Fibracell Synthetic Tenor Saxophone Reed (2)

by Fibracell

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 0.5 ounces
• ASIN: B0002F5EWW
• Item model number: FTSR2
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,756 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

They have brilliant overtones for a full, resonant tone, a quick response for better articulation, and excellent pitch stability and intonation, even for clarinet. Best of all, they have the same woody tone as cane but with better projection. Fibracell reeds even have the same weight and stiffness as cane (cane floats and so does Fibracell!) but they last up to 4 times longer with no unplayable reeds and aren't affected by heat or humidity. With their high strength and long-lasting durability, they're less likely to give out on you in the middle of a performance, too.What is Fibracell?Fibracell is a sophisticated composite of aerospace materials designed to exactly duplicate the way nature constructs the cane that goes into the very best cane reeds. Very stiff but sound-absorbing Kevlar fibers are suspended in a lightweight rosin using extremely exacting production standards. Each reed is precisely machined and trimmed for a consistently perfect shape, so you get the same reed time and time again..

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Convenience...at a cost, November 8, 2011

By 

Nathan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fibracell Synthetic Tenor Saxophone Reed (2)

This was my first time buying a synthetic reed. It may also be my last. This Synthetic reed doesn't have anything wrong with it, really, so I suppose it comes down to personal preference.

The reed does what it's supposed to, and you don't even need to wet it before playing notes, so it's great for just picking up your instrument and playing. However, I noticed a significant loss of tone and depth going from a 2.5 cane reed to this one. I knew synthetic reeds wouldn't sound as good as cane ones when I bought it, but I honestly didn't think the difference would be this huge. I will continue to use this reed for practicing, but for playing in public I would stick to cane reeds. (I have yet to try plasticover reeds, so I cannot comment on them.) As I have only had this reed for a short while, I cannot comment on how reliable it will be over time.

Pros: You can play your instrument right away; no need to wait for wetting or a special reed case. Looks very similar to a cane reed.

Cons: Quite a noticeable loss of quality of sound (to me, anyway). Whether you like the sound or not will be up to personal preference.

Other notes: I don't believe this is a bad reed; just a different kind of reed. I personally don't like the sound it produces, but others might, so I'd recommend picking one up and trying one if you're really interested in trying out a synthetic reed. You can get them for fairly cheap here on amazon.