Not to be a
buzz kill here... Ugh... Sorry about that pun...
... But I here I go again sounding like a broken record... (BTW, the following is not directed at you Gandalfe, but rather is a general commentary/soapbox rant ....)
Nothing has proven to me to be more effective at repelling water from a reed than using a synthetic reed. I don't know if that's why altissimo notes speak easier and more consistently across all reeds than before I switched, but since I began using the Legere Signature Series on tenor, alto, and most recently soprano--still hoping that they'll come up with a baritone version sometime before I'm too old to lift a bari to my lips--my reeds have never been more consistent. Altissimo notes have never been easier either. I'm just saying...
Yes, they are expensive; no they're not made of cane; no, purists will likely not like them. But if you want a reed that sounds like cane, yet doesn't have to be fiddle f'ed with, and you don't have to worry about keeping wet, then the Signature Series is seriously worth a try.
I have 4 that I keep in a reed guard that I rotate like I would cane reeds, and depending on how much I play the horn, and how hard I'm playing, last me about a year. Those 4 reeds are approximately a $100 investment. Unless my math skills are even worse than I'm aware of
, this is no more than a year's supply of good cane reeds.
Go ahead try one, and see what you think. I switched to them when I became totally disillusioned with Fibracell's quality and performance. In total I've been using synthetics for over 15 years now, and couldn't be happier. YMMV of course, but go on and try a Legere. What have you got to lose? Seriously?
Synthetic reed technology has evolved by leaps and bounds over the past decade or so. With so many excellent brands out there--most of which I haven't tried--I can't understand why so many players/instructors are still resistant to trying out some of the premium brands.
