Forum of the Saxes

SDSaxMan · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 7 Location: San Diego Ca.

I have been Using plastic reeds lately and I kind of like them. I like the sound that they produce and they last longer. I can wash them with mild soap and a soft tooth brush you don't have to soak them and they don't get warped I find that they are louder and stronger then a normal reed. They are pretty consistent and I haven't had a bad one yet. I admit that I have had some better real reeds but they don't come that often and IM tired of gambling and giving the special care that real reeds demand. Just my 2 cents. Anyone else try or like plastic over the real deal?

JPSaxMan · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 2:59 pm Post subject:

I use a BARI reed for my bari once in a while, but I still prefer the cane reeds Cool

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saxismyaxe · Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 19 Location: Dallas Tx/Murray Ky

I've experimented with poly reeds (many brands) off and on for years, and although they have improved quite a bit of late, I am still left feeling they make a great backup reed, but come up lacking as my primary reed of choice.
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Russ · Joined: 25 Mar 2006 Posts: 2

I switched to Fibracells on all my horns. I tried other brands but I like the Fibracells the best, for tone and consistency.

I hate fixing cane reeds. I play every day, but I don't have the luxury of spending precious hours soaking and sanding reeds, only to find one or two in a box that I want to play anyway. I know you can make a bad reed "playable" but who wants just a playable reed? If I only have a half hour to practice I know I can pick up the horn and start blowing and make every second count. I also play Tenor, Alto and Soprano on my gigs and find it very convenient to just change horns and play as required.

It does take some getting used to with your embouchure, but soon enough I started getting a great tone, big and bright. The reeds are very consitent from low Bb up through the altissimo range. You will spend some dough experimenting to find the correct strength, but it's well worth it because when you do, the reeds last longer than a cane reed, no matter what you do to preserve it.

Fibracells tend to run a bit softer than you might expect. My primary horn is tenor. I had played Medium Hard Lavoz reeds for a long time. When I switched to Fibracells, I found 4's to be in about the same range. However, I like to practice with a 3.5's, then use 4's on the gig for added volume and to allow me a little more bite resistance. They play beautifully on my alto and soprano as well.

It being true that most players can pick up any horn with any set-up and still basically sound like their sound, I opt for the consistency and convenience at this point in time.

jules · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 63 Location: brighton- uk

If you can get hold of 'Harn' plastic reeds they're well worth a try out... sort of grained plastic- great feel to 'em.
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