Saxophone Tips with Mirko Guerrini - Synthetic Reeds Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ย. 2024
- In this video, Mirko Guerrini goes through several synthetic reeds and gives an insight into different brands of synthetic reeds.
This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.
Reeds tested in this video:
02:03 Plasticover 2.5
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04:55 Forestone Jazz Unfiled M
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07:59 Forestone Hinoki M
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10:12 Fibracell M
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11:43 Bari M
amzn.to/3GHk7PG
14:36 Légère 3
amzn.to/3EXu89O
17:00 Venn 2.5 Tenor (D'Addario)
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Venn 2.5 Alto (D'Addario)
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22:11 Alta Jazz Ambipoly Tenor (Silverstein)
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Alta Jazz Ambipoly Alto (Silverstein)
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25:56 My choice
Let me know in the comments if you have further questions. I will be happy to share my thoughts with you.
Other gear I used in this video:
D'Addario Select Jazz Mouthpiece 7M
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Rovner Tenor Saxophone Light Ligature + Cap
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Rico Saxophone Strap, Tenor/Baritone, Jazz Stripe 2
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Konig & Meyer Stand saxxy tenor saxophone stand
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Great video. This is the first time I have every been able to actually discern a difference in the sound on a you tube reed comparison video. What a wonderful player you are too. Thank you!
Hi John, thanks so much for your nice words. You made my day!
My favorite reeds for many years have been BARI. Now I am looking for the replacement as it's difficult to get in my country. A big thanks for the comparison you have made.
Hi @Eduard_Kolesnikov, I would suggest you try the Silverstein and the Venn (Daddario). They are really consistent at the moment.
@@mirkoguerrini Definitely going to do that.
Thank you so much for the review. After getting sick of sanding reeds I changed to playing synthetic and I just know this is the way to go. The sound improves with time and the feeling of placing it in the mouthpiece and go is just pure happiness. Strangely enough I found that "Fibracell premiere" and Legere are the best sellers but I admit that I have not tried the rest. I will certainly get the Venn or the Silverstein regardless of their higher price. BTW I still sand the table of the plastic reeds in order to make them seal better. It does make a difference to me.
I just liked and subscribed, Ciao!
Thanks Jazzman. I never got to the point where I can sand a plastic reed. But I am sure you're right if it works for you!
I use a square metal. Simular to Type Reedgeek and carefully runn the back side. Works well on legere reeds.
After watching this video I decided to give a try to the Forestone's (I couldn't find the Venn anywhere).
I absolutely love them. I am actually playing on a Forestone unfilled.
Fibracell is made of Kevlar. Really good review!!
Thanks @bob blues!
Absolutely superb comparison....and boy can you play. New subscriber!
Thanks a lot!
Very good video Mirko, I am also glad to greet you. Thanks for the info.
Hey Juan, Thanks for the comment and good to hear from you!
The D’Addario and Silverstein Alta Jazz sounded best, full, resonant tenor sound. Not sure how they’d compare to cane reeds but they might be great for rock/funk gigs, possibly a jazz gig. Great comparison, really helpful.
Hi Markus, thanks for your nice words. I do agree, and those ones you mentioned are the ones I use regularly. For sure great value for the price.
Excellent video with thoughtful comparisons. Thanks!
Thanks Damon!
Intersting video. I’m using Légère Signature #2 on my tenor and is very happy with it. But I can hear that #3 is way too stiff for you which makes the comparison unfair.
Hi @hansmathiasthjomoe4817, Thanks for your comment. Reed streght is very subjective and personal. I just tried the Legere #3 because that is the suggested strenght suggested by Legere to match the cane reeds strenght I normally use: Select Jazz 3S or 3M. I have tried in the past some other Legere reeds and they just don't work on me. Have you tried the new Venn by D'Addario? They have redone the synthetic reed and the new one is pretty good. However, this is just my personal opinion. Cheers, M
Thanks a lot for share this comparison. In your perception, Venn it's so close to the Select Jazz, or so far away? If not, what synthetic reed can be so close?
