 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: William
Date: 2010-09-02 15:38
Forestone has recently revised their sax reed grading to bring them more in line with comparable cane products and to make choosing the correct strength much easier. The new models are somewhat softer than the older ones, but still play with the same full sound and are consistant, reed to reed. The really great thing about Forestones--made from a blend of plastic and bamboo fibre--is that they never warp between jobs, are always ready to play without moistening, retain their strength throughtout the entire gig and never dry out on the stand. In terms of basic economics, they continue playing for a very long time without wearing out. In fact, between my clarinets and saxophones, I have yet to completely wear out any Forestone reed in my case. And to prove that to myself, I am going to use--for tonights Muni Band rehearsal--the same F3+ reed that I first used in May, 2009 during a performance of "Peter & the Wolf" with our Beloit/Janesville Symphony Orchestra. (I am the bands principal clarinetist)
But my main point--all of you sax players really need to do yourselves a favor and try the new Forestone alto & tenor reeds--for me, they are simply extrodianary.
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Author: Franklin Liao
Date: 2010-09-02 15:47
I personally like Forestone the most out of the Synthetics. Aesthetics play no part in this for me, but rather it is the degree of consistency and the worry-free operation that I've come to adore with these, with Forestone fitting the needs best for me. I cannot speak for the saxophones, but their Clarinet reeds are quite nice and I will keep using them.
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2010-09-03 11:30
William,
Since you seem to know a lot about Forestone, let me ask you a question:
When Forestone first came out, I tried a few, and though the numbering system was hard to figure out, I found a strength that I liked a lot (I think it was a 3+). I the re-ordered some last spring, and found them to be completely different - the numbering system had changed, and I found them all too soft and didn't care for them at all ( I believe I ordered 4 or 4 1/2), so I went back to Legere. I remember reading about some other people being disappointed as well, and that Forestone was aware of the problem, and working to correct it. Did they go through a funky period last spring? Is the problem fixed?
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Author: William
Date: 2010-09-03 15:47
You are absolutely correct. Forestone realized that their original numbering system was too confusing and tried to make it more compatable to that of other commercial reeds so choosing a correct strength would be easier. I found that the old F3+ translated to the new F5 and that F4 & F4.5's were a bit on the soft side. As for the new sax reeds, Forestone received customer feedback that they were "too hard", so their "new model" sax reed spectrum that is more in line with conventional cane reed numbers. I have found that these new reed numbers compare very well and that customers should have no trouble choosing a compatable Forestone strength.
FWIW, I have been using Forestone reeds since May, 2009, and am completely satisfied with their performance in all of my playing venues. My previous experiance has been mostly with Vandoran V12's, although I have also played many examples of Legere Trad, Signiture & Quebec models on my soprano clarinets, and regular Legeres on my bass clarinet as well as my soprano, alto and tenor saxes. However, the Forestone reeds just play better for me in terms of sound, articulation and flexability--so I use them.
I've always said that if somebody would build a better clarinet than Buffet--or a better sax than Selmer--I would gladly play it. For too many years I also said that about reeds--and then Forestone came up with the better product. No more warping, drying out, going soft halfway through the gig, throwing away "bad ones", balancing & conditioning, etc. Just put it (Forestone) on the mouthpiece and play with the greatest of ease (and sound). I can now play the music without having to also worry about playing the reed. What a joy Forestone is.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2010-09-03 18:03
In your experience, what would be comparable to a Vandoren V12/Rico Reserve Classic #4?
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Author: William
Date: 2010-09-03 21:46
I used to use V12, 3.5 or 4.0 on my Chicago Kaspar #14. I now find the F5 to be most comparable.
For alto sax mpc, Gregory "Hollywood", I use a F2.5 or F3. My cane reeds were what I would call, medium to medium hard.
For my tenor mpc, Guardala "Studio", I use the F3 or F3.5. The softer F2 or F2.5 also work, but I like the bigger sound of the harder reeds.
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Author: interd0g
Date: 2010-09-27 16:53
For what it's worth, I just got my first Forestone clarinet reed and I am almost amazed. It would take me hours of attention to get a cane reed into this playing condition. I may switch.
The F3 works on my 5RV Lyre but I was always a bit on the soft side for some reason.
How long do these things last?
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Author: William
Date: 2010-09-28 00:37
"How long do these things last?"
The reeds that I first started playing in May, 2009, are still functional and I can use them as rehearsal reeds. They seem to last forever, much the same as Legere. However, for me, Forestones play much better.
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