D'AddarioOrganic Classic Bb Clarinet Reeds - Reeds for Clarinet - Individually Sealed - 3.0 Strength, 10 Pack

For my mouthpiece, these reeds are the gold standard. D'addario's manufacturing process and marketing strategy results in much more consistent reeds than Vandoren (who have admitted they pack their reed boxes with reeds of varying strength for "variety"). Furthermore, this specific cut of reeds (Reserve Classic/purple box) has a much crisper articulation that allows for less effort of the tongue compared to Vandoren's V12 cut.Many clarinetists prefer V12's for their tone quality, but more often than not a discerning player will find less "useable" V12 reeds than that of D'addario's Reserve Classic cut. If I had to describe the sound quality of these reeds, it would be "bright, pingy, and focused." Comparing them to V12s again, the Reserve Classic cut has less "body" of sound, or what I would presume to be less mid/low frequencies. Furthermore, D'addario's RC cut tends to run a bit softer when compared to a Vandoren V12 of the "same strength (i.e. if you had two reeds, both strength 3, the D'addario would feel softer).For those looking for more consistency and greater ease of articulation in their reeds, I would recommend trying these! I keep both V12s and Reserve Classic reeds in my reed box, and regularly perform on both. For those playing on Vandoren's Black Diamond mouthpieces, I would highly recommend trying these reeds out.

My daughter started clarinet this year. We tried cheap 10 pack reeds they didn’t work. These are great. Don’t squeak. Good reeds for the price. Would recommend.

Good reeds. How do they compare to vandoren? I’d say it depends on the player. but for musicians that are ready for the next level looking into the daddario reserves or vandoren. the sound quality is good and they are pretty responsive out of the box.

I like the reeds, but they come to me in a mangled box.

This brand is a great brand for beginners to experts. They last as long as any good reed should and play beautifully. Good value for the price.

Amazing quality and worked for the clarinet, so we ordered more.

My son is a clarinet virtuoso and he loves these reeds.

I’m a professional reed player (clarinet, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, concert flute, traditional (keyless) Irish flute). While I have been playing reeds from a mainstream manufacturer many, many years, trying different reed cuts, but I’m also curious about other sources. Many of my colleagues play D’Addario reeds.I normally play a moderate (3) reed, adjusting as needed. My first impression of these D’Addario Reserve Clarinet reeds is that they are beautifully cut and finely sanded to provide a smooth lip surface, very nice. Examining the reed by holding it up to the light, it’s symmetrically cut and carefully graduated from the center to the sides and down to the tip. There are no evident dark veins running lengthwise, so it appears that the cane was selected carefully. The rails are not quite as thick as the rails on my favorite clarinet reeds.I’m careful about preparing my reeds. My first step is to see how well sealed the reed is, by putting the base in my mouth and trying to suck air through it. Why do this? Well, saliva actually digests the reed material, and also transfers mouth fauna. The better sealed the reed surface, the longer the reed is going to play. The D’Addario is pretty open, so the next step is to fix this, same way that I do for all my reeds. I soak the reed in water for a few minutes, then hold the flat side of the reed against an acrylic sheet (happens to be a coaster—I had 2x4 inch glass plate, but that got lost years ago—and gently smooth the cut side of the reed with my thumb. The reed is allowed to dry thoroughly, and then the suck test is repeated. If I still can pull air through the reed, the whole process is repeated until the reed is well and truly sealed. The D’Addario required about 8 cycles to be reasonably sealed, and it’s still pretty open, so I don’t expect this reed to last long. Since it’s only a 2.5 strength, I’ll probably blow the stuffing out of it quickly.I tried this on the Buffet R13 that I use for jazz, with a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece. The reed spoke freely and competently over the entire range of the instrument, with enough flexibility to be expressive. Generally a clear, crisp tone, yet I could produce some richness and warmth in the low register. The reed was responsive enough to get through some fairly technical things that I need to work up for upcoming concerts.