The Best Saxophone Reeds of All Time

Use code "ELITE10" for 10% OFF Nexus Elite Reeds and the new Nexus Signature Reed Case at: www.nexussaxophones.com
Equipment:
Nexus Select Saxophone
Nexus Edge Mouthpiece
Nexus Oracle Ligature
Nexus Elite Reeds
D'Addario Reserve: www.daddario.com/products/woo...
Vandoren JAVA: vandoren.fr/en/vandoren-reeds...
La Voz: www.daddario.com/products/woo...
Nexus Elite: www.nexussaxophones.com/store...
D'Addario Select: www.daddario.com/products/woo...
Vandoren ZZ Jazz: vandoren.fr/en/vandoren-reeds...
Rigotti: www.rigotti.fr/en/article-rig...
Boston Sax Shop Black Label: www.bostonsaxshop.com/shop/p/...
Download Chad's latest digital improvisation resources at:
www.jazzlessonvideos.com/down...
Get live coaching from Chad and our team of Jazz Gym Trainers:
www.jazzlessonvideos.com/thej...
Sign up for the waitlist to study with Chad through the Chad LB Text Lessons Studio! www.jazzlessonvideos.com/text...
Tour dates: www.chadlb.com/shows
Video by Austin Kruczek + Astrid Asmundsson
Mixed and Mastered by Noah Flaharty
Hailed as a "Sax Phenom" by the New York Daily News, Chad LB is a featured artist on 2 GRAMMY winning albums, and has toured through 6 continents playing venues from Carnegie Hall to the Super Bowl. As a bandleader, he’s headlined jazz venues and festivals around the world, and as a soloist he’s joined acts like Chris Botti, Arturo Sandoval, and Christian McBride. No stranger to the big screen, Chad has been featured on numerous TV shows with pop icons like Taylor Swift, rock legends like Don Henley, as well as the Hollywood film, “Here Today” with Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish.
0:00 Intro
0:59 D'Addario Reserve
3:25 Vandoren Java
6:09 La Voz
9:40 Nexus Elite
13:47 D'Addario Select
16:22 Vandoren ZZ Jazz
19:55 Rigotti
23:02 Boston Sax Shop Black Label
#ChadLB #Saxophone #reeds

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

Use code "ELITE10" for 10% OFF Nexus Elite Reeds and the new Nexus Signature Reed Case at: www.nexussaxophones.com Equipment: Nexus Select Saxophone Nexus Edge Mouthpiece Nexus Oracle Ligature Nexus Elite Reeds D'Addario Reserve: www.daddario.com/products/woodwinds/tenor-saxophone/tenor-sax-reeds/organic-reserve-tenor-saxophone-reeds/ Vandoren JAVA: vandoren.fr/en/vandoren-reeds/java-tenor-saxophone-reeds/ La Voz: www.daddario.com/products/woodwinds/tenor-saxophone/tenor-sax-reeds/la-voz-tenor-saxophone-reeds/ Nexus Elite: www.nexussaxophones.com/store-2/p/elite D'Addario Select: www.daddario.com/products/woodwinds/tenor-saxophone/tenor-sax-reeds/organic-select-jazz-unfiled-tenor-saxophone-reeds/ Vandoren ZZ Jazz: vandoren.fr/en/vandoren-reeds/zz-tenor-saxophone-reeds/ Rigotti: www.rigotti.fr/en/article-rigotti-41-33-7.php Boston Sax Shop Black Label: www.bostonsaxshop.com/shop/p/custom-tenor-reeds Download Chad's latest digital improvisation resources at: www.jazzlessonvideos.com/downloads Get live coaching from Chad and our team of Jazz Gym Trainers: www.jazzlessonvideos.com/thejazzgym Sign up for the waitlist to study with Chad through the Chad LB Text Lessons Studio! www.jazzlessonvideos.com/text-lessons Tour dates: www.chadlb.com/shows

[@Cubsfan122112]

i'm using yours on alto and loving them! so easy to play with and great tone!

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

So glad you're enjoying the Nexus alto reeds!!

[@davidsmusic]

so great video dear, honestly my mind was blast with your low tones, wooow!! you melt the Mic man!! greetings from Germany and I am a big fan of your music.

