Sax players: I’m taking a trip to the Rico Reeds factory today (9/19/12).
Any questions you’d like me to ask them?
Leave a comment here before 1pm EST (10am Pacific) and I’ll do my best to get it answered.
I’ll record some of my visit and send the recap to the players list.
For those who are shopping around for reed consistency, why would you [Rico] recommend that we buy Rico reeds? What sets Rico apart from other brands when it comes to consistency in reed quality?
Ron – if you met our staff, you’d immediately understand how passionate we are about making great reeds. In addition to the seven reed players on staff, we have a team of dedicated engineers, quality control, and operations gurus who are working tirelessly to make our reeds respond to your needs. We value feedback and respond to it. We know reeds are perfect, but we’re really trying to get the quality to the highest level possible with a natural material. If you’re in the Los Angeles area or planning on it, we welcome visitors.
Robert Polan
Rico Product Manager
My question is, what are the fundamental differences between Rico Royal reeds and Rico Jazz Selects in terms of the shape, cut, techniques used, etc?
HI Aaron,
There are several differences between Rico Royal reeds and Select Jazz reeds. The cane in Select Jazz reeds is more dense than that used for Rico Royal reeds and the cut is also different. The cut of the Select Jazz reeds was based on feedback we received from interviews with some of the best jazz players in the world. We worked on that cut and didn’t stop until the players we had interviewed told us we had achieved what they desired.
Also, the Royals come in the traditional half strengths and only come filed. Select Jazz comes in both filed and unfiled and is available in 1/3 strengths to allow you to really dial in strength that is best for you.
Thanks for your question, Aaron, and all the best to you,
Brian Terrell
Quality Control Musician Manager
Tell them to keep up the good work.
What is their recommended breakin method?
Do they approve of storing active reeds in Listerine?
Larry
Hi Larry,
In my experience, storing the reeds in mouthwash really doesn’t do much past keeping the reeds wet and minty fresh! There’s probably some good level of bacteria elimination as well, however, I feel that keeping reeds which are soaked to their maximum absorbtion level results in decreased sonic performance of the reeds. I’ve always felt that reeds that have become water-logged sound duller and less vibrant, and limit my dynamic and harmonic ranges. That, of course, is opinion and totally subjective…I’ve seen many amazing players use similar techniques, with great results…it’s really about finding what works best for you.
As far as break in is concerned, I follow a method introduced to me by one of Rico’s artists, Mark Nuccio. Here is a link to a video describing his techniques:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y0Zv3EZ-Ms
I honestly thought at first, “Who has time for this?” But in the end, I’ve found that I don’t worry too much about reeds before a performance or practice session anymore, and I only wish that I’d started doing this sooner!
Thanks for your question,
Kevin Garren
Quality Control Musician
Rico International, Sun Valley, CA
What are they currently working on ?
(Anything top secret ?)
Are they working on any new kind of synthetic reed, that lasts longer, but retains the sound of the regular cane reed ?
What reed in the Rico Line up that would compare to the Vandoren ZZ? Is there any plan to expand or LaVoz line or make a French cut version or would that be the same as the Royal?
Hi Mack,
Your best bet to compare to a ZZ is the Rico Select Jazz. In fact, the ZZ tenor reeds are pretty much an exact copy of the Select Jazz. The Select Jazz reeds as you probably know have the advantage of coming in 1/3rd strengths, so you can really dial in your preferred strength.
No plans at this time offer a filed version of La Voz.
Robert Polan
Rico Product Manager
What is their recommended method for storage of reeds? They are probably going to mention their reed revitalized packs, maybe they have other suggestions too!
Also how do you get the most out of your reeds in winter when the ambient humidity is way down?
Hello Greg,
I promise I’m not just tryin to “plug” our Reed Vitalizer packs! Truth be told, I’ve been on staff at Rico for a little over a year, but have been using Rico’s reed cases (with the reed vitalizer packs) since their inception. I have to travel out of town frequently for gigs, and I’ve found these cases to be a life saver when I need to play in different environments. I simply adjust which pack I’m using to compliment the enviroment that I’m working in; for example, if I’m working in desert areas, I store my reeds at 73 or 84% humidity, or for wetter areas, I use the 58% packs. The humididty goes way low where I live during the winter as well, so I usually store the reeds at 73 or 84% humidity. Using these cases and humidity packs, in coorperation with regular rotation of reeds and proper break-in, has helped me to dramatically reduce my time messing with reeds so that I can focus on what’s important….making music!
Thanks for your question,
Kevin Garren
Quality Control Musician
Rico International, Sun Valley, CA
Is there any truth in the idea that some year’s reeds are better than others? Do Rico get inferior cane when the seasons haven’t been kind, and would they consider taking this into account in their prices?
Hi Jody,
Yes, it is true that year to year the cane is different. Just as with wine, with which one year can be better than another, it is true with cane. If fact good cane and good wine grapes grow well in the same regions. They both need the same type of soil and weather conditions to grow to their full potential. We use the best cane available for all of our reeds and what we chose for the Rico brand is usually a little more flexible than we use for other brands such as Select Jazz or Reserve for which we use cane that is somewhat more dense. We have done our best to reduce the effects of bad weather seasons by having cane plantations in both the northern and southern hemispheres (France and Argentina to be exact) and find that we can get the same quality cane from all of our plantations.
Thanks for your question and all the best in your playing and music making,
Brian Terrell
Quality Conrol Musician Manager
When are the reserve RSJ reeds being released?
Hello Ryan,
There are no plans right now to release a “Reserve Rico Select Jazz” reed…I’m assuming that by Reserve, you’re inquiring about the cane used to make the product? The differences between the RSJ reeds and the Reserve are limited to the reed design only, or simply put, the cut. Both reeds use the same cane, which is lower internode cane only. We use this cane for Select Jazz, Grand Concert Select, and all Reserve lines because of its high density, which yields more consistency from reed to reed.
Thanks for your question,
Kevin Garren
Quality Control Musician
Rico International, Sun Valley, CA
@Ron – Thanks for your question. There are many qualities that set Rico apart from our competitors. You asked specifically about consistency–this is, in my opinion, the most notable attribute to Rico’s product line. We rely on state of the art engineering to create products that have more noticeable repeatability throughout our product line. Many of our processes are automated to ensure this. We also have smaller reed strength ranges than other companies. In other words, the range for a strength # 3 is much smaller than our competitors. This means that our reeds should feel extremely similar in terms on resistance. I hope this is helpful! Thanks again for writing.
Kristen McKeon
Rico Product Specialist, NYC
@Oliver – Thanks also for writing! We are working on several new projects. You will be seeing new professional level mouthpieces in our future.
We are not currently working on a synthetic reed, but it has certainly been discussed. For now, we’re focused on making our cane reeds the best available on the market.
Thanks again,
Kristen McKeon
Rico Product Specialist, NYC