You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of hits.  I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".  This chart is similar:

http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html

Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and micro grade them in strength.  If the facing curve has a good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get the response I'm looking for.  

Reed adjustment does work.  But it is tedious and with cane is only temporary.

I use Legere's on clarinet.  For a doubler, they are superb.












      

I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.


--- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:

> From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
> hits.  I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
> Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing". 
> This chart is similar:
> 
> http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
> 
> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
> micro grade them in strength.  If the facing curve has a
> good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
> the response I'm looking for.  
> 
> Reed adjustment does work.  But it is tedious and with cane
> is only temporary.
> 
> I use Legere's on clarinet.  For a doubler, they are
> superb.


      

Tom,

    I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this, and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just play like crap anymore... Thanks,

    Jerry

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Tapscott 
  To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
  Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment



  I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.

  --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:

  > From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...m>
  > Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
  > To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
  > Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
  > You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
  > hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
  > Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing". 
  > This chart is similar:
  > 
  > http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
  > 
  > Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
  > micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
  > good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
  > the response I'm looking for. 
  > 
  > Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
  > is only temporary.
  > 
  > I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
  > superb.



  

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "Jerry M. Zucker" <jerry.zucker@...> wrote:
>
> Tom,
> 
>     I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this, and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> 
>     Jerry

Jerry, actually I find Fibracells better and more consistent for altissimo than cane.  I can't get good altissimo response from Legere reeds however.

Paul

One possibility is that the Fibracells are not equivalent in hardness to the
cane reeds you've been using; have you tried a step down in softness?  eg.
if you're using a 3, try a 2-1/2.

I use them, and I do find they are considerably brighter than cane, and
mostly with good altissimo response.  That said, I used to be able to use
them without any adjustment, but they changed things a bit a few years ago,
and now they are rarely "just right" out of the box.  Or maybe I've just
gotten fussier.

Barry



on 4/3/09 11:45 AM, Jerry M. Zucker at jerry.zucker@... wrote:

> Tom,
> 
> I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants
> to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them
> for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do
> with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the
> little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the
> altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be
> the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this,
> and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying
> to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed
> again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just
> play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> 
> Jerry
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tom Tapscott
> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> 
> 
> 
> I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.
> 
> --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:
> 
>> From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
>> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
>> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
>> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
>> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
>> hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
>> Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".
>> This chart is similar:
>> 
>> http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
>> 
>> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
>> micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
>> good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
>> the response I'm looking for.
>> 
>> Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
>> is only temporary.
>> 
>> I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
>> superb.
> 
> 
> 
> 

I just bought my first two Fibracells. The first thing I noticed is that the tips were't smooth.  They had a little ridge right at the tip edge probably caused by milling?  It just took a little wipe on 600 grit to remove it.  I need to mess with them a little more before I have an opinion (other than it's nice to slap it on and play).

Mark

A good description of sensing the balance of a reed:

http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/adjusting.htm

Of course, Tom has left out the actual details of his particular system for
actually adjusting the reed, which, suffice to say, is a bit different than
using a reed knife, and IMO extremely effective.

It pays for itself. I had a bunch of Fibracells accumulated over the years
that were mediocre players, but that I'd always hoped to figure out how to
adjust successfully.  Most of them I've been able to turn into good players
with Tom's method. Many of them into extremely good players.

If I had students, demonstrating Tom's reed-finishing method would be part
of the curriculum, for sure.

B

on 4/3/09 11:45 AM, Jerry M. Zucker at jerry.zucker@... wrote:

> Tom,
> 
> I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants
> to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them
> for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do
> with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the
> little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the
> altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be
> the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this,
> and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying
> to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed
> again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just
> play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> 
> Jerry
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tom Tapscott
> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> 
> 
> 
> I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.
> 
> --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:
> 
>> From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
>> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
>> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
>> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
>> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
>> hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
>> Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".
>> This chart is similar:
>> 
>> http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
>> 
>> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
>> micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
>> good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
>> the response I'm looking for.
>> 
>> Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
>> is only temporary.
>> 
>> I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
>> superb.
> 
> 
> 
> 

I second the opinion on Ridenour's method.  I have been an inveterate "reed-fiddler" for (OMG!) 50 years now.  Was taught at an early age to use dutch rush.  I had good results (about 1/2-2/3 the reeds in a box were usable on gigs), but after learning the Ridenour method I am now surprised when I *CAN'T* make a reed play well.