[@zqa12swx]

That La Voz #5!!! Ready for gig

[@robstevens9590]

Nice, thorough comparison. Dave Pollack did a comparison between the BSS Black and the new BSS Silver; in which the Silver seemed more responsive with more projection and a bit brighter.

[@williesordillo8621]

I played V16s for years, but a couple of years ago started using Rigotti Golds as well on my alto. More recently, I tried a box of Vandoran V21s (another new cut), and I like those more than the V16s. They have a darker core and a bit more resistance than the Rigottis, and I find that they take a bit more breaking in- but once they are, they have a nice, rich sound that I like a lot.

[@noelmesta3313]

Vandoren Java Red is the Best!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@kalebjacobs5473]

Have you tried vandorien ZZ they are the best of both worlds of the red and green

[@JiveDadson]

I can't tell the difference between red and green when I play them.

[@JiveDadson]

@@kalebjacobs5473 I have too many mouthpieces. I could not make the ZZ's work on any of them. Squawk, honk.

[@kalebjacobs5473]

Were you going to strong on reeds? Also by mouthpieces were they jazz or classical cause you will get different sounds from both

[@kalebjacobs5473]

The ZZ in my opinion are one of the best sounding reeds, I kinda like them better than the blue box Vandoren

[@emmarawiczsax]

*I wouldn't mind trying one of these Nexus out. They look so cool!*

[@bennyontop1134]

I bought the nexus reeds a few months back, and I have to say they were the best reeds I have ever used! Bright and Compact sound and high quality.

[@ChrisF_1982]

Worth the extra cost..

[@MoGreazy]

Just as an FYI, LaVoz and Rico (orange box) are the same reeds, made on the same production line, and are simply graded differently for strength (M = 3, etc.), with different packaging. It’s strictly a sales and marketing thing. This was true all the way back to the origins of both brands. Rico, and now D’Addario, have both stated this openly. This could save you some money if you were considering comparing the two. Also, Vandoren have a chart on their website showing topographical maps of all their reed cut geometries (with the exception of the Austrian and Germen cuts for clarinet).

[@Q.Lawrence]

That might explain why I switch between the two brands.

[@slmjkdbtl]

great comparison, the diff is huge

[@ktsax1207]

Hi Chad, your video looks awesome! Have you tried BSS latest Silver label reeds? What's the difference with Nexus reeds? Thank you.

[@mistrsax]

I liked the Nexus reeds best for tone, edge, and flexibility. Second was the D'Addario select. The others sounded stuffy and with less projection. Thanks for the comparison. I'll try a box of Nexus reeds based on this video. 👍🎷

[@markwhite-what-da-jazz]

I love Roberto's Winds (Rigotti cane) for jazz. I can push the volume with these reeds and they will still maintain a beautiful core sound, while getting some beautiful brightness with the louder volumes. I love the Rigotti Gold reeds for my dance club gigs..... the extra brightness when pushed sounds great and they still sound beautiful at the softer dynamics and they respond so effortlessly. On soprano, I love the D'Addario Reserve reeds.... I get such a beautiful sound with these reeds on soprano, but they don't work for me on alto or tenor. I use Theo Wanne Gaia 4 mouthpieces on soprano, alto, and tenor. Chad is 100% correct about finding what works for you. Different reeds respond differently on different mouthpieces, so you have to find what works for you.

[@Overlycomplicatedswede]

I’m a bass trombonist but my friends loves la voz reeds it’s all he uses. his room has like 3 boxes of them lol

[@swervj]

I have been using Alexander Superial for several years and find them very consistent. They are getting harder to source so I will give the Nexus reeds a try.

[@JenniferBurrowes]

Main all sound great and I am confused I dnt know which one to choose now. OMG help. I am new to the alto sax been playing since July of this year.

[@sethvoNhaNdorf]

The Nexus reeds sound great! I mostly play with Fibrereeds these days - I'm curious to hear a comparison with those, and your thoughts on them as well.

[@mistrsax]

I've used Fibercell reeds for many years on tenor and alto. I like them for a number of reasons, longevity the most. I've tried cane reeds but they die too easily and seem stuffy to me. However, I'll try the Nexus reeds based on this video demo. 👍

[@marktyler3381]

I've just tried Venn and they are the first synthetic that I like.

