Today, I am reviewing the new BSS Silver Box custom tenor saxophone reeds released by Jack Tyler at the Boston Sax Shop. Jack has been my repairman for the last six years and always gives me the inside scoop on the newest Boston Sax Shop saxophone gear that is coming out.
Besides being a phenomenal repairman and craftsman, Jack is always up to some new saxophone related endeavor. Whether it be straps, cases, ligatures, saxophone necks, reed cases, reeds, etc….. Jack always seems like he has a new project on the horizon……When I heard of these new BSS Silver Box custom tenor sax reeds he was developing, I had to try them!
The Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom Saxophone Reeds
I have already reviewed the Boston Sax Shop BSS Black Box Custom Reeds which I totally love. You can read that full review here: The Boston Sax Shop Black Box Custom Tenor Saxophone Reeds Review.
What I loved about the BSS Black Box custom reeds were how dark, warm, lush and round the tone sounded while using them. When Jack told me that the Boston Sax shop was coming out with a BSS Silver Box custom reed that would be a brighter option for tenor sax players who dug the quality and thicker tip profile of the BSS Black Box custom reeds, I was immediately interested in trying them out.
Here is the description of the Boston Sax Shop custom saxophone reeds from the Boston Sax Shop website:
“The Custom Reeds ‘Silver Label’ are a more brilliant counterpart to our original ‘Black Label’ saxophone reeds. Utilizing the thicker tip profile that makes Boston Sax Shop saxophone reeds so unique, I designed a new reed cut that evokes a more modern, radiant sound.
The ‘Silver Label’ reeds are an ideal option for players looking for additional projection and a little edge without sacrificing the evenness, consistency and resilience that Boston Sax Shop saxophone reeds have become famous for. I couldn’t be prouder of the results.” -Jack Tyler (Owner and Designer)
The ‘Silver Label’ Custom saxophone reeds run with equivalent strength grading to our ‘Back Label’ Cut reeds.
Sold in boxes of 5 and 10 reeds
The Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom Saxophone Reeds
As I wrote in the disclosure at the bottom of this review, I received 6 10 reed boxes of the new BSS Silver Box tenor saxophone reeds. Two boxes of strength 2 1/2 reeds, two boxes of strength 3 reeds, and two boxes of strength 3 1/2 reeds.
Most saxophone players would probably only need one strength of tenor saxophone reed, but since I review so many saxophone mouthpieces, I find it beneficial to have a variety of reed sizes on hand so I can find the best saxophone reed for each mouthpiece I review.
The Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom Saxophone Reeds
When I first tried the Boston Sax Shop Silver Box reeds, I played them next to their Black Box counterparts as I have been playing the BSS Black Box reeds for almost five year now (I also play Rigotti Gold reeds a lot as well).
At first, I had the impression that the BSS Silver Box reeds were slightly softer than the Black Box reeds but I think that impression came from the fact that the BSS Silver Box reeds had more of a brightness and buzz to them. Usually, I associate that brightness and buzz to a softer reed but the more I played the new BSS Silver Box tenor saxophone reeds and compared them to the Black Box reeds, the more I realized that the strengths of both reeds were very close.
The Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom Saxophone Reeds
As of the writing of this review, I have played through one complete box of the 2 1/2 reeds. One complete box of the 3 reeds and half a box of the 3 1/2 reeds. The reeds seemed very consistent in strength and playability and of the 25 reeds I have tried so far 24 played great for me. There was some slight variation in the strength of each reed but I considered this pretty normal and found each reed pretty close in strength to one another.
There was one odd reed that didn’t work for me and kept closing up on me in the higher register for some reason. It felt like the tip area of the reed was too thin. I couldn’t see anything visually that was wrong with it and was a bit surprised by the difficulty I had with it. The other 24 reeds played great for me though. Still, 24 playable out of 25 reeds is a pretty good percentage in my book.
10 Boston Sax Shop Silver Box 3 1/2 Custom Saxophone Reeds
The BSS Silver Box tenor saxophone reeds were indeed brighter and they had a bit of a lively and resonant buzz to the tone compared to the BSS Black Box reeds. Where the BSS Black Box custom reeds sound more focused and round with that warm dark core in the sound, the BSS Silver Box reeds had more brightness and edge in the tone. This was even more apparent when I would put some more air through the mouthpiece. The BSS Silver Box reeds just seemed to go into overdrive when pushed and the tone seemed to have much more of a bright energy compared to the BSS Black Box reeds.
On the sound clips below, I think you can hear the difference between the clips. Especially in the higher range of the saxophone. Those high notes with the BSS Silver Box just seemed to have more of a sparkle and bright buzz to them whereas the BSS Black Box reed high notes seemed more focused and less bright to my ears.
The Boston Sax Shop Black (left) and Silver Box (right) Custom Saxophone Reeds (the new Silver Box reeds have a line under the strength to differentiate them from the Black Box reeds
For the sound clips, I used an Early Babbitt hard rubber Otto Link 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece that I have owned for about 20 years now. I consider this mouthpiece to be a “middle of the road” tenor sax mouthpiece because it sits in the middle of that dark to bright tone spectrum for the tenor saxophone.
