 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2006-01-24 12:39
About a year ago I loaned my Selmer bass clarinet to one of my colleagues for a concert and he left a half box of tenor sax reeds in the case as a re-payment, saying "he never used bass clarinet reeds as the tenor sax reeds were always better". He said the same for alto sax reeds on the alto. I've always bought reeds marked as "bass clarinet" or "alto clarinet" but I have to admit that the tenor sax reeds did work well on my bass. There certainly are more reed options (brands and styles) for the saxes than the clarinet, which would be an advantage.
Any opinions?
EEfer guy
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Author: Dan1937
Date: 2006-01-24 12:49
I believe the two types of reeds are the same width, but the tenor reeds are a bit longer, which may cause the tenor reed to extend slightly beyond the end of the mouthpiece (at the opposite end from the tip). If your mouthpiece is long enough to avoid this, I see no problem with the tenor reeds.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-01-24 13:21
Eb and Dan - You both say it very well, I agree. I find I go back and forth with BC and TS reeds, they [Rico Royals, S R's, LaVoz, my favorites] work well and fit OK on old Pomarico glasses for my Selmer 33, also on an old Conn BC. I do the same for my Pom 3 on my Sel Alto cl, prefer LaVoz Sax reeds for it, AC reeds are even harder to find, except on _ _ _ Y. Glad to read and comment, other opinions?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-01-24 13:51
The guy on Saturday Nite Live band--
Lenny Pickett--
uses bass clar. reeds on his Mark 6 Tenor Sax
Berg Larsen open tip/0
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-01-24 13:59
Tenor sax and bass reeds - same size, different blank thickness (at least in La Voz). Tenor sax ones play harsher to me, so I prefer the Bass ones.
I've never explored all the Tenor Sax options, though - lots of time / cash required. Anyone?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-01-24 16:18
Here we go again, for the thirty-eighth time........In my experience (30+ years playing lots of both bass clarinet and tenor sax), the reeds are essentially interchangeable. Same correspondence holds for alto sax and alto clarinet. Ignore the naysayers --- go with whichever 'size' is available in the brand and strength you like. Be bold!
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-01-24 16:36
I've tried tenor sax reeds on bass clarinet and they work ok, but I still prefer bass clarinet reeds. What didn't work at all for me is soprano sax reeds on Bb clarinet.
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Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2006-01-24 16:39
I was told that J. Horak, who unfortunately died recently, advised the use of tenor sax (Van doren Java) to a local professional bass clarinet player.
I've tried it myself and indeed it works, didn't turn me in a new Horak however :-)
Now I mix these java's with Rico's and 'regular' Bass Clarinet reeds. And as you might guess : some are good, some aren't
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-01-24 17:05
I use Java tenor reeds on bass.
I did a 'spot the difference' between a standard Vandoren bass clar. and tenor sax reed years back - and no-one could tell which was which, or notice any difference between either of them.
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2006-01-24 17:36
Alseg sez:
The guy on Saturday Nite Live band--
Lenny Pickett--
uses bass clar. reeds on his Mark 6 Tenor Sax
Berg Larsen open tip/0
Gandalfe sez: Pardon my ignorance, what is a size 0?
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: Kel
Date: 2006-01-24 18:00
O is the smallest chamber size (3 is the largest).
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-01-24 18:14
Lenny Pickett uses a metal Berg Larsen 130/0.
Pete Christlieb uses the exact same mouthpiece ...GBK
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-01-24 20:55
I don't like Berg Larsens - not as nicely made or finished as Lawtons.
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Author: Shorthand
Date: 2006-01-24 22:41
In general Tenor sax reeds work well on a very few bass clarinet setups.
The most interesting used to be the F.L. Hemke's, which really represented your only opportunity for a nice, mellow thin-blank reed on the bass (and still do) but the Rico buyout hasn't been nice to cane quality. The new ones aren't bad by any measure, but they aren't what they were. (Same cane as the Rico GC Selects - the new ones are much more yellow.)
Still worth a try IMO, especially if you're looking for just a little more projection.
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Author: graham
Date: 2006-01-25 07:52
There are few generalisations that can hold water, but at a very rough guide, tenor sax reeds tend to sound fatter and go louder, but at the cost of an incoherent tone at high volume. But they may be a relief after the fairly resistant and unwilling characteristics of some bass clarinet reeds. The Hemke does work on bass, but I feel it is a little unforgiving and lacking in warmth. The Alexander Superial Classique tenor reeds are very successful, but, again, not so much when you play above forte when they are apt to sound scraggy.
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Author: edgar
Date: 2006-01-25 07:52
Having tried all my reeds including the bass clarinet reeds I found that the best results on my bass clarinet (Selmer Paris with a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece) were produced with a baritone sax reed (Rico Ryoal) that I shortened at the end (it was too logn for the mouthpiece).
Edgar Huckert
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Author: Fred
Date: 2006-01-25 11:45
And not surprisingly . . . tenor players often look for the holy grail in the box of bass clarinet reeds. And the quest continues . . .
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2006-01-25 18:54
Thank you all for your thoughts on the subject. It has been very helpful. I have to go to NYC early next month and am planning on stopping by Weiner's to check out a few new instruments. Will bring the list of your suggestions plus pick up some of the other better brands of tenor reed to try on my bass. Since they have such a huge inventory of brands, this might be a good test.
Have been doing the same with my EEfer, cutting off the bottoms of reed brands that don't make Eefer reeds and have found some of them work better than the usual Van Dorens.
EEfer guy
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