[@coin777]

Sadly if you don't play at least a 3.0 you can't play the venn

[@janbevelsborg]

To me the LaVoz and Nexus sound the best. But that’s personal obviously. I have been playing LaVoz all of my life. Will try the Nexus now after this video. Thanx Chad.

[@klaus8456]

Boston Sax Shop Silver🐐

[@saxman7131]

I love my nexus reeds. I usually play Fiberreed carbon Medium or nexus. The Boston Sax Shop reeds work for me also but I use a 2 instead of 2.5.

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

Great to hear you're digging them thanks!!

[@TheTrombonism]

Is it bad that I liked your sound most with the LaVoz reeds?

[@grantcole164]

The production quality of Chad’s videos just keep getting better and better

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

Thanks, Grant! That's all thanks to my manager/videographer/producer/right-hand-man, Austin!

[@IvarsI]

yes, but the voice is overcompressed

[@danielmoussier6468]

I would love to try ur Nexus Alto reeds, but the shipping to Europe is too expensive... quiet the same price that the reeds box itself ... :)

[@joeblankenship377]

'Lupifaro Evo' reeds are pretty great. Don't hear much about them. I tried some after seeing them in a BetterSax video.

[@Raccoon1400]

What strength of the Boston Sax Shop reeds did you play? And were they about the same strength as the Jazz Select 2H? I'm trying to figure out what strength would work for me and the chart on their site looks way off on some reeds based on my experience.

[@alexeymorozov816]

Nexus reeds were some sort of relief for you, Chad😊 I'm a huge fan of Nexus reeds: response, core, high-low notes transition, I mean... Ah! And consistency. I had 3 boxes 5 pieces in each, and only 1 reed was "not as expected". The rest are absolutely the same as the previous one, which is a great result. Highly recommended, guys! I was playing ZZs for a long period of time, imho, they are awesome in all aspects, but Nexus ones are the next step further.

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

So glad you're enjoying the Nexus reeds, Alexey!!

[@davidolahmusic]

Next - compare selmer supreme alto and tenor vs. Nexus alto and tenor, please 🙏🤓 also, the BSS Silver label reeds.

[@GUmbolyaa5112]

Chad could use a 2 by 4 as a reed and still make it sound good lol

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

Haha thank you!!

[@dennis524]

Just curious, did you use the essentially the same strength reeds throughout? Thanks.

[@JimsIrish76]

I liked the ZZ for the handful that were working well, and had a lot of core yet responsive. . Lavoz might have been the best middle of the road all sound concepts tough. Nexus was louder and seemed brighter so doing what they are designed for that part.

[@LuckyMichael1962]

Hi Chad, which rigotti gold strength to buy as an beginner tenor sax player, learning on STAGG sax with an Yamaha TS 6C mouthpiece in order to play without a lot of blowing smooth, lounge, modern, pop music? Thank you in advance for your reply!

[@ZsombiNSAX]

i cant find any shop in europoe which sells nexus reeds ^.^'

[@jokka9110]

La voz Medium Hard 🇧🇷✌️

[@dangillberg1386]

ZZ best to my ears, most clear tone La Voz surprised me, nice even tone

[@yourofficalnetwork]

i acutally have 8 boxes of daddario reeds, both reserve and select jazz. why would i not think that they're the greatest reeds i've ever played on so far?

[@skaholic_tv]

If you have a rico plastic cover reeds demmmnnn soooo goodsss also no need to put in water to smooth,.,

[@lejazz6938]

Am I supposed to like/hear the nexus sounding best?

[@jaliljorge6956]

V16 are incredible for jazz, but I mean, on Chad, any reed sounds amazing hahaha

[@davidc3903]

That’s been my pick for years. Still interested in trying some of these others tho

[@ChadLefkowitzBrown]

Thank you!!

