Over the years, I’ve experimented with many kinds of reeds. More than 10 years ago I switched to Fibracell for all my horns because I find them to be the most consistent.
I’d rather play my sax than go through the drama of fiddling around with reeds. Because I always use more than one horn during shows anyway, with synthetics I never have to worry about my reeds drying out.
Although some players don’t like synthetic reeds, I find that there is no difference in sound between a Fibracell and a good cane reed.
When I first got my Buescher, the bass saxophone renaissance was still a few years away, and there were virtually no reed choices. The only companies that were selling bass saxophone reeds were Rico and Vandoren, and finding them was next to impossible.
What a difference a few years make! Now if a bass sax player wants to use bass saxophone reeds—but many of us baritone reeds since we use baritone mouthpieces anyway—the choices are much greater, and the suppliers are much more plentiful.
Yes, a player can still buy Rico and Vandoren bass sax reeds, but they can also get Marca Superieure and Alexander Classique. If a player wants to play a bass synthetic reed, Légère makes one that has gotten some rave reviews.
The reed pictured below is the one I use on my Buescher Bass Sax. It is a Fibracell Soft, baritone sax reed. It works with both my modified Runyon bari piece, as well as the Geo Bundy Bass mouthpiece I have.
Sadly, Fibracells have gone to hell, and IMO are no longer good reeds. As a matter of fact, they are crap. On tenor I sound like a duck after my first set at a show. I had an ample supply of good Fibracell reeds for bass, so I still have lots of good ones to use, but when they go, I will be switching to Légère.
You must be logged in to post a comment.