Problem with Fibracell reeds

Wade

Bad news for people like me who have almost exclusively used Fibracell reeds. I've been using them for more than 10 years. They were consistent and had the tone I required, lasted well, and seemed OK for the premium cost.

Recently I ordered two 2/1/2 strength reeds for tenor sax. Both were unplayable duds. I contacted Fibracell and offered to send them back to be checked. They replied that I didn't know how to put a reed on the mouthpiece (even though I'd told them I've been playing them for over 10 years). They also made other excuses like having to sand the reed...WHAT?

Bottom line: they don't stand behind their product and have a bad batch of reeds out there. Others have also commented on SOTW with the same problem. The reeds have come from different retailers, so it's either a big batch, or possibly a permanent problem. I'm certainly not giving any more $$ to any company that doesn't stand behind their product and don't appreciate being told I don't know how to put a reed on a a mouthpiece. BEWARE and spend your $$ wisely on products that are made by people that have integrity.
 
I stopped using Fibracell more than 10 years ago. That's when they first turned to shite. I don't know too many people who used them before who continued to use them after.

I can only imagine who bad they are now if they got even worse.

Depending on your MP/horn combo you have a couple really good options. I was using Legere Signature Series on everything exclusively for 10 years now. They are great. However, I recently got a couple of horns for which those reeds don't work. Also, I never was a fan of their baritone reeds.

The Fiberreeds by Harry Hartmann are fantastic. Specifically the ones that I have fallen in love with are the Carbon Onyx. I use the Carbon Onyx on my Couf bari with a Theo Wanne Durga MP, as well as on my Olds Super with a Lakey Apollo MP.

Last night I tried it on a borrowed Mark VI with a new Otto Link and the sound was fantastic! I played on this set up all night when I covered the Tenor 1 part in the big band I play in. The sound was fantastic! It was rich, lush, and had tons of volume. The subtones were incredible.

The bari player who subs for me when I'm subbing for our Tenor 1 player, uses Harry's Hemp reeds on his alto, tenor, and bari. All his horns sound great. Me, I've not had as much luck with them, but that's b/c my mouthpieces are a bit more extreme, so the sound is a bit more "brittle". That's why the Carbon Onyx for my set-up is the perfect fit.
 
Fortunately, I bought a boatload of them about 10 years ago. I'm still well stocked on alto & bari, but running low on tenor (my main horn). I like the Hartmann Carbon Fiberreeds, and have been using one on tenor for the past year with great success in my rock band. It's a little bit rowdy for big band work - hard to blend, so I continue to use my Fibracells for that.

It's a shame that they have gone downhill. I have been using them for over 20 years. I did buy a couple Fibracell bass clarinet reeds last year for a show and liked them. Don't know how they will hold up, since I haven't touched the BC in over a year. (memo to self - get the darn thing out and practice it!)
 
Right on you two! I've since ordered in a few other synthetics and find the Hartmanns the best for the sound I want. I'd previously tried the Legere range and found the signatures the best of the lot, but falling off at the bottom range of all the horns I play. The Hartmann reeds seem the best so far. The onyx had very acceptable sound, but is brittle (breaks easily). The hemp is a bit fuzzy, but still works with my Lamberson DD as it's very bright anyway. The Carbon Onyx is an all-rounder that may not have the same buzz in the low end of the horn (that was good in the Fibracells) but is more than just OK.

I'd had high hopes for the Forestone reeds. Some years ago I was one of the people they sent freebies to and gave them feedback/suggestions. The reeds were not that great then, but I'd hoped that they were better now with other fibers (bamboo) in the mix. They are OK, but not great... about like the Legere but a little better in the low range.

As far a gear goes I have a lot of instruments (sopranino down through tenor) and mostly play R&C horns, but also Borgani, Selmer, Martin and Kings. There are heaps of mouthpieces depending on the style to be played, so not much consistency there. I'm a garbage mouth and can usually play any mouthpiece as long as it's got a fairly open tip.

Here's a strange thing that's completely out of left field: I once bought some soprano reeds out of China...Flying goose I believe. Total crap. However recently on the Cafe someone mentioned another brand of Chinese reed that seems to be a different kind of reed, maybe bamboo? The price was very cheap and shipping not expensive...what's to loose? They were remarkably consistent and not too bad. Not my first choice, but still surprisingly good. They are very tough (bamboo?) and require a lot of break-in, but also last pretty well. The brands were J Mreeds and Xin Zhong. Their tone is kind of "throaty", so probably not good for all situations, but a cheap reed one can use for practice and not wear out your good reeds.

