The other day I mentioned a dealer on Ruby Lane who was selling a “Betcha” tenor reed. Well it turns out that this dealer also happens to have another obscure brand of vintage, synthetic reed for a saxophone. However, this reed is for an alto.
A Bit Of Vintage is selling a #3 Luellen alto saxophone reed. Like the “Betcha” reed, the Luellen reed has its original packaging—although it does show a bit more signs of wear. (The “Betcha” package was nearly minty.)
Source: rubyplaza.com
The seller says this, about this interesting piece of vintage, ersatz cane kane:
This is an old saxophone reed that I believe is from the 1940’s. The Luellen Reed is made of Extra Vibrant Plastikane which you can; clip, sand or shave according to the information on the back of the original card, to your exact requirements. The card reads; For E flat Alto Saxophone with an original price of $1.00. The reed itself has a “3” on the logo and the paper sleeve it comes in reads; ALT #3.
The reed measures about 2 3/4” long by 5/8” wide and appears to be in good condition with very faint scratches and pitting. The package measures about 4” by 3 1/4” and is in good condition with a few small tears and minor wear.
The pictures are not shown at actual size. Please refer to the description for actual measurements.
Anyone notice the price? It sold for $1! I’m paying about $26 for my Légère Signature Series tenor reeds. 😯 I’m not sure how much alto Légère reeds are, but they’re roughly in the same ballpark.
If we say these Luellen reeds are roughly circa 1953, then according to The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ Consumer Price Index Calculator, this same $1 reed would cost $8.32 in 2011. So what the heck does Légère do to their reeds to make them 3 times more valuable? Hey, I’m just asking. ❓ ❓
Source: rubyplaza.com
The rest of the photos show us great detail on this vintage, synthetic reed…
Source: rubyplaza.com
I did some Internet searches for Luellen reeds, but like for the “Betcha” reeds, couldn’t find any concrete information about them. They seem to be a bit of an enigma, much like many of the vintage accessories that turn up in old horn cases.
If you’re into collecting obscure, vintage reeds, then this #3 Luellen alto reed might just float your boat. If it does, A Bit of Vintage will be happy to sell it to you for $15.00.
HERE IM GO DATING MYSELF AGAIN,USED MANY VARIOUS PLASTIC OR SO CALL TYPE ,LET ME TELL YOU THEY CAN REALLY DO A JOB ON YOUR CHOPS,CUTS I MEAN.THE ONE GOOD POINT THEY HAD WAS PUT THEM ON A PLAY NO WARM UP TIME REQUIRED.AS YET TO FIND A SUB FOR THE REAL THING.KINDA LIKE NOT FINDING A SUB FOR PRACTICE
Hey there Sam. How are you doing?
I gave up on cane more than a decade ago. With doubling on up to 5 different saxes in some bands, cane reeds were just too much of a pain. And honestly, I just can’t be bothered anymore. Life’s too short to be spending hours fiddling around with reeds—let alone with reeds for soprano through to bass.
I switched to Fibracell in around 1998, but a few years ago noticed that they had changed. I no longer liked how they were performing. Recently I switched to the Legere Signature Series reeds for my tenor. I’ve still got plenty of old stock Fibracells left for the other horns, but when my supply runs low, I’ll have to figure out what to do.
Just an interesting aside, my first saxophone teacher and I still get together occasionally. He noticed recently that I was playing the Legere reeds. He tried one, and he really liked it. He too was always a real cane guy. He now plays the Legere Signature Series on his tenor. But then I also gave him one of my vintage Dukoffs to play on as well. He never had any success with them in the past, now he really likes it. Go figure. I’m a baaad influence. :devil2: But he still is a killer jazz player, and wipes the floor with me when he wants to.