I tried to play many of the same lines, melodies and ideas for both sound clips although there are of course unintentional differences in the way I am playing between the clips.
I was most surprised by the differences between the beginning of both clips on the melody of “My One and Only Love” especially. Even though I thought I played both clips very similarly, the Silver Box sound clip sounds more energetic and lively where as the Black Box clip sounds more refined, contained and laid back. If there is a difference in the way I am playing, I believe that perhaps that brighter energy of the Silver Box reed influenced me subconsciously to play a bit more energetically and the more refined warmth of the Black Box reeds influenced me to play more to that more mellow and laid back style. It was certainly not intentional on my part.
On the other hand, if I didn’t play “My One and Only Love” differently, it might just be that brighter energy of the Silver Box reed that is making me hear the clip as more energetic. Very interesting! I’m curious what you think about this……..
Both reeds articulated well and handled the extremes of the saxophone range well. I did find the altissimo range of the Silver Box reeds to lean towards that brighter and more aggressive type of altissimo tone you would use on a wailing sax solo over a pop or funk tune (it was easy to get that nice buzz and edge out of the tone that you need for those types of solos). Of course, I believe the Black Box reeds can do this as well but with a little less brightness, edge and buzz to those altissimo notes.
The Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom Saxophone Reeds
The bottom line opinion from Steve Neff is that I love both the BSS Silver Box and BSS Black Box tenor saxophone reeds. In my opinion, both reeds give me a different tone, response and vibe from each other. I believe this difference is real and tangible and as much time as we spend messing with mouthpieces, ligatures and screws, the reed, in my opinion, is the most immediate and impactful source (next to the player themselves) for our sound, response and player feedback.
It really is a very personal choice but I would encourage you to at least try these great Boston Sax Shop line of reeds and decide for yourself what your favorite tenor saxophone reeds are that help you travel closer to that ideal sound you imagine in your mind’s ear.
If you are interested in the Boston Sax Shop custom saxophone reeds, you can get them at these links Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom Tenor Saxophone Reeds and Boston Sax Shop Black Box Custom Tenor Saxophone Reeds. Neffmusic also gets a small commission from each sale using this link which helps support this website, so thank you in advance if you use the link.
Thanks to Jack for sending me these great Boston Sax Shop Silver Box Custom tenor saxophone reeds to try. Even now, weeks later, I am still just as excited to wet one of these reeds and put it on one of my mouthpieces. I still haven’t tried these on the rest of my favorite tenor sax mouthpieces so I am super excited about how these reeds will perform with them as well. Great job Jack!
If you try the Boston Sax Shop reeds, please come back and tell us what you think of them in the comment section below. Steve
Early Babbitt 7* Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Boston Sax Shop Silver Box 3 Reed
Early Babbitt 7* Hard Rubber Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Boston Sax Shop Black Box 3 Reed
*If you want to hear another great example that showcases the difference between the BSS Silver Box reeds and the BSS Black Box reeds, here is a video Dave Pollack made demonstrating the alto saxophone reeds.
Dave Pollack demonstrating the BSS Silver Box and BSS Black Box alto saxophone reeds side by side
Thanks so much for checking them out Steve! Appreciate you 🙌🎷
You gotta love Boston Sax Shop and the work Jack has done to design and create three great reeds (Black Label, Nexus, and Silver Label). For the most part, I agreed with your assessment but in regards to how you sounded, I think the extra cut of the Silver Label reeds brought an extra sparkle to the end of the notes that just stuck with me. I would be very curious to have you review the Nexus reeds as well and compare them to the Silver Label reeds.
Thanks for posting this Steve, always love hearing your thoughts. Curious how you’d compare them to the Rigotti Gold reeds you use for your other reviews. (I think you play regular Rigotti Gold reeds, not the jazz cut, right?)
I for one LOVE the BSS black box reeds. Phenomenal compared to anything else I’ve tried. Meanwhile, I’ve been back and forth on the Silver Box reeds, myself. I definitely think I need to give it a go again however.
Thanks for this great review, since I have been curious about the differences between the Black Label and Silver Label reeds. Other manufacturers tend to go to the extremes between their reed cuts, so it’s good to know that Boston Sax Shop maintained the same characteristics as the Black Label and just dialed in a little more sparkle and brightness for the Silver Label reeds. I’m looking forward to trying them out!
Both sound great! I hear a little more core in the black and a little more sheen in the silver, but these are “variations on a theme” and not a “horse of a different color.”
I DO think equipment (any…) influences how we play. One commenter to a brief play-test horn clip (2 horns, same manuf., different metals) of mine said words to the effect of “we want to her the player, not the equipment.” I don’t think that’s *completely* possible, but hopefully the latter doesn’t overtake the former!
Mic set-up, room acoustics, physical health, pay, pretty girl walking near the stage, etc., ALL influence playing…. Why should reeds be any different?
I thought you had better control on the Black Box reeds in the palm key register.
Thanks for you work Steve!!!