Thanks again for your responses. Good to share experiences.
 
Wade said:
The hemp is a bit fuzzy
Click to expand...
I don't even need to make a joke. I just need to point it out :p.

While I've never used reeds from China -- never even checked for them -- I Googled and found that you don't make reeds out of bamboo because it's too brittle. You're supposed to use Arundo Donax.
 
About the Forestone reeds, I was sent about 10 of those in all 4 varieties that they come. These are good reeds.

I can't speak to what they were made of in the past, but since they hit my radar screen a number of years ago, they are a composite reed. They have bamboo fibers in them, but are synthetics. Here is how the company describes them on their website:

The Forestone material is a mixture of polypropylene resin and cellulose wood fibre. More than 50 percent of the wood fiber used is bamboo.
Click to expand...

I was sent the reeds for my bari sax, and the strengths that I was sent are extremely hard. So hard in fact, that I can't use them on my new Durga MP. That said, on the less open MPs I have, I really like the results of some of them. I haven't got my notes in front of me ATM, and haven't had a chance to write the review for my website yet. The point is, these are very good reeds. I do like them, and they are an excellent alternative to the crap that Fibracell has been peddling for the last 10 or so years.
 
Thanks you two for chiming in. Pete you're absolutely right about the "normal" reeds being made from Arundo Donax. However the box these reeds came in says they are bamboo. Western instruments have developed reeds according to the materials available of which Arundo Donax has satisfied reed players for generations. The bamboo that may have been tried would have been limited to a few trials of whatever was available. The Poaceae family, which includes Arundo Donax, bamboo, and all other "woody" grasses, has over 10,000 species. Bamboo on its own has over 1000 species. It's highly likely that the Chinese have a better idea about varieties of bamboo that can be used, especially since many grow in China and only a few have been grown in Europe. Why would they say their reeds are bamboo unless that was true, especially if it made them seem a lesser product?
 
Wade said:
Why would they say their reeds are bamboo unless that was true, especially if it made them seem a lesser product?
Click to expand...
Easy: ignorance. I didn't know which cane that reeds were made out of until looking it up for this thread. Some folks may think, "Why buy cane reeds from France/USA/Italy when I can buy from the country that has bamboo all over the place?"

As far as any other comment on why cane X is better than cane y, I'm not equipped to answer. Just pointing out the answer I saw on the Intarwebs. My opinion on reeds is that you should use the ones you like and not worry about the manufacturer. I may have had the good fortune, when I was playing, that there wasn't a large selection of reeds available to me. Now? If I was in any real playing condition, I probably would ask on this forum which I should try, especially if I was playing bari or any of the low clarinets. Those reeds are pricey and I'm against wasting money :D.
 
All I can say is if you play cane (I mostly play synthetics), and want to try something different that's inexpensive, this may be interesting for you. They do NOT play like cane. They are a bit stiff and stuffy and take a long "breaking in" period, but eventually play well with longevity. They are definitely different.

Ignorance, intolerance, and being hung up with "traditional" materials goes in two different directions. I've played for now 61 years, so have a bit of experience. I don't believe that the sax is a perfect instrument, so improvements are possible. Reeds have always been a fail point with so many duds. Synthetics promised an end to that, but it seems that not all manufacturers are consistent or produce high quality for the price they charge. In other words, I think people are fools to subscribe to any particular brand, or material as it's possible to improve reeds, or possibly (at least?) make them cheaper.

When you check and see what some people do to (supposedly) make reeds more playable it resembles voodoo more than science. Soaking, drying, conditioning, humidors, scraping, sanding, clipping, chemicals, etc. and you still have only a few per box that are any good. Cane is a natural product. It's not uniform, so fabricating to any exacting standard will still give you variability. Pushing reed manufacturers by finding better, or at least cheaper sources, is the only way they will get off their asses and make a better reed. Our $$ is our only pressure point. Use it well and don't be a dumb consumer who just follows "brand loyalty" or "tradition". The proof is in the playing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom