Fiberreeds are great reeds :)

[Michael]

Hey Johnny,

I got to test the Fiberreeds yesterday for the first time, very nice! They sound better than the Fibracells–especially in the upper range of the Saxophone. It takes more effort to get Altissimo notes out on the Fibracells than the Hemp. With the Hemp reeds, not that much effort was required. They’re loud, bright and buzzy, very cool 🙂 They’re perfect for the Blues and other stuff I love to play 🙂 The notes with the hemp also sound more compact and focused vs. Fibracell reeds.

The Carbon Fiber Reeds aren’t as ‘buzzy’ and loud as the Hemp, but they’re fat and full sounding. I was surprised how easy it was to hit the low notes with these reeds, sounds pretty ‘smooth’ too 🙂 I think both the Hemp and the Carbon Onxy reeds have a time and place. I’ll keep practicing with these reeds and go from there. Thanks for bringing these reeds to us! 🙂

[Tom Lang]

Love my hemp tenor reed. Lasts a long time and can by tuned to suit your mouth piece.

[Tim56]

Hey Mike: Hows it??? Long time. Reeds? Carbon, the only way to go. Cane is gone!!! Listen to johnny. That’s all you have to know. Oh boy, buy a box of cane, how many play good? Real nice, mess with them! Woody woodchuck of the reeds. No more. Been playing syns for some time. I think, I may of talked Johnny into them? He my comment on that? Anyway, for you who have not tried them, get 1 or 2 and see. You are going to be pleased with them! They last long too. Tim

[Pete]

Tim
Spot on never buy cane reeds now, complete waste of money IMO. Try Legere American cut ( latest one from them) or Harry Hartman Hemp, play right out of box.

[Tom Lang]

Sorry but I tried them and had no luck with them, and you can not modify them. I have been playing for years and have my own teaching studio. Not good for beginners. Each reed works different with diff mouthpieces. If you don’t teach students about reeds they will never know what a good reed or bad reeds sound like. Sorry but I am a sax teacher. But those that like them good on you. Tom

[Tim56]

Pete: I have Legeres. I like my Carbon better. That said, Legeres are OK Can’t believe people can’t play them? I rotate them. Long life that way. I play one mouthpiece. An Otto Link Tone master. I have not got in to searching for MP’S Happy with the Otto’s My 2 tenors are just fine with them. Tim

[Pete]

Tim I play on Otto Link TM and i also rotate them get longer life from them.
Tom you can you can modify them especially the tips if you need to?

[Anonymous]

The biggest problem with the saxophone is the sax player, not the cane reed.

Cane reeds have been around for decades long before synthetic reeds.

You have to imagine what a cane reed is like, it’s similar to a bundle of drinking straws. Each year due to changing climatic conditions where the reed is grown affects that years reed quality output.

Don’t just take a cane reed out of a box and start playing, if you do that, you’ll just end up throwing away most of the reeds in a box, trying to find a good cane reed.

Similarly don’t waste time filing down or cutting away parts of a reed, if you do that, you’ll just shorten the life of the cane reed.

What you need to do is alter the bundle of drinking straws that make up the reed structure.

1. place the reed in a glass full of warm water for no longer than a couple of minutes, there’s no need to soak a cane reed for hours
2. dry the cane reed with some tissue
3. place the cane reed on a smooth flat surface, like a tile, or wood which is better
4. put your first three fingers on top of the reed and press down on the reed as hard as possible, and rub the reed on the flat surface (left and right or in a circle) and do this for a couple of minutes until your hand aches.
5. now get a teaspoon, turn the teaspoon over an put your thumb inside the teaspoon, and press the spoon on top of the shaved side of the cane reed, and rub up and down the reed to the tip and back, make sure you press as hard as you can, and smooth out all the edges of the reed.
6. what you’ve done now is flattened that bundle of drinking straws that make up the reed, so that now it absorbs less saliva.
7. Some old players in the past used to rub the reed in dust to achieve the same result. Either way, it flattens out the bundle of drinking straws.
8. now play the reed for not longer than 30 minutes, and avoid playing altissimo notes for the first few days, this is important.
9. when you’ve finished playing the reed, always leave the reed standing the tip of the cane reed in a half inch of mouth wash or vodka, not in water. This will stop any mould from destroying the reed and will make it last for about a year.

You have understand the make up of a cane reed and treat it with respect, if you haven’t got the patience to do this, then stick to synthetic reeds.

[Tim56]

SP. Just listen to Johnny. I don,t have to say anything else. Look at all you are doing with Cain Major pain. I pick up my horn and play. Tim

[saxomonica]

In any event, “there is no disputing about tastes”. Wars have been fought and bombs dropped for less ..
Mate! Sweeeet! Thanking you most kindly @SP for this fantastic information exchange and wow you’ve like turned me right back onto cane reeds.
Might i suggest that Point 10. could possibly be to get a reed holder and mark any various reeds, alternating about 4, say, as they play in?
Or you generally find that one reed just goes and goes? How can i go about carrying my reed(s) in transit? i did see a thang on Youtube where a bloke had a little bottleo gig. Do you have a preferred method of transport? Again, thanking you. 🙂

In the past coupla years i’ve switched to Bari synthetics but they are hard to get here in Oz now. I still got a coupla boxes of D’Addario 2.5 unfiled select jazz of cane reeds so your post is like really resonating in my uni-verse. Earthing me out, man ..
Like to try the hemp and carbon reeds of Johnny’s but postage is about the same as the reed. i guess i really should bite the bullet and cough up soon lol Ya the Legere synthetics cost about twice the Bari’s here. Itz hard when one tends to be thrifty .. guess you can’t put a price on a good sound. What ya reckon?

Meantime me’s a gonna roll out the barrel, whoops, i mean the fibrestraws.
Sings Suzi Quattro, Can the Can. Howz about Cane the Cane?
Beam me up bamboo stalk. And i ain’ t called Jack hahabaha but we’re all getting better at climbing scales, old beanz
Great post, like i mean really great, thanx a million, cobber.
whooo hoo fun fun fun !! so looking forwards to getting up close and personal with me cane reeds, again
ya beauty!
Cheers
Mark

[Author]

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