Hi @helderolibar thanks for your comment. In my opinion, a synthetic reed will always feel different from a cane reed. Now, I must admit that the new generation of Venn are pretty good (and much better than he previous ones). Are they very close to the Select Jazz? Maybe not, in terms of feeling and elasticity, however, I think they produced now a synthetic reed that can be managed and controlled by the player. If you want to have a go I suggest you try the Venn G2. In terms of strenght, I ws playing Select Jazz 3S or 3M and now I am playing a Venn G2 2.5. Let me know how you go if you decide to try it. I provide here the link if you want to explore more. amzn.to/3PPYGy8
@@mirkoguerrini thanks a lot, one more time. You help me so much, because here in Brazil these reeds is so much expansive, so we can't just buy to try, we need the maximum information before
Many thanks. Shame you didn't have a Fiberreed. Also the Rico Plasticover is not a synthetic reed but a cane reed with a plastic coating.
I tried a few synthetics, and so far, for tenor saxophone, I like Forestone Black Bamboo and Hartmann Fiberreed Hemp the best.
I was impressed on first try. But then I didn't play it for too long. Still playing it? How is it?
@@mirkoguerrini Still great, still my favourites. I'm contemplating of using the same for the clarinet, to see and hear what results it produces on that instrument.
@@zvonimirtosic6171 I will try it thanks.
@@poullamhauge5863 Do you mean on the clarinet? On the clarinet I am using a Silverstein Alta ambipoly as well on a D'Addario Reserve x25E mouthpiece
@@zvonimirtosic6171 On the clarinet I am using a Silverstein Alta ambipoly as well on a D'Addario Reserve x25E mouthpiece
Thanks Mirko re the Fibracell I think you had an old version the newer ‘Premier’ have strength numbers and are way better IMHO
You do need to dry them after use to protect the base membrane tho….
Thanks Michael. Yes, I will try them. Meanwhile, have you tried the new Venn by D'Addario? They have redesign completely the reed and these new ones are pretty good. Try them if you have a chance.
Grande Mirko! Da fuori, la plasticover, anche se un po' sottilina non suona niente male, specialmente a dinamiche medio basse. E la Legere ha un suo perché smokey/husky. Qui negli Stati Uniti, le Boston Sax Shop (legno) stanno avendo un grosso successo, e devo ammettere che sono parecchio ganze, se non l'hai provate, te le consiglio! Molto stabili, con un grosso core, ma non dure con la scopa ne... ciao!
Ciao Giulio, che piacere leggerti. La Plasticover in effetti, lo dico nel video, non è affatto male. Ma non è proprio sintetica, quindi è un po' un'intrusa nel mio video. :-) Le Boston Sax Shop non le ho mai provate, ma ti credo sulla parola! Un abbraccio
Hallo Mirko. Tanks for a great reed trial.
What is your opinion on reed 😀 storage.
Greatings from Denmark
Hi Poul, my opinion on reeds storage is that I am a bit random and not too well organised. I have a D'Addario reed box that can store up to 8 reeds and you can buy dehumidifier sachets. I found that using that box I never had the usual wavy reed issue ever again. What is your opinion on reed storage?
@@mirkoguerrini Hello again.
Long time. I had a box in the fridge and a sock with rock salt in . And a bit of water.
Manly I use legere studio cut. And I have just received the silverstein alta 2. One til now I'm satisfied 😌
And I by the way play on ddario 7m tenor.
Cheers
@@poullamhauge5863 Wow, that is a bit of a process! :-) I have the same mouthpiece on both Alto and Tenor.
Ciao Mirko, ottimo video grazie! sto pensando di acquistare alta ma quale forza sarebbe la stessa con legere 2.25?
Ciao Ugur, ti suggerirei Alta Jazz 2.5+.
@@mirkoguerrini Grazie!
Grazie per il video, suono da tanto con le signature e credo te abbia preso una misura troppo dura rispetto alle altre, se non la usi prova a metterla qualche secondo in acqua calda/bollente e vedi che succede :) hai avuto modo di provare le american cut?