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Barry Levine <barrylevine@...> wrote:
>
> A good description of sensing the balance of a reed:
> 
> http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/adjusting.htm
> 
> Of course, Tom has left out the actual details of his particular system for
> actually adjusting the reed, which, suffice to say, is a bit different than
> using a reed knife, and IMO extremely effective.
> 
> It pays for itself. I had a bunch of Fibracells accumulated over the years
> that were mediocre players, but that I'd always hoped to figure out how to
> adjust successfully.  Most of them I've been able to turn into good players
> with Tom's method. Many of them into extremely good players.
> 
> If I had students, demonstrating Tom's reed-finishing method would be part
> of the curriculum, for sure.
> 
> B
> 
> on 4/3/09 11:45 AM, Jerry M. Zucker at jerry.zucker@... wrote:
> 
> > Tom,
> > 
> > I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants
> > to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them
> > for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do
> > with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the
> > little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the
> > altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be
> > the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this,
> > and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying
> > to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed
> > again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just
> > play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> > 
> > Jerry
> > 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Tom Tapscott
> > To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
> > Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.
> > 
> > --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:
> > 
> >> From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
> >> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> >> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> >> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
> >> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
> >> hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
> >> Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".
> >> This chart is similar:
> >> 
> >> http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
> >> 
> >> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
> >> micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
> >> good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
> >> the response I'm looking for.
> >> 
> >> Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
> >> is only temporary.
> >> 
> >> I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
> >> superb.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >
>

Hi Jerry,
I find that if you take an emery board and trim the tip of the reed at the corners, It often will bring out the altisimo on a Fibracell.


Mikole E. Kaar 
http://www.myspace.com/mikolekaarmusic               
http://www.youtube.com/mikolekaar
www.myspace.com/mikolesmooth
 Woodwinds 
(760) 568-1038


--- On Fri, 4/3/09, Jerry M. Zucker <jerry.zucker@...> wrote:


From: Jerry M. Zucker <jerry.zucker@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 8:45 AM







Tom,
 
    I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this, and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just play like crap anymore... Thanks,
 
    Jerry
 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Tom Tapscott 
To: MouthpieceWork@ yahoogroups. com 
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment




I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.

--- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@yahoo. com> wrote:

> From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@yahoo. com>
> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> To: MouthpieceWork@ yahoogroups. com
> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
> hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
> Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing". 
> This chart is similar:
> 
> http://www.saxgourm et.com/reedadj. html
> 
> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
> micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
> good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
> the response I'm looking for. 
> 
> Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
> is only temporary.
> 
> I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
> superb.

















      

I have been using the Ridenour method for about 6 months now and have had amazing results.  However, I have a couple that seem to be balanced, play easily through all of the registers.  That being said, they sque-e-e-ek!  Other reed on the same mouthpiece do not.  Does anyone have any ideas on why & what may cure the problem?

 Thank you,


David




________________________________
From: Steve Keller <esteban_cadenza@...>
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, April 3, 2009 12:53:38 PM
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Re: Reed Adjustment


I second the opinion on Ridenour's method.  I have been an inveterate "reed-fiddler" for (OMG!) 50 years now.  Was taught at an early age to use dutch rush.  I had good results (about 1/2-2/3 the reeds in a box were usable on gigs), but after learning the Ridenour method I am now surprised when I *CAN'T* make a reed play well.

