I've always been curious. Why don't you like Vandoren, saxmanjim? I can't stand LaVoz because everything that I've bought from that company has broken when I needed it. Your turn... [Friendly Disagreement]

I've never really purchased anything LaVoz except for their reeds and reed holders. As for the reed holders, the newer plastic holders are not as good as the older aluminum 4X reed holders that I have, but they do the job. I have found LaVoz reeds to be much more consistant that Vandorens. I have tried all of the Vandorens. The Java's are probably the best. I hate the V16's with a passion. They're too thin. I can't get a good tone out of them. After playing one about 45 minutes, they go soft. I have tried just about every kind of reed out there, and the LaVoz are the most consistant of any. The only other reeds that come close are the Alexanders, but they are much harder to find and cost considerably more. Really, the standard Rico reeds are not all that bad. I have found them to be very consistant, even if the cane isn't quite as good as the LaVoz or Vandorens. At least with the Rico reeds, I can file them down if necessary, but the Vandorens are so thin, you can't do much with them! I've seen saxophone players open a box of reeds and throw half of them away! Out of a box of 10 Rico standards, I might have 1 reed that I'll need to file. Out of a box of 10 LaVoz, very seldom do I find a reed that doesn't play well out of the box.

This is just something I've never done. File reeds? Why do you need to file them? What do you do to them? See, that's wierd. Very seldom do I find a bad Vandoren. I think the La Voz are just too thin and/or flimsy. Maybe I need to try them again, give them another chance? It might be just that the Vandorens were the reed I've used for years now. I stared on those Ricos you were refering to. Can't stand them anymore. I haven't had the chance to try the Vandoren ZZ's yet. But that's on my to-do list the next time I have a spare $30 laying around. ;) Oh yeah, I have to disagree with you about those Javas too. Grr I hate them > too bright. I once got a box of them b/c the store didn't have anymore traditionals. At the time, I had no idea that it was easy to order online so I had to accept. I found out halfway through the box (within 10 minutes) that they weren't for me. Do you use LaVoz for jazz? What do you use for other styles?

LaVoz is my favorite. If you find them thin or flimsy, then you're probably buying reeds that are too soft. Try a LaVoz medium. They're sized different than other reeds. If you're used to a # 3.5, try a LaVoz med. hard. That's the one thing that I do not like about LaVoz. I wish they used numbers like everyone else! I have been able to get more projection and volume out of the Java's than the other Vandoren reeds. Still, my 10M with a med. LaVoz and my Otto Link will raise a roof! I use different mouthpieces for different styles, but no so much different reeds. Different hardnesses, occasionally depending on the tip opening of the mouthpiece. I have one Berg Larson tenor piece that I can't play anything harder than a 2.5 reed with because the tip is very open. It's strictly a jazz set-up. Occasionally I'll use it for some Springsteen stuff, or songs like "On The Darkside". My usual set-up for tenor is a vintage Otto Link Super Tone Master 5. I have a Jody Jazz ESP which I have started using also. It's sounds similar to the Link with a little more snap and power. I use a cheap ole' Rico Royal Graftonite piece for a nice deep, throaty blues/rock sound, or a vintage Brillhart Tonelin for a mellow big band sound. Usually though, if I'm playing something like "String Of Pearls" or "April In Paris", I play my Selmer Mark VI with either the Brillhart or the Selmer Soloist mouthpiece.