My Reeds Suck, Part 2 - Reed Brands Fight to the Death 

Flavor Reed "Taste the Music" It tastes horrible

I love the fact that on Flavorreeds' website they misspelled Vandoren.

As a broadway pit performer I can tell you synthetic reeds will save your life. You are constantly changing instruments and you don't have time to fuss with a wood reed. A lot of the time you'll play a reed instrument then not touch it again for 15 minutes. Plenty of time for a wood reed to dry out. You then have to pick up that instrument quickly and perform flawlessly right away. Wood reeds don't allow for that.

I prefer a plastic/synthetic reed for marching band, where the conditions can get quite bad, but besides from that always use Vandorens.

I am really enjoying the passion and attention to detail you have for reeds. It's quite amazing to me, actually. As a tenor player with little patience for reeds, I slap a Fibracell on and go for it. I always feel like I'm missing something, though; I'm finding your reed videos quite interesting and educational. Thanks so much!

My band teacher told my class a horror story about a teacher band he knew who told they're students to soak their reeds in Coca Cola so it would taste better. Brings shivers down my spine every time I think of it.

there is a reed made out of plexiglass... You should check it out. My band teacher has one and her clarinet sounds AMAZING! I play bass tho so idk

Can you do the same thing but for Bb clarinet please ?

same love hate relationship with vandoren, I just want to give up on them sometimes! and flavored reeds are a total joke, but anyways, thank you for always taking your time to make videos for us bass clarinet players

It seems that whenever I have reed issues this pops up in my recommendations.

This video was really helpful. I am a Bass Clarinet player, and havent played in a few years. This helped me get an idea of a reed that I can get to get back into playing, and that I could afford.

I see those vandoren reeds and I wish that vandoren would make 56 reeds for the bass clarinet

you are the main reason I have a bass clarinet

I ended up here while looking for sax stuff, but I really enjoyed it! xD I LOVE it

His glasses are everything😂

This is a great review, I love your humor involved in such a serious subject. Great playing too!!

Ok, so I play the Baritone sax but I have a question. If I use a synthetic reed will I have a chance of squeaking.

I hate the vandoran v12 reeds. I have always used the vandoran blue/purple box and my band director told me I should use those but every single reed was an evil reed that sounded airy and could not play anything quieter than a forte dynamic. I tried doing some minor work on all of them, nothing too complicated as I am not a reed expert and just 1 of the 5 was somewhat playable at practice but I would never dare take it to anything other than a practice every once in a while

I really think you should try a Legere signature series. I play those on my Bb clarinet and they are wonderful. I haven't heard very good things about their cheaper models, but I haven't had any trouble out of any signature. I bought one and played it for months and got tired of it, I gave it to someone else and they've been using it for a few months, it still plays wonderfully! Also Gonzales reeds work wonders for me. I use the For Our Friends and a lot of professionals really like them. If you had bad results maybe you should try them again. But I've also never been very impressed with Vandoren reeds, even with a Vandoren mouthpiece and Optimum ligature. I don't like having to do so much work on reeds to get a decent result out of them. I guess that's why I like Legere- no work on them. If I do have to work on a Gonzales, it is very minimal. Out of a box of 10 I could play all 10 right out of the box.

I laughed a little too hard when the Flavoreeds came were brought out.

You forgot the Rico royal, the best of the standard Rico reeds

Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to describe how to work on the reeds to get the playability you desire? You mentioned a Marca felt different in various dynamics, but then said Vandoren were workable. Compare the hearts and weights of each side of the reeds and make some comparisons of how to work them to playable? Show us the before, the process, and result of working the reeds to your standards.

I'd be interested in seeing you do a comparison of the standard Legere and the Legere signature. All sources seem to say that the "signature" ones are worlds better.

Hi Michael, have you tried the Vandoren V21 Sky Blue Box reeds?

hi! have you try the Gonzalez reed? if yes whats your opinion?

literally every time i watch this video, i geek out at the woody part. it's the small things in life that matter.

I'm a Alto Sax player, and used to play some Vandoren cane reeds. Due to playing in church, and having quite a bit of time between when we play, I switched to a Legere reed with my S80-C*. At first I didn't notice a difference. It could have been because I had only been playing sax for a few months before playing at church. Recently I decided to try the Vandoren's that have been sitting in a drawer. I'm with you, I love the sound so much better out of the cane reeds than the synthetic. However, I will continue to play the synthetic reed at church because I don't have to babysit it and keep it wet.

