use a 2.5 Rico, but use a 2 Signature. There is a conversion table on the Legere website for figuring out what you should get based on what you are using now. One more thing is that according to their website, you aren't supposed to play them for more than an hour. So, for a two hour rehearsal, you are apparently supposed to switch reeds at the break.

[@garysax6400]

I used to use cane reeds years ago but found I was throwing more away than what I was using. I'm now settled on Legere Signature and loving them

[@comhghallgeraghty3541]

Gary Hoole thats down to your chops. The more you play the less trouble you'll have with reeds and the less you throw away.. plenty of long tones!

[@garysax6400]

In my case I disagree as I played for many years with cane only throwing away the occasional reed. Then I noticed the design of the boxes that Rico royal came in changed, it was totally different from then on. It was as if they had changed the manufacturer or something as from that moment on I was throwing too many away. I tried to find out if they had changed but couldnt find any info so I decided to experiment with various synthetic and it took a while to find one I was happy with.

[@pearspeedruns]

Comhghall Geraghty My teacher just switched to synthetic after being a professional player for years. He threw away plenty of cane reeds before.

[@HonestSaxSound-unEdited-]

Fiberreeds are the best canes by far!!!. I have tested the most other sinthetic reeds and have find an artificial sound, with plastic reminissence sound by all this, like Jim's sound here. But Fiberreds, carbon fiber canes, sounds like the best natural canes, with an perfect response by the entire register... and his durability is simply awesome... i play it since 11 months all the time, and its ok. The best for me is the FIBERREED HEMP, but the others are very good too.

[@colingordon9976]

Thanks for all of this detailed info! I’m curious if anyone else has found Fibracell reeds MUCH softer than their cane equivalent in strength? I have found Legere to be fairly accurate, but Fibracell wildly inaccurate. Specifically, I play 2.5 or 3 when playing Rico, Vandoren, or D’Addario, but I find a similar strength at 4 or even 4.5 when trying Fibracell. Thanks again.

[@MarkPeotter]

Colin Gordon YES. The Fibracell brand changed the identification of their reeds from words (Soft, Med Soft, Med, Med Hard, Hard) to numbers (1.5, 2.0, 2.5 up to 5.0) back in about 2006 (?) Ever since then, I believe they got it all wrong!! Fibracell 3.0 feels like a 2.0, their 4.0 feels like a 2.75!! Watch my video for another comparison. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3nWfXePjKqWjdE

[@cezarbrito9843]

Pela primeira vez vejo alguém falar sobre o assunto, também sempre achei as palhetas Fibracell super leves!

[@nickt138]

Legere signature are awesome reeds!

[@salmon-youtube]

Nick T agreed

[@paulclare6589]

Yes and an awesome high price for 5 dollars worth of plastic / resin.would cost me 55 dollars Canadian to have it shipped to Thailand ..ouch.

[@Lfunk1983]

Agreed. I only use them now!

[@DynamixWarePro]

I agree that it is important to try the various reeds before committing so you can find the one that responds best for you with your setup. I have tried all of these synthetic reeds and so far I have had varying results and I am still trying to find a reed that will give me the non airy sound I am after without being buzzy or bright. The first synthetic reed I tried was when I started playing alto and tried the Legere Signature reeds. I tried them as I didn't want to spend the time on preparing cane reeds before and after playing and wanted to know that the only sound issues I was getting was from myself and my setup and not the fault of the reeds. I found them easy to play and they helped when I was using a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece. When my embouchure got stronger, I moved to a Meyer 6M and then a Selmer S80 C** mouthpiece, but then I found the Signature reeds were unplayable for me. I could play on a 2.5 strength reed, but it would give me a buzzy sound and I couldn't control the volume. I tried a 2.75 thinking it would help, but all I got was an airy sound and it was too hard to play and for some reason the tip of the 2.5 reeds kept splitting for me after a few weeks of playing them. I then tried Legere Studio Cut reeds, and at first they helped as they were more resistant which gave me the control I needed, however when I switched to a JodyJazz HR* 6M mouthpiece, I found they were a bit bright sounding and I started to have similar issues to the Signature. I could play on the 2.25 reed but high notes were a bit thinner sounding, but low notes came out easily. I tried a 2.5 and although high notes no longer sounded thin, I found it a bit hard to blow and got a bit of an airy sound. I then tried a Legere Classic 1.75 reed. I found it a bit airy sounding too, maybe since its the equivalent to a 2.5 Studio Cut reed, I wasn't ready for that strength yet. I tried a 2.5 Fibracell but found it a little buzzy sounding. Finally I tried a Forestone Hinoki Medium. I liked the feeling of it in my mouth over the Legere reeds and the sound was a bit more what I wanted, but like the Signature reeds, for me they responded the same way and again I couldn't control it without being too buzzy or too resistant

