VandorenSR2735R Tenor Sax JAVA Red Reeds Strength 3.5; Box of 5

Satisfecio

Playing since 1986. For many years I would use synthetic reeds so that I wouldn’t have to deal with cane. I would especially find Vandoren blue box to be stuffy out of the box and would always need to work them with a reed knife. Decided to try again experimenting with my sound. The red box Java reeds are the first reeds that just feel right, straight out of the wrapper. I love playing jazz / worship music and improvising. These are very responsive and lets me get the sound I want, with more power than I was used to with my Legere synthetic. I also tried the green box Java - they are a close second but slightly more resistant and a bit darker/traditional sounding, which is nice to have handy too. I use 2 1/2 strength reeds with Jody Jazz DV size 7 metal mouthpiece. I play slightly edgy with lots of air and dynamics so I prefer a brighter more aggressive tone that I can control well. I think the Java red box reeds will keep me happy for a while.

I get pretty good results from these reeds. Using the 3 strength on a Jody Jazz DVNY 7*. Playing a wide variety but 75% of the time I'm playing early punk, experimental rock and blues/rock tunes.I will open and playtest all 5 reeds in a box and usually get 1-2 that are standout players. These will last me anywhere from 3-6 weeks each. I never even take them off the mouthpiece until they are ready to be thrown away.By this time I can cycle through the rest of the reeds in the box. I end up with about 1-2 that are completely useless (reeds are like that unfortunately) but with some love and break-in the rest of the box will play as well as the first two reeds did.I play experimental/rock (think Stooges and T. Rex), deep house, reggae and of course jazz. I get a lot of versatility from the mouthpiece and reed combination. I can blow, blow, blow for the rock and house stuff, or get sexy, growly and smooth a la Stan Getz depending on my attack and air. This is probably more of a feature of the moutpiece. But the reeds last a long time. Some of them may seem "blatty" but they just need to really get the fibers stretched out and worn in. The "blatty" reeds last the longest and sound the best IMO, once they break in.When I was using blue box filed Vandoren (same strength), on the contrary, the "blatty" reeds stayed stuffy and generally "flat"/"dead" and never would really "wake up" like the red Javas do. Reeds never lasted this long with a metal mouthpiece but I find them to be a great value, great sound, and a lot of fun to play in general.But then again, a reed is just a reed...

I am on maybe my fifth box. Almost every reed has been usable right out of the packaging.These reeds have worked great for me on a 1927 Buescher True Tone with a vintage large chamber, medium open tip. Much better than the Java Green. I have had no success finding an artificial reed that gives me the same responsiveness and tone. I also have tried Rico and Marca (which is my first choice for clarinet.) Every mouth & mouthpiece is different and of course you probably use a different horn and want a different sound.edit: I'm now mostly playing a 1946 King Zephyr using a Theo Wanne Ambika 6* mouthpiece. ,I'm now using the Java Red 1 1/2 reeds. Generally I'll take a little reed off using 320 grit sandpaper -- just between 1cm and 2cm below the tip. In my fantasy world I sound somewhere between Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins. I also am now storing the reeds in water in capped test tubes. It means the reeds are totally soaked when I put them on -- no worries about warming up. I think I get an even mellower sound than with dry stored reeds. To avoid mold, I change the water twice a week and keep some silver beads in with the reeds. (All available on on Amazon.) . This does not work well for either soprano sax or clarinet. i have no theory why I like this for tenor and not for the other horns. I formerly got maybe 10 hours of play out of a reed. Now I'm getting better than 40. I'm happy with the Java reds and see no reason to try other reeds.

I've been a Vandoren fan boy since I could play! These Red Java's are great and give a good tone. The only issue is that they wear out in about 2 weeks. Im a pro player and play about 14 ton16 hours a weekend. I usually get about 3 out 5 reeds that are good to play out of the box. When the reed get soft, I keep using those for the super soft indoor gigs. Have to get a new reed for the R&B, Funk & Jazz gigs. Overall a decent reed, does the job and definitely will get that jazz sound. Just make sure to buy 2 boxes or more to keep up with your playing.

The Red Java Vandoren reeds are just wonderful. My daughter has the V16 metal mouthpiece and she had a 3 reed and it was green Java but it just sounded airy. Now don’t get me wrong they are both wonderful but the way the red Java sounds and plays on this is just amazing. Also on that type of mouthpiece you need more of thinner reed so we went down to a 2.5 but between all of the other reeds the red had the most amazing sound!

These reeds are my go to reeds for every occasion and have served me well for over five years!

Si eres una persona que sopla mucho buscas algo para proyectar mejor busca una que sea un poco más fuerte porque estas no son tan resistentes la punta de la caña creo que es la mas delgada que haya visto

The first reed I opened played perfectly on my Yamaha 5C mouthpiece. I'm no great sax player, but these are quality from Vandoren. I've previously used green box Javas. Red box all the way now!

Generally love these reeds! They last a long time and make dynamics easier to control whilst maintaining the ‘jazzy’ tone. There is a little inconsistency within the box though but that is really to be expected. I’ve been playing less than a year (primary instrument is clarinet) and they have worked well for me

Great reeds

Works incredibly well

Arrived well before the said date so really happy about that. The reeds are perfect for what I wanted them for. Thank you.