Unfortunately, school budgets don't allow for better reeds than the Rico. In addition, few families will spend the money unless their child is taking private lessons. What do you recommend?

honestly it's really sad but I can barely ever get reeds because I don't have the money and I have like 1 that works right now and ILMEA is coming up and I AM SO STRESSED OUT but for an actual question, I don't know if you've mentioned this before, but do you prefer a wooden bass clarinet or that weird synthetic material they're using? The one I use is the school's instrument and is wooden; I haven't had experience with one that isn't, but I know some people like them and some people don't.

I was cracking up so hard at some of your reactions and comments

The best synthetic reed option for now on the Bass is the Légère Signature Tenor Sax reed. They will never be as good as a good cane reed, but with the right setup, a synthetic reed can save you a whole lot of hassle, especially if you are outside or have to leave the horn sitting for an hour and pick it up cold.

Michael, try one of the Fiberreeds. I use them on my tenor sax. And, I find I can use those same reeds on my new BC. I prefer the original (white) in Medium-Soft or Medium hardness. I get no buzz from them on my tenor sax as opposed to any other synthetic reed I've tried. ON my BC, I find them easier to play than Legere. So, what thinkest thou?

You sound great on any reed (well, except for the Fibercell). Did Mitchell Lurie ever make a bass clarinet reed ? I don't remember. Roy J Mier ? Carl Fischer? Symetricut ? Glotin ? Selmer Omega?

So I'm a high school bass clarinet player and the only one in my whole band. That being said, I don't have much information about the best option for a mouthpiece. I was wondering if you've ever used a Vandoren B44. I'm attempting to decide between the B44 and B50. Thanks for your help

You're an amazing and funny teacher. It's easier to learn when it's funny. I thought higher reeds numbers meant thicker and stiffer. No wonder a Vandoren 2 1/2 is hard to play for me (beginner) Which Vandoren number and series is the easiest to breath through? (Longevity 30mins-1hrs)

Have you tried Rigotti reeds? I am very happy with them for Bb-clarinet, very consistent and durable. I have just ordered some strenghts for the bass, will be interesting to try them. BD5 mouthpiece.

Love your reaction after tasting the bubble gum flavour XD

When you "put a reed away" after "twenty minutes or so," ..........can you EVER re-use that Reed? In other words, once the Reed fails to respond the way you need it to, is it shot for life and should be thrown out, (or used to clean your teeth) or can it be used later on?

Great Review! Have you tried Vandoren tenor sax red box Java? They are the only ones I use besides blue box when I need more pronounced articulation, and they work great for doubling bass clarinet in a big band!

I use Vandoren 4.5 and I find they get very breathy after my normal rehearsal time (hour and a half) and they get fuzzy around F4-B4, especially around 30 minutes of playing, and feel uncomfortably soft on the tip, which I don't really like a lot. My BD says I should sand them down using 300 grain sandpaper, which I don't particularly like but other than that their sound is good. I've been wanting to switch to Légère at least for some of my reeds, but I feel like there's a sort of stigma around playing plastic reeds outside of marching band? I had one friend who got critiqued on the fact she played on Légère soley because it was plastic (she was a wonderful performer). Any tips?

Any thoughts on the Carbon Fiber Reeds or Hemp Fiber Reeds made by Harry Hartmann? I would be curious to hear you play on them alternating with your V12's Any chance of that happening. Thanks

I use normal Rico orange reeds ob my tenor saxophone. Do I understand correctly that I should change them every 20 minutes??? Sometimes I play them for two weeks, practicing couple of hours per day :)

I'm confused about the difference between traditional vandoren and v12. The reed charts that I see sometimes has v12s softer than traditional, but you say otherwise. I could be reading the chart wrong but I usually have been going for a higher strength when I order v12 vs. traditional.

Could you please make a video about the placement of the reed on the mouthpiece, and the placement of the ligature on it as well? I am never sure exactly how high or low to place them.

Is your bass clarinet mouthpiece a regular Vandoren B50, or a Vandoren CM346 B50? What is the difference in these 2 mouthpieces?Thanks E Enjoying your youtubes.

Hey Micheal, thanks (from italy!) for your videos! ...So I was wondering... what happens if I put chapstick on a new reed? Technically a reed stops working because 1 the saliva rots the reed. 2 when the saliva dries it leaves some stuff(minerals, dirt, I don't know but the mouthpiece collects that white stuff) that stops the reed vibration. 3 after an hour or two the reed is too wet to play well (but eventually the next day the reed will be playable again). Now, what happens if I put something(chapstick or something else, I don't know) that prevents the side effects of the saliva on the reed?

what kind of neck is that? I like Rico (now Daddario) Reserves. They work on Tenor Sax too

Would you suggest Legére reeds for marching band and do they squeak as much as cane reeds?

Did you make that video on how to break in the reeds? You mentioned it in the title of both of the videos but I don't remember you saying exactly how to work on them.

hi there, have you tried the legere signature, these come highly recommended recently and we are tempted to purchase, thanks

Why do we need reed flavouring. I play clarinet by the way.

Hi! I am a high school student who plays bass and I was wondering what kind of warm up music you play, such as the music you used to demonstrate these reeds. If you improvised it, that's fine but any reccomendations would be great! Also amazing videos! Thank you

Could you do a video on tongueing legato and having a lighter tongue, because when I played soprano several years ago, I could could tongue very lightly, but I feel that I tongue very heavy with bass clarinet and it is starting to affect my speed control.

Wow! those flavoreeds sound fantastic... On a serious note, are there any tenor sax reeds that you really enjoy playing on the bass. how does the sound compare? Thanks.

As a tenor sax and bari sax player, the Fibracells actually worked far better on a wider variety of mouthpieces and I was able to play top to bottom quite well. Tasted weirdly sour though, but it went away.

With my instrument(A selmer Bass Clarinet) I use 3 1/2 Vandoren or Rico reeds. With the Rico's I get a consistent quality in reeds and play-ability, but they don't perform as nicely as my Vandoren reeds, which produce such a beautiful rich sound when I get a nice reed.

What strenght Legere bass clarinet reed did you play in thie RU-vid? Wheich Cut? Do you ever play tenor sax reeds on the bass clarinet? Thanks E

8:47 through 10:01 he's trying to keep his sanity xD

hmmm are the numberings different for Vandoren bass clarinet reeds vs their soprano reeds ecause I've alway had to use 1/2 strength harder V12 reeds vs Traditional not vice versa

I really enjoyed this video. Thanks!

Peter Leuthner Reeds are freaking amazing they always sound good i play on french cut and they never sound bad nor have i ever played on one that sounded bad every single one sounds good

I actually love the La Voz reeds for my alto clarinet, but not for the bass - like you said, combination of all the parts makes a huge difference. I haven't found the V12s all that inconsistent, but I may have just gotten a good box. Then again, I'm not playing enough to wear my reeds out for a *long* time. That's how you save a good reed - play less :D

Personally, I use Vandoran. I'm only a second year player - But I prefer them. I soak them in water for 2 minutes, play them, and spray them with cleaner. I get a great sound from them, for the most part. I have to break them in a little bit before I can get to the highest few notes, though. (Mind you, I only play clarinet, not bass)

Hey I am wondering what do you do for the song you did when you played on each reed and can the song be played on a regular clarinet

I'm a student and have been using Fibracell reeds for the past 3 1/2 years or so, but I do find they are horrible when I first get new ones and it generally takes at least a week or so to sound decent, but they work well after some love, although they don't seem ideal for high notes. It's really interesting to see how different reeds can be based on the instrument and the person and other factors as well.

I remember using Rico and later Rico Royal reeds as a child... they tasted like paper and were ok for elementary school band.

What piece are you playing?(please respond)

So when he said "speechless" about the Fibercell, did he mean that in a good or a bad way?

LaVoz reeds are Rico reeds... same product. Always was. A guy did his thesis on Rico history... went to the factory, met all the owners. It is documented.

I actually started tenor sax using my bass clarinet reeds xD right now I'm using fibracell on my tenor sax and a selmer s80 c* mouthpiece, I noticed for me personally, that the responsive, tone, loudness, all just as good as my Vandoren reeds.