[@anquaviousshahab1678]

Dave's Nature Productions would you mind telling me which Yamaha 4c fits ? Legere significant 2.5 or2.25

[@perioax6506]

You should make another vid on synthetic reeds. Like forestone has different kinds of reeds like white bamboo and black bamboo w/ blast and stuff like that

[@saxophone.4513]

Well done Jim, excellent as always.

[@joamon559]

Excellent review. Thanks very much.

[@nuradnin3471]

Im using the Forestone Black Bamboo and it is great. Do try them out. You kinda get both of both worlds.

[@rickgraham786]

That's currently the brand I use and I totally agree. I use the s style.

[@pearspeedruns]

It is a good reed, though the tip is extremely thin compared to other brands. As a classical player, I can't get enough control out of it to use it.

[@rickgraham786]

Christian Aliferis You're right that tip is thin! I got the three sample pack (MS) strength. When my embouchure gets stronger I'll be able to use that strength

[@hqnutube]

Very informative, Jim. And I found your comment on the need of adaptation of the way you play for plastic reeds so true. I tried a medium Forestone and it did take a long time to get some sort of consistent tones and articulation. Would you make a video on the different ways you'd need to consider in playing these reeds?

[@JoeLeaderSax]

Great Demo, thanks Jim ! Please can you tell me which mouthpiece you're using on this video ? Many thanks, Joe

[@MrDlm44]

I think this must be 90% subjective. My experience is that I could hardly play the Legeres, but I play Fibracell on soprano, alto, tenor, and bari saxes, and clarinet without issue. I did have one bad reed, and spoke with the company, which sent me two new ones.

[@goinxnginx]

Put me in your camp, Dennis! I have had nothing but positive results on tenor with Fibracells, and they are the least "plastic sounding" reeds that I have tried. The Legeres were a nightmare, as was a couple of other brands of synthetic. I wasted money on trying them. I was using VanDoren JaZZ before, and liked them a lot, but got tired of having to replace them and try them out before gigs and rehearsals.

[@David3Wise]

Great video thanks - the signature sounded the best overall - nice tone and the accuracy of pitch was, to my ears, much better too. Which alto are you playing?

[@WellsLarry]

It would be nice to see the audio displayed on an audio spectrum analyzer.

[@Lfunk1983]

I only use Légère signature synthetic reeds now. I use Yamaha 6C / Daddario Jazz Select D7M mouthpieces with a 1985 Yamaha YTS 52. The sound is beautiful and I’ve literally become a better and more consistent player because I know what to expect from these reeds (I have two 2.0s that feel more like a 2.5 to 3 bamboos)

[@SlabHardcheese]

I've used a lot of Legere Signature reeds on my tenor (Durga 8*). The only downsides I've experienced is poor altissimo response, a slightly less rich sound than cane (but pretty decent), and the need for very exact strengths to play well. So far they are the most playable for me and my Durga 8*. A lot of synthetic reeds seem to require pinching gymnastics to keep it in tune at higher registers compared to cane (not a problem on signatures) so maybe they only work well on more closed pieces, and some Harry Hartmann seem to consistently have irregular vibration problems where the left side cuts right into my lip because it is vibrating weirdly strong on one side. I have use their hemp reed successfully though, and if I could get used to the intonation issues I would like their carbon fiber a lot I think. Right now I've fallen back to cane again as I found my two recent signatures aren't playing as well as I expected. Sigh... Can't I just slap a trombone mpc on it and be done with it? LOL A great cane reed is still way better, but it might take a couple boxes to find it.

[@lukerbutter2756]

I just stare at this mans neck!