[@williamgregory1848]

I’ve only used Vandoren reeds (Blue Box, Java Green, and V12) but I really want to try these other reeds 😢

[@GamesNewsGuy2017]

Same I only used to have blue box but now I have blue box and reserves

[@chapterrv]

I think Java Reds should be the next ones you try. I was using Greens exclusively when I switched back to cane. IMO, Reds have more body and stability compared to the Greens, especially in the upper register (noticeable not as buzzy or thin in palm keys, but still leans bright with fatness). This could be a pro or con depending on your setup and style. I didn't think it'd like em, but I do--more than Greens. I'm now experimenting with Rigotti Golds. To me, they're most similar the Java Greens, except FAR more consistent. Not as thin sounding, but are brighter than Reds. Next I'll try BSS. They're apparently like Java Reds. I never thought I'd want anything other than Vandoren. But the consistency and Soft, Medium and Hard sub-strengths are game changers Best of luck!

[@Cubsfan122112]

also, why do alto box of reeds almost always come in 10, and tenor come in 5 or so? is it just because tenor reeds are more reed and longer? doesn't seem that much more reed compared to also, and couldn't they just use a bigger box?

[@ChrisF_1982]

I've always wondered this. Also why tenor cost nearly twice as much despite not being that much larger than an alto.

[@racehoglund7251]

Hey uhh if you don’t want any of those reeds feel free to send ‘em to me lol reeds can be spendy these days!

[@allenmartin9926]

Ayeeed

[@martinchilvers3870]

To fair, Chad could play on a lollipop stick and it would still sound amazing :)

[@juanrondonmusic]

For me: La Voz the best. Second place Nexus. I use select jazz. They didn't sound as good to you as La Voz and Nexus. Very small sound with those Select Jazz. I'll try La Voz. t Thanks for the video

[@danielsinanian5649]

Reserve sounded nice especially after they're broken in. Javas sounded very inconsistent in tone and cut - last one in particular was quite stuffy. La voz sounded dark and tasteful, but lacking in some overtones like you mentioned. Nexus sounded well rounded and a good fit for your tone and style, especially down the bottom. Consistency was quite good too, but I am curious to see their longevity as they sound similar to BSS. In my experience they are my fave but don't last long. Select jazz sounded quite consistent too and with a good tone, but lacked the character you got from your more comfortable nexus (4 was nice though). After broken in would be even better. ZZ dark and creamy, but strength seemed quite inconsistent. Hardest would have been great after broken in. Rigotti gold consistent, but lacking in the warmth and complexity that you got from the ZZ, Reserve and nexus. BSS (my choice for alto) like a more complex and flexible Rigotti. Still my favourite. Dark and colourful, but not as consistent (or durable) as select jazz or d'addario. I have tried all but the nexus and I think I will stick to my BSS for jazz, but recommend select jazz for students due to their wide size selection.

[@cookieman136]

Nexus reeds last as long, if not longer than Vandoren reeds. I recently switched bc Vandoren consistency issues. All my Nexus reeds have been players. They have minor differences from reed to reed, but all very responsive and I’ve noticed improved intonation up and down the horn.

[@WilliamCarterII]

The Boston Sax Shop and ZZ Jazz are low key my least favorite. Jazz select and Java are my go tos. Not sure I'm willing to buy the nexus reeds lmao. I guess if I see them in a store, I might try them. For sure not a horn tho. (No offense) I love my cannonball and ishimori tenor. If i ever got a new one it'd be a selmer. played one in undergrad

[@chapterrv]

What color Javas do you use?

[@CHIMBIM1]

Yeah!🤘

[@StoneysWorkshop]

It is really apparent when a reed suites you. the ZZ sounded good but certainly could tell they didnt play well. Nexus 3,4,5 sounded fantastic! The d”addario reserve #2 had to be the worst sound

[@richardolson8651]

Great video thanks. Gonna try some BS reeds. Dick

[@TK-xo2mf]

You sound great on all of them...but...LaVoz sounded best...but you played the best on Nexus....but Im a drummer😅

[@ryker2389]

'Promo sm' 🔥

[@davidolahmusic]

First

[@hansmathiasthjomoe4817]

Thank you for the video, but There is Nothing that is «best», never mind the area. There is no “best” mouthpiece, “best” saxophone. You have to find out what’s the “best” for you.

[@josesabillon7388]

Question , why don’t nexus reeds have strength 2 🥲