That reed comparison chart that was briefly shown - is it available for download anywhere?

Interesting video thanks. I recently tried a Fibracell on my Bb clarinet and was disappointed with the thin sound compared to my usual blue box Vandoren reeds that i've been using for the past 25 years or so. I did however like the fact that i could play a very top F pianissimo and with no effort at all!

Flavoured reeds. The perfect way to prank your friends.

I recommend Rico for all saxophone and clarinet players because they all are great for beginners and they also have advanced reeds as well.

Great Review! I play Soprano and Bass Clarinet and I love the Vandoren V12's too. I like the B45 mouthpiece the best, but I also have the Masters 5 and M13 lyre. Synthetic reeds are too uncontrollable for me too.

Interesting, tho to me, as an undisciplined beginner they pretty much sound the same (except for the weird ones at the end-flavoured reeds, really?). But having said that you play a bass, mine is a budget soprano. Oh one thing from watching your videos. You make me want a bass!

I usually play Bass Clarinet in concert band, but for the marching band, I needed to play soprano. At the request of my director, I tried a V12 and loved it. I just ordered a box of V21's though.

You’re reaction was soo funny for some of them too btw

When you say "work on" your reeds, what is your process?

How long do the plastic reeds last

Hey Earspasm, where can I find the reed hardness chart?

What kind of mouthpiece are you using? I use a Vandoren B40.

" _taste the music_ " Nah I'd rather have wood in my mouth than that

At about like 6:30 you mention how V12s are stronger than the traditional Vandoren blue box, however I've been told by many people and reed strength charts that V12s are actually softer than the Vandoren traditional. What gives?

I enjoyed much the upper register with Marca reeds...

I play alto sax but I am still watching this because it is really interesting on how ths bass clarinet sounds and looks

what scale did you play at the beginning of the video

what are good reeds to start out on?

I recently went to mu local music store to purchase a legere plastic reed for marching band. And both plastic reeds were size 3. But conpared to the one i got last year (which was only like five dollars), this legere reed sounds terrible. It wont even allow me to get into the upper register notes. is it possible I bought a dud? Thoughts?

i kind o like the idea of playing with the synthetic reeds -- just dont dig the fuss (especially since i am brand new, and rather aged). anyway, the bass clarinet sounds good and reminds me of the whimsical feeling evoked by pieces in the nutcracker suite.

Have you heard of the new Vandoren V21s?

Oh If you only played saxophone - how fabulous would that be. Seriously though, another very interesting & wonderful video - thanks.

Is there a part 3?

I disagree with your comments on synthetic reeds (although admittedly I've played many for a while now because I got sick of the inconsistencies in Vamdorren). I can play both very quietly and very loudly on my Legiere, which is admittedly the only brand of synthetics I enjoy playing on, and I enjoy quite a nice response from them. I find the synthetics take a lot of getting used to and require an adjustment period as well as a slightly different setup on the mouthpiece from cane, and also that the smaller reeds are a bit tricky... I play synthetic on everything larger than my Bb but on my Eb or when I'm playing C need a cane reed as I lose tonal characteristics on the Legiere.

I use tenor reeds on my bass clarinet and bass clarinet reeds on my tenor lol. I play orchestral saxophone and I use the bass clarinet grand concert series 4.5s on my tenor. Then I use vandoren V16 on my bass clarinet. Red javas also do well on my bcl setup.

Excellent video!

What? At my local music store for bass clarinet, you get Rico or Purple box Vandoren. Maybe V21s if they have them for the 1 day every 3 months.

I play Vandoren strength 3 reeds. I'm not an expert on reeds, so I'm not sure what the specific terms actually are, but whenever I buy a box, only one will actually play well; the others seem to take at least twice the air and are practically unplayable. Any suggestions?

I've been thinking about getting a plastic Reed but if they're don't play loud very well there is no way I can march with it you already can't hear me XD bass clarinet struggles

Vandoren is simply the best. I've tried over 20 different brand/types of reeds and some of them are very expensive handmade ones and others are handfinished with sandpaper and I always always go back to V12. I also got the same result with Marca reeds. Very inconsistent and they just feel very wired and I did try their whole range for Bb clarinet.