Saxophone Forum


by sax_braswell
(22 posts)
18 years ago

Plastic Reeds

Does anyone know how long these thigs are supposed to last? I have been using the Bari brand tenor plastic reed in my R&B band. It seems to be losing some of it's response as I have used it for a few months now. Do these thigs wear out like regular reeds or do you keep using them until they chip or break?

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  1. by basiliko
    (21 posts)

    16 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    I really like Bari reeds & bari* reeds. do not like fibrecell, legere's and rico plastic reeds. Bari reeds have been good & I use them with metal & hard rubber mouthpieces. They take a lottle bit of time to get used to, but last forever until you hit them hard enough!

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  2. by MaryPlowman
    (1 post)

    11 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    I have never tried bari reeds. Can any one post a picture of it. I have heard a lot about it but never seen or use it.

     

     

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    1. by Saxquest
      (420 posts)

      11 years ago

      Re: Plastic Reeds

      Greetings-

           You can see photos of the Bari synthetic reeds on the Saxquest web site at the direct link. They are also there available for sale at the best price you'll find anywhere.

      http://www.saxquest.com/index.php/store/category/saxophone-reeds-C40/manufacturer/55

      Cheers,
           Mark Overton
           www.saxquest.com

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  3. by bjjazzy
    (5 posts)

    10 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    i got a year or so out of mine. i used them till they chipped or broke.

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  4. by brasssax
    (4 posts)

    9 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    I get about 7 to 8 months then it starts to curve inwards and loose projection 
     

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  5. by brasssax
    (4 posts)

    9 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    About 7 to 9 months then they curve inwards and sound projection sounds weak 
     

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  6. by brasssax
    (4 posts)

    9 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    Try Hann reeds . They are really good and made from kevler , feels natural 

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  7. by gardenshed
    (20 posts)

    18 years ago

    Re: Plastic Reeds

    Is this a clear, solid Bari or merely plastic coated. because as far as I can see, the 100% plastique are virtually indistructible. Not only that, but if mine is anything to go by, they morph into a plank of wood after 64 bars exactly. Weirdest thing, it starts out like a steamtrain, then 'freezes'. Anyone xplain that? or how to batter the thing into submission with an angle-grinder or chainsaw or whatever it takes?

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    1. by Sax Mom
      (964 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Plastic Reeds

      I'd like to hear more about the plastic reeds. To me it just doesn't sound like a good idea, but then, I've never tried them.

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      1. by saxophonik
        (73 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Plastic Reeds

        Let me start by saying that I played a Bari reed with a classical mouthpiece for jazz band in college. Awesome projection!!! Horrible tone!!!! It was great for rock and blues-oriented numbers, but terrible for more traditional swing-style pieces. It was also great for when I covered a few gigs in an R&B band. It gave me that great dirty-funk sound with incredible volume. With that said.... I don't think I'll ever use it again, and I'll NEVER use one for my alto or tenor. For one thing, that reed took a LOT of work to learn to control. And for another, like I said, it's too brash for half of the stuff I now play. I had to play much softer and open my throat a lot more than normal to get a half-way decent tone for more mellow stuff. This led to shaky pitch and squeek control. Like I said, they're good for certain types of music, but not most. When I finally bought a metal jazz mpc, I tried the Bari reed with it, and it just sounded like a duck eating burritos. If you want to try one out, go for it. Who knows? Maybe it'll give you the projection you've been looking for, but IMHO, they're MUCH too harsh and definitely NOT versitile.

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    2. by rednecksax
      (24 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Plastic Reeds

      I love clear bari reeds but only on the baritone sax. I use these all the time for marching band because they have great projection and the low notes pop out wonderfully, but for any other applications I hate them. On any type of sax other than bari, the bari reeds i have personally found to be horrible. Even on bari they have limitations.....I cannot make a decent sound above the middle D. As far as other plastic covered reeds, I personally prefer regular cane reeds such as vandoren zz's or hemkes.

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    3. by rednecksax
      (24 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Plastic Reeds

      I almost forgot...the other reason that i love to march with bari reeds is that it takes the jaws of life to put a chip in them and they last forever....i've played 4 years of marching band playing about 20 hours a week on 2 of them. My personal conclusion......wonderful for marching band on the bari sax, but not much else.

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      1. by OklahomanSax
        (18 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Plastic Reeds

        If i play on a size 3 vandoren, what size plastic reed would i want?

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        1. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Plastic Reeds

          I tried the fibracell reeds and I did not like them at all. I didn't like the feel and I hated the tone. You just can't get the tone out of a fibercell or a plastic reed like you can a cane reed. If you use a #3 Vandoren, try a Fibracell Medium, or Medium Hard, Oklahoman. For the best tone, I like LaVoz mediums.

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      2. by 2saxy
        (25 posts)

        16 years ago

        Re: Plastic Reeds

        On Woodwind Brasswind (www.wwbw.com), there aren't strengths for the plastic reeds, but instead, softness. You have a choice between Hard, Medium, and soft, i think. If I play on a size 3, which one of those should I buy?

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        1. by gardenshed
          (20 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: Plastic Reeds

          Gorblimey. Someone stumbled on this thread again. Thanks, But afraid I can't answer your question. Just to update. My Bari is still sitting in its plastic box, I use whatever reed I've got in the 'piece, and I still don't know what key I'm playing in. Having a great time.

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        2. by saxismyaxe
          (575 posts)

          16 years ago

          Re: Plastic Reeds

          As far as the BARI line, a MED is equivalent to a #3 Vandoren Blue Box.

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