--- In MouthpieceWork@ yahoogroups. com, Barry Levine <barrylevine@ ...> wrote:
>
> A good description of sensing the balance of a reed:
> 
> http://www.ridenour clarinetproducts .com/adjusting. htm
> 
> Of course, Tom has left out the actual details of his particular system for
> actually adjusting the reed, which, suffice to say, is a bit different than
> using a reed knife, and IMO extremely effective.
> 
> It pays for itself. I had a bunch of Fibracells accumulated over the years
> that were mediocre players, but that I'd always hoped to figure out how to
> adjust successfully.  Most of them I've been able to turn into good players
> with Tom's method. Many of them into extremely good players.
> 
> If I had students, demonstrating Tom's reed-finishing method would be part
> of the curriculum, for sure.
> 
> B
> 
> on 4/3/09 11:45 AM, Jerry M. Zucker at jerry.zucker@ ... wrote:
> 
> > Tom,
> > 
> > I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants
> > to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them
> > for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do
> > with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the
> > little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the
> > altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be
> > the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this,
> > and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying
> > to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed
> > again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just
> > play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> > 
> > Jerry
> > 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Tom Tapscott
> > To: MouthpieceWork@ yahoogroups. com
> > Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
> > Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.
> > 
> > --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@ ...> wrote:
> > 
> >> From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@ ...>
> >> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> >> To: MouthpieceWork@ yahoogroups. com
> >> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
> >> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
> >> hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
> >> Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".
> >> This chart is similar:
> >> 
> >> http://www.saxgourm et.com/reedadj. html
> >> 
> >> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
> >> micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
> >> good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
> >> the response I'm looking for.
> >> 
> >> Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
> >> is only temporary.
> >> 
> >> I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
> >> superb.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >
>


   


      

I found that to be the case, too, until I changed to the Fibracell Premiums. The strength grading seems to be more carefully done, and  closer to the actual half-strengths we're used to with cane.



--- On Fri, 4/3/09, Jerry M. Zucker <jerry.zucker@...> wrote:

> From: Jerry M. Zucker <jerry.zucker@...>
> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:45 AM
> Tom,
> 
>     I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and
> anyone else who wants to answer). I've had a couple of
> fibracells for a while now, and I play them for a bit, but
> always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do
> with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I
> really like the little bit extra that I get with a
> fibracell. The issue is that I find the altissimo response,
> and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be
> the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any
> of you seen this, and if so, what have you done to get
> fibracells to respond better when trying to play altissimo ?
> If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed
> again...  I find cane continues to get less and less
> consistent, and they just play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> 
>     Jerry
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Tom Tapscott 
>   To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com 
>   Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
>   Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> 
> 
> 
>   I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass
> clarinet & all my saxes.
> 
>   --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury
> <kwbradbury@...> wrote:
> 
>   > From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
>   > Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
>   > To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
>   > Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
>   > You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get
> lots of
>   > hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info
> in
>   > Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione
> Playing". 
>   > This chart is similar:
>   > 
>   > http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
>   > 
>   > Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells
> and
>   > micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve
> has a
>   > good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary
> to get
>   > the response I'm looking for. 
>   > 
>   > Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and
> with cane
>   > is only temporary.
>   > 
>   > I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they
> are
>   > superb.


      

I'VE GOT AN EXCELLENT SCHOLARLY PAPER ON REED ADJUSTMENT IN PDF FORM WRITTEN
BY ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS THAT I AM HAPPY TO SHARE WITH MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP
IF THEY WILL REQUEST ONE VIA THE "ASK STEVE" SECTION OF MY
WWW.NATIONOFMUSIC.COM SITE...I ALSO HAVE AN EXTREMELY COMPREHENSIVE REED
STRENGTH COMPARISON CHART WHICH IS MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN THE ONE ON THE
SAXGOURMET SITE. I'M GLAD TO SHARE VIA "ASK STEVE" ONLY, AND WILL NOT
RESPOND TO REQUESTS POSTED ON THIS GROUP..THIS IS GOOD STUFF THAT I KNOW YOU
WILL ENJOY AND LEARN FROM
 
STEVE GOODSON
SAXOPHONE DESIGNER TO THE STARS
 

BASIC SHOP RATE................$100/HR
IF YOU WATCH.....................$125/HR
IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS......$150/HR
IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A CONCERT 
LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES WHEN
YOU PICK UP YOUR HORN....$250/HR
 
From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Keith Bradbury
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 10:21 AM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
 

You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of hits. I used to do a lot in
my youth using the info in Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".
This chart is similar:

http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html

Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and micro grade them in
strength. If the facing curve has a good shape, I do not find reed
adjustment neccessary to get the response I'm looking for. 

Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane is only
temporary.

I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are superb.

I have this info from Steve and it it EXCELLENT!!!


