Vandoren Tenor Sax V16 Advanced Reeds

If you are looking for an aggressive, thick sound, these are the reeds for you. The middle register is very muscular, much more so than a lot of other reeds, like ZZs or Javas. I spend a lot of time in the altissimo register(probably more than I should), and with less work than with most reeds I've played on, I can access my current range of up to the high Eb above the natural range of the horn. The only downside is that once you get down to low C# or so and lower than that, the sound can be almost too chunky, and difficult to control until you get used to it.

IÆve been playing for quite while and started using V16's in high school. I recently had to switch to another brand temporarily (very popular for beginners R ** O)because I forgot to re-order and didnÆt get my V16's on time, and the only music store open that day only carried (cheap) reeds. Oh what a difference it was. I went thru 3 in one show. 1 didn't play worth a darn; the other two wore out fast. I would almost have rather not played. Ok just kidding show must go on right. Long story short- the tone and response on the V16's is hard to beat- and at the price they are offered here from WWBW you can't beat that anywhere. If carrying a horn section on your back and have the need to belch out some fat sax licks you won't find much anything better for the price. I give V16's my highest recommendation and look forward to using whatÆs left of my box of R**o's for something more suitable... Like starting my BBQ grill.

In my 18 years of experience as a saxophonist, I've not come across a finer reed. The response of the V16 series of reeds allows for better control and intonation. I especially recommend the V16 series for the soloist, as it produces a rich and full tone that you would need to fill a stage with sound.

I started playing V16s my freshman year in high school, so it's been about 7 years and counting. The reason I like these reeds so much is that they require little more than a simple break-in period and they then play for a very long time. Usually consistency of playability is about 4 or 5 per box (of 5), which is pretty much unheard of for saxophone reeds. I love the way V16s sound and react - they give you massive tonal and dynamic flexibility while keeping the sound centered, and the response is great. I play them on every saxophone, #3.

I play most jazz stuff on alto and tenor (both P. Mauriats), so when I got a Guardala King piece for my tenor, I thought the piece and my horn were a great match. However, I struggled to find a reed to match the wide-open tip opening of my Guardala. I tried a ZZ #3 and I liked it, but I had to use a little more air than i wanted to; so I tried a V16 #2.5 and it worked great! It gives a huge, fat tone throughout every register, and with this reed/piece combination my "useable" altissimo range can reach a Bb two octaves above the written range Bb! They are also incredibly consistent. I would recommend these reeds to anyone who loves having a great sound with great flexibility of colors.