CMelodyMan
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Alexander reedsHas anybody ever tried Alexander reeds? What kind of tone do they produce?
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Bleeding Gums Murphy
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They're awesome!! I use the D.C.'s (size 3) on alto and they're amazing!! They have a nice bluesy tone with just enough buzz, and very little edge. They're on the dark side of the jazz spectrum. I've never tried the classiques, but I've heard they're superb. The regular Superials are really nice reeds, with very good response and a consistent tone, but they were too buzzy for me. Gottta love the cool little tin things they come in. 
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-88-
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Alexander Superial ReedsI am no expert. I have tried many many different brands of reeds including the synthetic ones. It was a bit frustrating until I came upon Superials.
For my experience, the Alexander Superial DC reeds have been consistently good for me. I haven't come across more than one bad reed in many boxes so far. I suspect too, that the one bad reed was not the reed's fault. I mistreated it and it got puckered on the end.
Have been using Superial DC-3 until about two weeks ago when I found the DC-3.5 easier to play the high notes and also found the low end to be more steady. Amazingly these 3.5's were too hard for me before. Dunno why they're easier now. Lip service?
Now, DC-3.5's are all I buy.
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CamTheCat
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Great reeds - blow freely but don't quit too fast.
For the cost I find the Rico orange box reeds are fine. I do however work on my reeds (sand/shave/adjust them). Also, I always buy singles for the price of a box in quantities of a full box. I have a connection at the music store that lets me open two boxes and choose the best from the two. This visual comparison helps, but they are still far more inconsistent than the likes of Alexander Superials, or Vandoren Java/V16's.
L8R
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-88-
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Thanks on your Rico notes. Someone gave me some Rico Royals to try. They seem fine, but they are not in the stiffness number I am more used to.
Do you find the Rico's you are using give a different sound?
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saxmaniac
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Yes, Ricos are usually the most consistent out of all the major reed brands. Has anyone here ever boughten reed blanks before and made their own reeds?
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JazZz
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Alexandar's are my favorite reed. The tin of 5 lasts me about 8 months, with each reed ending with some mistake on my part. On their website they claim to know people who use one reed of theirs for 6 months at a time and they don't go dead. They produce a nice warm full tone.
I really don't enjoy playing on rico's (royal). I find them to have a cheap flimsy sound, and a lot of the reeds in their box's are dud's. I started with rico's, and in a box of ten, about 4 where bad, their the only reeds that i've opened up to have cracked reeds. Their jazz reeds (orange & black box) are pretty good and I use them once in a while.
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