--- On Sat, 4/4/09, STEVE "SAXGOURMET" GOODSON <saxgourmet@...> wrote:

> From: STEVE "SAXGOURMET" GOODSON <saxgourmet@...>
> Subject: RE: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Saturday, April 4, 2009, 9:34 AM
> I'VE GOT AN EXCELLENT SCHOLARLY PAPER ON REED ADJUSTMENT
> IN PDF FORM WRITTEN
> BY ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS THAT I AM HAPPY TO SHARE WITH
> MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP
> IF THEY WILL REQUEST ONE VIA THE "ASK STEVE"
> SECTION OF MY
> WWW.NATIONOFMUSIC.COM SITE...I ALSO HAVE AN EXTREMELY
> COMPREHENSIVE REED
> STRENGTH COMPARISON CHART WHICH IS MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN
> THE ONE ON THE
> SAXGOURMET SITE. I'M GLAD TO SHARE VIA "ASK
> STEVE" ONLY, AND WILL NOT
> RESPOND TO REQUESTS POSTED ON THIS GROUP..THIS IS GOOD
> STUFF THAT I KNOW YOU
> WILL ENJOY AND LEARN FROM
>  
> STEVE GOODSON
> SAXOPHONE DESIGNER TO THE STARS
>  
> 
> BASIC SHOP RATE................$100/HR
> IF YOU WATCH.....................$125/HR
> IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS......$150/HR
> IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A CONCERT 
> LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES WHEN
> YOU PICK UP YOUR HORN....$250/HR
>  
> From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of Keith Bradbury
> Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 10:21 AM
> To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
>  
> 
> You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
> hits. I used to do a lot in
> my youth using the info in Larry Teel's "The Art
> of Saxophione Playing".
> This chart is similar:
> 
> http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
> 
> Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
> micro grade them in
> strength. If the facing curve has a good shape, I do not
> find reed
> adjustment neccessary to get the response I'm looking
> for. 
> 
> Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
> is only
> temporary.
> 
> I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
> superb.


      

With MUCH embarrassment, I find that for reasons unknown to me my "ask
Steve" section will not let me reply with an attachment...to make it easier
to share this information, please request (yes, you need to do it again, I
can't get your email off the original requests) via an email to 
 
Saxgourmet@...
 
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience..this is pretty good information
I think you will enjoy
 
STEVE GOODSON
SAXOPHONE DESIGNER TO THE STARS
 

BASIC SHOP RATE................$100/HR
IF YOU WATCH.....................$125/HR
IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS......$150/HR
IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A CONCERT 
LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES WHEN
YOU PICK UP YOUR HORN....$250/HR
 
From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of STEVE "SAXGOURMET" GOODSON
Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 9:34 AM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
 
I'VE GOT AN EXCELLENT SCHOLARLY PAPER ON REED ADJUSTMENT IN PDF FORM WRITTEN
BY ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS THAT I AM HAPPY TO SHARE WITH MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP
IF THEY WILL REQUEST ONE VIA THE "ASK STEVE" SECTION OF MY
WWW.NATIONOFMUSIC.COM SITE...I ALSO HAVE AN EXTREMELY COMPREHENSIVE REED
STRENGTH COMPARISON CHART WHICH IS MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN THE ONE ON THE
SAXGOURMET SITE. I'M GLAD TO SHARE VIA "ASK STEVE" ONLY, AND WILL NOT
RESPOND TO REQUESTS POSTED ON THIS GROUP..THIS IS GOOD STUFF THAT I KNOW YOU
WILL ENJOY AND LEARN FROM
 
STEVE GOODSON
SAXOPHONE DESIGNER TO THE STARS
 

BASIC SHOP RATE................$100/HR
IF YOU WATCH.....................$125/HR
IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS......$150/HR
IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A CONCERT 
LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES WHEN
YOU PICK UP YOUR HORN....$250/HR
 
From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Keith Bradbury
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 10:21 AM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
 

You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of hits. I used to do a lot in
my youth using the info in Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing".
This chart is similar:

http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html

Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and micro grade them in
strength. If the facing curve has a good shape, I do not find reed
adjustment neccessary to get the response I'm looking for. 

Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane is only
temporary.

I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are superb.