[@markhormusic_ALIEN_GAME_ZONE]

Hi dear. Im a beginner. What is the time life of synthetic reed if you play everyday 2 or 3 hour? I want bay synthetic reed 2.5

[@andisaxophone]

I've tried all of these. The Fibercell has the shortest life-span but is also a bit cheaper. Also, for the Fibercell, you want to get a least one size harder than you are used to playing since they run very, very soft. Some reeds like the Legere could last for several months. I recommend having at least two at any time. After about an hour of playing, synthetic reeds begin to feel softer as they warm up.

[@markhormusic_ALIEN_GAME_ZONE]

@@andisaxophone Thank you so much dear ✌👍

[@andrewsantos7141]

Do you know what to do whe a lereger reed bents barely used it I bought it in the website sax uk. any suggestions please.

[@victorfigueroa5663]

Thanks master

[@jpdj2715]

I know it's a couple years old, this video. There are a couple things I would be curious about. How do they compare at the extremes of the tonal range of the instrument (lowest/highest)? How do they compare at the extremes of the volume range of the instrument (softest/loudest)? One thing crossed my mind - nowhere near Jim's level - but it seemed that the synthetic "reeds" presented more difficulty to maintain pitch, eg. when a few notes started to hover. Jim indicated that you had to get used to these and my observation may just have been an example of that still having to get used to them. That all said - time to repeat the test, maybe? Then, why not try that with the BetterSax alto and BetterSax mouthpiece?

[@PhilipVegaR]

Congrats on 100k

[@zpunky567]

Cool

[@TomGoldsmithguitar]

M!ntSpunk indeed

[@mayadames9035]

Could you review and compare Bari and Bari Star reeds vs this same line up? I'm curious of your opinion on the Bari brand synthetic reeds.

[@Saxman_sam]

May Adames as an endorser of the Bari Woodwind company I can say they're better than legere, they tips don't gray or splinter, they're virtually indestructible and they have a wide array of tone colors. You can see my reviews of the Bari woodwind products on my Instagram page Saxman_sam

[@Leo_TextoLib]

Eu uso as Fiberreeds! São Excelentes! A melhor é a Fiberred Onix!

[@vinodsurabhi6068]

Ciro Freire need a Reed

[@Matt-eg8wr]

I’ve tried a Legere reed and personally I’d rather invest my money into a box of reeds rather than 1 durable reed

[@DrSmallberries]

I love this guy.

[@pmarati]

One criticism I heard about synthetic reeds (and has been the reason why I've been reluctant to use them) is that the material used to manufacture them is harder than the hard rubber used to make mouthpieces. This causes the vibrations created by the reed over a prolonged period of time, to wear down on the mouthpiece and degrade it. Can anyone verify if this is actually true?

[@broomhandel3960]

I have 4 Legere reeds and they're all way softer than any ebonite mouthpiece I've ever touched.

[@ilyakarakotov4065]

P Marati it would probably take several decades for such a thing to even begin to happen

[@pearspeedruns]

My Legere reeds wear out after a month each. My mouthpiece is going strong after three years. I don't think it's a problem.

[@HB-ve4wi]

I wish they wouldn't make Forestone reeds quite as narrow. On my tenor mouthpiece they barely stay on the rails. Odd.

[@briandenigan9832]

Hi Jim. Great playing and a beautiful sound you are producing. Just curious, what strength are you using on the Legere Signature? I appreciate your response.

[@tylarjones5139]

I know this may be the wrong video to ask this, but could you do a little review video for your sakkusu baritone saxophone deluxe? You see im am really into playing the sax but i am on a tight budget and would like to own my own.

[@pearspeedruns]

Tylar Jones Have you checked SOTW? You could find a used pro horn for the price of that cheap new Chinese horn. I believe I saw a black lacquer B&S for $2000.

[@TrueBlueYou]

If the Legere Sig. reed was just 10% more dense than what it is, they would annihilate the reed market completely

[@Zelli1013]

There isnt any sax shops near me :( i play baritone sax so there is like no stores

[@ilyakarakotov4065]

Eboy 1013 go on amazon or ebay

[@pearspeedruns]

Or try WWBW.

[@myelin747]

I just noticed that mine was fiber cell

[@TomGoldsmithguitar]

Insane!!

[@stephengent9974]

Why are reeds so expensive?