Ciao kokozzz, no, non ho provato le American cut, le proverò. Ho provato diverse durezze delle signature, suonando bene all'inizio, ma dopo un po' comincio a sentire la plastica. Comincio ad avere la sensazione che sia l'ancia a 'guidare' il suono e non più io. Proverò anche con l'acqua bollente! :-)
Hi Mirko, thank you very much for this nice reed comparison and those crazy BeBop arpeggios , it brings interest here, and I wonder If i can ask you an advice about how to chose the right Venn Strength. I'm pretty happy now with Rigotti Gold Jazz 3s, using a Slant Sig 8. What Venn Strength would you use ?
Hi Kevin,
It is really hard to give a straight answer to your question. The Venn I am using at the moment is a 2.5, which happened to be a bit stronger than the reeds I normally use. I have played the Rigotti Gold for a bit and they were generally a bit softer, compared to Vandoren, for example. So, I would suggest Venn 2.5 or even 2, should do it for you. It also depends if you like to have a bit more opposition from the reed or not. Any chance there is a shop near you that let you try them?
@@mirkoguerrini Very interesting ! I guess I'm in a confusing moment of my learning path. I play 6 to 8 hours a day since a few month. i used to play on an old Otto link metal 7* , and pairing it with java Red 2.5 or select Jazz 2H.
I tried Légere Signature 2.25 : Very bright, Soft and plastic Sound / Légère American Cut 2.25 : bit more resistance and better sounding but still far from a nice cane reed, and still a bit soft to me / Légère American Cut 2.5 : very resistant at the beginning and Nasal sounding, but I insisted and I supposed I got used to it, so now it feels too bright...I'm waiting for an Am.Cut 2.75 to be delivered...I feel like légère reeds don't sound as realistic as I was hoping, and that's why I'd like to try the Venns. I recently bought java Green 3, Java Red 3 and Rigotti 3s. Both of my Vandorens are very softer and very brighter than the Rigotti, with is confusing because you experienced the opposite ! I really Dig the Rigotti sound. I have to fight the extra resistance at the beginning, but after a few hours it feels very nice. Right new I'm using a D'addario Select Jazz 8M and a Theo Wanne Slant Sig 8, wich I like very much, brighter than the D'addario. I guess it makes me need a harder, darker reed than the Select jazz and the link ...I'm planning on visiting the Shop today, to buy and try a Venn, planning on a Venn Size 3 but, based on what you said, I'm gonna go for a 2.5 and see what happen !
Thank you for your kind response Mirko, and BTW is that a bit of the Charlie Parker's "All the things you are", I heard somewhere in the video ? Very cool piece of jazz history ! :p
17:01 Venn
22:11 Alta
Looking to get away from the legere American cuts because they all crack within three to four weeks! Since I play hard and I need something dependable so, I am done with cane! My question is, how close is the ambipoly sound complete the the legere since I’m totally use to what I get on the legeres?........I’m willing to sacrifice a just little on sound if I can get response and durability!
Hi, I didn't got what mouthpiece are you using (forgive me, it's the first time I stick around your channel). I'm looking for a synthetic reed that eventually should be sounding like a La Voz (I like Joe Henderson's sound specifically), can you give me some advice about?
Hi, I am using a D'Addario Select Jazz 7M, which is flexible enough for me to have multiple colours available in my sound. It is really hard to give out advice on how to obtain a specific sound on the saxophone. The sound depends firstly on your on body feature (the shape of your head, throat, larynx, lips, teeth, tongue etc.). That is why it is always a bit debatable whether to buy a mouthpiece just because that saxophone player I like uses it. If only was that easy!! :-) To try answering your question I would say probably the D'Addario Venn are a bit stronger than the Silverstein. I would also try the Legere American Cut, which should provide a darker sound. I hope that this helps and thanks for visiting my channel.
Maybe you need to try a softer Fibracell?
Hi Victor, maybe. But I am generally happier with my Venn or Silverstein. :-)
which is better bare or fibracell?
You have to try them and experience it yourself. Among the two, I personally prefer the Fibracell.