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "Jerry M. Zucker" <jerry.zucker@...> wrote:
>
> Tom,
> 
>     I have a question for you regarding the fibracells (and anyone else who wants to answer). I've had a couple of fibracells for a while now, and I play them for a bit, but always find myself going back to cane. It has nothing to do with the sound at all - I have a bright sound anyway, and I really like the little bit extra that I get with a fibracell. The issue is that I find the altissimo response, and occasionally the higher (palm key) response to not be the same as cane, and much more difficult to play. Have any of you seen this, and if so, what have you done to get fibracells to respond better when trying to play altissimo ? If I can make that work, I may never play a cane reed again...  I find cane continues to get less and less consistent, and they just play like crap anymore... Thanks,
> 
>     Jerry
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Tom Tapscott 
>   To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com 
>   Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:35 AM
>   Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
> 
> 
> 
>   I agree on the Fibracells. That's all I use on bass clarinet & all my saxes.
> 
>   --- On Fri, 4/3/09, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:
> 
>   > From: Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
>   > Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Reed Adjustment
>   > To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
>   > Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 10:20 AM
>   > You can Google "Reed Adjustment" and get lots of
>   > hits. I used to do a lot in my youth using the info in
>   > Larry Teel's "The Art of Saxophione Playing". 
>   > This chart is similar:
>   > 
>   > http://www.saxgourmet.com/reedadj.html
>   > 
>   > Nowadays (for sax) I just buy a bunch of Fibracells and
>   > micro grade them in strength. If the facing curve has a
>   > good shape, I do not find reed adjustment neccessary to get
>   > the response I'm looking for. 
>   > 
>   > Reed adjustment does work. But it is tedious and with cane
>   > is only temporary.
>   > 
>   > I use Legere's on clarinet. For a doubler, they are
>   > superb.
>

Jerry,

My experience with Fibracells is the same as yours: excellent response, except in the upper range. I might attribute this to their tendency to soften up during a playing session, but I don't ever have the same altissimo response on Fibracells that I have on cane. 

I think there might be another issue though with Fibracells. Players I know who have listened to me play both cane and F-cells comment that the F-cell sound doesn't have as much "core" to it as a cane reed. Anyone else here have a comment on this?

I also second Keith's statement on Legeres, this time for soprano. My sound using Legeres on soprano may not be noticeably different than when using cane. This is not at all the case on alto and tenor (terrible buzzy sound).

All the best, Jeff

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "jdtoddjazz" <jdtoddjazz@...> wrote:
 
> My experience with Fibracells is the same as yours: excellent response, except in the upper range. I might attribute this to their tendency to soften up during a playing session, but I don't ever have the same altissimo response on Fibracells that I have on cane. 
> 
> I think there might be another issue though with Fibracells. Players I know who have listened to me play both cane and F-cells comment that the F-cell sound doesn't have as much "core" to it as a cane reed. Anyone else here have a comment on this?
> 
> I also second Keith's statement on Legeres, this time for soprano. My sound using Legeres on soprano may not be noticeably different than when using cane. This is not at all the case on alto and tenor (terrible buzzy sound).
> 
> All the best, Jeff

My experience is a little different.  

First, I've used Fibracells since they were first introduced.  I was told by others my tone was indistinguishable from the cane reeds I had been using.

I found that altissimo was easier and more predictable from day to day, and reed to reed.  The reeds were consistent from sample to sample, and did not change daily as they aged.

Now the problem... they have changed the materials used.  I don't know exactly what the changes are, but the Fibracells made in the last 6 months are not playing well for me.  I've heard complaints from others about how they are not playing well now.  I talked to Dave Shaeffer and he is aware of the problem and is working on it.

I hope this is resolved soon as I really liked the original Fibracells.

Paul Coats

I find that as a convenience, if I am pressed for time, the F'cells are
passable but under normal circumstances, I can't live either them or the
Legere reeds.  I had a F'cell in the early '70's that was really beautiful,
full and bright, but I have not found another like it.  I think they are
rough on the lower lip as well.  I'd also like to add, that if you practice
consistently, even if only one hour/day, you can make almost any reed work
though the sound may not always be killer.  For sure, it will be acceptable
in most playing situations.  Then again, I'm just a working harlot, so my
opinion may be of little value.  john

On Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 8:45 AM, tenorman1952 <tenorman1952@...>wrote:

>
>
> --- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com <MouthpieceWork%40yahoogroups.com>,
> "jdtoddjazz" <jdtoddjazz@...> wrote:
>
> > My experience with Fibracells is the same as yours: excellent response,
> except in the upper range. I might attribute this to their tendency to
> soften up during a playing session, but I don't ever have the same altissimo
> response on Fibracells that I have on cane.
> >
> > I think there might be another issue though with Fibracells. Players I
> know who have listened to me play both cane and F-cells comment that the
> F-cell sound doesn't have as much "core" to it as a cane reed. Anyone else
> here have a comment on this?
> >
> > I also second Keith's statement on Legeres, this time for soprano. My
> sound using Legeres on soprano may not be noticeably different than when
> using cane. This is not at all the case on alto and tenor (terrible buzzy
> sound).
> >
> > All the best, Jeff
>
> My experience is a little different.
>
> First, I've used Fibracells since they were first introduced. I was told by
> others my tone was indistinguishable from the cane reeds I had been using.
>
> I found that altissimo was easier and more predictable from day to day, and
> reed to reed. The reeds were consistent from sample to sample, and did not
> change daily as they aged.
>
> Now the problem... they have changed the materials used. I don't know
> exactly what the changes are, but the Fibracells made in the last 6 months
> are not playing well for me. I've heard complaints from others about how
> they are not playing well now. I talked to Dave Shaeffer and he is aware of
> the problem and is working on it.
>
> I hope this is resolved soon as I really liked the original Fibracells.
>
> Paul Coats
>
>  
>

Agreed: the newer Fibracells don't play as well as older ones. I think it's
longer than 6 months that they have not played as well.

 "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

My best playing Fibracells are ones from several years ago (as noted
previously, they seem to recover after a lengthy "rest".) They are so much
more lively than the new ones.

On tenor, the Hahn synthetic reed is OK. Maybe better than the new
Fibracells, not as good as the older ones. Expensive. (I've bought one so
far, so that's a small sample) I think they run a tad softer than Fibracell
as far as the numbers.

BL

> I found that altissimo was easier and more predictable from day to day, and
> reed to reed.  The reeds were consistent from sample to sample, and did not
> change daily as they aged.
> 
> Now the problem... they have changed the materials used.  I don't know exactly
> what the changes are, but the Fibracells made in the last 6 months are not
> playing well for me.  I've heard complaints from others about how they are not
> playing well now.  I talked to Dave Shaeffer and he is aware of the problem
> and is working on it.
> 
> I hope this is resolved soon as I really liked the original Fibracells.
> 
> Paul Coats
> 
> 

I have two problems with Fibracell reeds:
 
1.  They play flat for me when they get higher (clarinet altissimo) and
 
2.  Anything larger than an alto reed sounds to me like a sheet of plastic flapping in the breeze.
 
The flatness issue does NOT affect Legeres, oddly enough.  I have not tried Legeres for tenor, but all Fibracells and Baris have so far failed me.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

--- On Sat, 4/11/09, tenorman1952 <tenorman1952@...> wrote:

From: tenorman1952 <tenorman1952@...>
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Re: Reed Adjustment
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2009, 8:45 AM

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "jdtoddjazz"
<jdtoddjazz@...> wrote:
 
> My experience with Fibracells is the same as yours: excellent response,
except in the upper range. I might attribute this to their tendency to soften up
during a playing session, but I don't ever have the same altissimo response
on Fibracells that I have on cane. 
> 
> I think there might be another issue though with Fibracells. Players I
know who have listened to me play both cane and F-cells comment that the F-cell
sound doesn't have as much "core" to it as a cane reed. Anyone
else here have a comment on this?
> 
> I also second Keith's statement on Legeres, this time for soprano. My
sound using Legeres on soprano may not be noticeably different than when using
cane. This is not at all the case on alto and tenor (terrible buzzy sound).
> 
> All the best, Jeff

My experience is a little different.  

First, I've used Fibracells since they were first introduced.  I was told
by others my tone was indistinguishable from the cane reeds I had been using.

I found that altissimo was easier and more predictable from day to day, and
reed to reed.  The reeds were consistent from sample to sample, and did not
change daily as they aged.

Now the problem... they have changed the materials used.  I don't know
exactly what the changes are, but the Fibracells made in the last 6 months are
not playing well for me.  I've heard complaints from others about how they
are not playing well now.  I talked to Dave Shaeffer and he is aware of the
problem and is working on it.

I hope this is resolved soon as I really liked the original Fibracells.

Paul Coats



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