[@trista.suttill]

Stephen Gent I’m pretty sure all cane reeds are hand made. So you’re paying for the labor. ?

[@Unknown-hk1cg]

@@trista.suttill they aren't hand made, they are machine cut. You're paying for machine maintenance, consistency, and quality control of both the cane and machining

[@trista.suttill]

Yea I just realized that a few days ago actually. Reading a reed box. I was like sh*t. Lol. Thanks for the reply.

[@grugg3108]

They're pretty hard to make

[@DynamixWarePro]

If you still don't know why reeds are expensive and haven't seen it, check out this Better Sax videon on why reeds are so expensive: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqnainawhblnec0

[@comhghallgeraghty3541]

I bought a forestone black reed for my tenor. It was way to narrow to fit any mouthpiece and impossible to play my findings confirmed by two seperate pro sax players. Waste of €20. Also have a fibracel which I find sounds papery and weak. will stick with my trusty la voz cane reeds

[@farley576]

Legere reeds work great, i've never had a problem, don't but any synthetic reeds that aren't legere

[@pearspeedruns]

I've found synthetic reeds really need to be matched with a specific mouthpiece. My Meyer only works with Fibracell. My Vandoren only works with Legere. A Morgan I tried only worked with Fibracell. And some mouthpieces won't like any of them. I've settled on Legere and I match mouthpieces to this.

[@DynamixWarePro]

@@pearspeedrunsI have a Meyer 6M alto mouthpiece and have used it Legere Signature 2 1/4 reeds with not much issues. I did at first trying 2 1/2 which I found a little strong so dropping down a strength helped. I ordered a fibracell premium so I'll see if that is any better or not, but I did notice that I first started playing Alto sax with a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece and Legere Signature 2 1/2 reeds, although they sounded fine, they tended to crack vertically from the tip after a month or so which didn't happen with the ones I played on my Meyer, a;though I have never heard about anyone else having that cracking issue with their Legere reeds.

[@GerardvanR]

The most important factor in making music is the musician himself. A good musician can make good music on every good reed.

[@coltoncrawfordjazz]

Gerard van Reenen “good reed” being the deciding factor.

[@pearspeedruns]

What mouthpiece is he playing on?

[@Amira-rg3sk]

I dont know but it sounds amazing.

[@ikeeichenberg9068]

I love my Legere, but I absolutely can't stand Harry Hartmanns

[@markwu4303]

lol idk why but i can’t hear the difference. oh nevermind i can hear it now.

[@pipamampetpalembang]

G 1895 saya punya

[@jaimezavala7009]

Hola necesito el nu mero de fon

[@richardmills5326]

Why are these videos so uptight

[@erikvasquez6017]

I need help with double tongueing

[@pearspeedruns]

Erik Vasquez Ask your teacher.

[@TheCommentator353]

Get your single tongueing really strong first. After that practise doing “dugudugudugudugu” into the mouth piece instead of just “duh duh duh duh duh”

[@jaimezavala7009]

Comoni quese al minumero

[@jackovfooksman7551]

any reed must be demo from b flat - g-3 octave you are selling not doing demo .

[@MarkPeotter]

Watch my comparison video for 10 Synthetic Reeds from 5 different manufacturers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3nWfXePjKqWjdE

[@natedartez1489]

Oof this is informative

[@SenatorRicardo]

Bruh... Necccc.

[@philipplescia851]

none can compre to cane, no warth can be attained with phoney

[@nothispatfirerick913pat7]

That's not how to do a scale and we're you even holding the opctive key down

[@pearspeedruns]

NO THIS PAT FIRE RICK 913 PAT What

[@nothispatfirerick913pat7]

Christian Aliferis I meant optive key

[@danadrian2752]

NO THIS PAT FIRE RICK 913 PAT it’s Octave. Also running through a scale doesn’t mean just going straight up then down.

[@moldysnek]

bruh pls close at leat 12 more buttons on your shirt

[@chas5131]

Prude.

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

All those synthetics are not good. Their response is limited, and kill perhaps 25-30% of vital tonal nuances, across all frequencies. Your first natural reed demo sounded best. For beginner players maybe synthetics are not bad idea, because beginners can't hear all the nuances anyway. But for a pro to use synthetics are be happy ..? I feel sorry for their audience.