Vandoren SR423 Tenor Sax ZZ Reeds Strength 3; Box of 5

I am fairly new to tenor sax, and I prefer reeds without a lot of resistance, and I favor a brighter jazz sound. I have experimented with Rico Plasticover reeds, Rico La Voz, Rico Select (unfiled), Vandoren ZZ, Vandoren Java (filed and unfiled), traditional Vandoren reeds, and even a Legere Signature Series reed. I found the ZZ tenor sax reeds to be consistent, ready to play out of the box, and easy to play using a classic style ebonite mouthpiece as well as a more open mouthpiece. (MAY, 2015 UPDATE: I TRIED FIBRACELL REEDS WITH MY T75 JUMBO JAVA MOUTHPIECE---- THE FIBRACELL REEDS ARE AMONG MY FAVORITE REEDS NOW. THEY LAST LONGER THAN ANY REED THAT I HAVE TRIED AND THE QUALITY AND SOUND IS CONSISTENTLY GOOD).Here is my experience with the various reeds that I have tried over the last sixth months:I have been able to achieve my best sound with Vandoren ZZ and the Rico Select Jazz (unfiled) reeds, and these reeds didn't require sanding to get them to play well. The Rico Jazz Select (unfiled) can be a little stiff, so I would visit the Rico reed website to see their strength comparison chart ([...] to help you select the right strength for you. I found the traditional Vandoren reeds to be similar to the ZZ, so either will play well.I just received an order of Vandoren Java reeds, and I found the Red Javas (filed) to be resistant and not bright, so I am hoping that they will become easier to play with break-in. I also just tried the Java Green (unfiled), and they were a little less resistant than the Reds, and they were more fun to play than the Java Reds. (UPDATE 5/2015: THE JAVA GREEN READS WERE VERY EASY TO PLAY WITH MY NEW T75 JUMBO JAVA MOUTHPIECE----VERY PLEASING SOUND TOO). I would describe it as a deeper sound. I will try another box of Java Greens in the future, but the Java Reds did not work for me at all.Rico Plasticover reeds play easily and last a long time. The Plasticovers are enjoyable because you don't have to wet the reed, and they play well right out of the box. I have heard a lot of good things about the Rico La Voz reeds, but for me they were just OK. The box that I received contained many reeds which were warped and required sanding to get them to play well. I used 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to flatten out the La Voz reeds (I set the sandpaper on a truly flat surface and slid the reed over the sandpaper, and only sanded the portion of the reed that sits on the table of the mouthpiece) ---sand very little. The Rico Jazz Selects (unfiled) played well out of the box and have a lively sound, so I would go with those over the La Voz reeds (realizing the price is higher).The Legere Signature Series plastic reed might work for marching band or if your sax has to sit for a long time, drying out your reed. However, I didn't care for this reed because the highs wanted to breakup, and I didn't have that problem with any other reed. For Marching Band or gigs (whenever you are worried about reeds drying out), I would give Rico Plasticover reeds a try.Different reeds will work for different people, depending on the mouthpiece, ligature, embouchure, etc., but I hope this might be helpful to other new players.

I've played a lot of different reeds over the years and Vandoren ZZ reeds are easily my favorite. They allow me to get the tone quality and response that I want through all registers.

All reeds were usable.

I love the way these reeds play. Great quality and sound.

The Vandoren ZZ reeds are available two ways, individually wrapped in a box with a yellow tab on the top, versus unwrapped in a box with a grey tab (where the size number is listed). The picture above indicates they would be unwrapped and in a grey-tab box, but they shipped me the more expensive individually-wrapped reeds in the full-color box instead. I don't know if that's always the case, but I was pleasantly surprised.I'm not sure if having the individual "humidity-control" wrapping really makes them play better, but considering they're expensive reeds I like getting them that way. I think if the seller updated the picture to reflect the product is the more-expensive version they could sell more. Unless they just substituted that once because they were low on the others. But I'm going to keep ordering from this seller and see if I keep getting the pricier version for this price.Oh yeah and btw these are the best reeds for jazz if you want a big tone. I noticed a huge difference over both the LaVoz cane reeds or the Fibracell reeds I used to use.

Daughter, middle school jazz band, really likes these reeds. Feels they are an upgrade from standard tenor sax reeds. Last longer. Not super tough, so they wear in easier.

Back in the day, I used to play Vandoren Java 3 but now they seem really hard. I thought maybe my 25 yr old stash was too old so I tried some new ZZ reeds and they are the same. I can't get them to break in. I'm am an old guy and my chops are out of shape, but I play another brand 3's straight out the box all day long. If you are buying these, I'd take the strength down a notch.

I prefer these Vandoren reeds to the Ricos, which are the only other ones I've tried so far (I do have other brands on order that haven't arrived yet), and my woodwind teacher MUCH prefers Vandoren to Rico. These are a little stiffer than Rico reeds, so if you are switching, make sure you consult a stiffness comparison chart. Nicely durable, and so far I haven't hit a bad one in the pack.

je ne suis pas un expert en anches, mais j'ai acheté celles ci en suivant les avis d'autres saxophonistes et je ne suis vraiment pas déçu. J'adore le son qu'elles procurent à mon bec Otto link Tone Edge ébonite 7*

buenas como siempre y a buen precio

Ance ottime!

Good performance

J'utilise avec bonheur ces anches pour faire du jazz indifféremment avec un bec métal ou ébonite.