{"id":33331,"date":"2015-12-10T13:09:45","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T18:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/?p=33331"},"modified":"2015-12-10T13:47:34","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T18:47:34","slug":"forestone-hinoki-synthetic-reeds-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/forestone-hinoki-synthetic-reeds-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Forestone Hinoki Synthetic Reeds Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I am reviewing\u00a0a product that I never ever thought I would review. \u00a0The product is a synthetic reed. \u00a0(*Before you read further, I need to state in all honesty, that I have always hated, detested and scorned every synthetic reed I have ever tried. \u00a0Over the last 20 years I have at times tried different brands and makes and always been disappointed and also angry\u00a0that I had just wasted another 20-25 dollars on a piece of useless plastic……….I wanted to disclose that immediately-Steve)<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, I am well aware that some of you out there play and have played synthetic reeds for many years and love them. \u00a0I have even met some of you during Skype lessons and you might have seen my face frown when you told me you play a synthetic reed and love them. I\u00a0guess the reason for these negative feelings is based on the fact that throughout the years, I have read the usual promotional claims and quotes from endorsing artists, I get my hopes up that maybe “this reed” will work for me and I can save the 700-900 dollars a year\u00a0I spend on reeds………so, I order a reed with high hopes. Even though I have been burned so many times before. The reed comes, I open it up, I try playing it, and my dreams and hopes are crushed yet again.<\/p>\n

“It’s way too soft! \u00a0It’s way to hard! The tone sucks! It’s too edgy! \u00a0What’s with the squeaking! There is no evenness in tone from note to note! The tone reminds me of a chainsaw tearing a parakeet to shreds while it screams!” I could go on and on……..These are all real and true thoughts I have had……….<\/p>\n

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Forestone Hinoki Synthetic Reeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, a few months ago Tobias Haecker from Forestone reeds contacted me and asked if I would be interested in trying their new Hinoki synthetic reeds because he thought I would like them. \u00a0The response that was in my head was “Look, I’m not really a synthetic reed guy. \u00a0I’ve hated every synthetic reed that I’ve ever tried and I think this would be a huge waste of your product and my time”……..instead I emailed back \u00a0“Sure, I’ll give them a try” (I’ve learned to not always go with my gut response on emails\u00a0which has proven very wise over the years)<\/p>\n

Forestone sent me some reed samples to try. \u00a0The truth is that once they arrived I put them on the back corner of my desk thinking “I’ll get to them later when I have time” \u00a0but the truth is I think I was scared to try them. \u00a0Scared of the disappointment, the heartbreak, the loneliness, the utter despair and hopelessness that comes with trying a bad synthetic reed………Finally, one day, I summoned the courage and opened the package.<\/p>\n

Forestone sent me a\u00a0medium and medium hard\u00a0reed for tenor and alto sax. \u00a0From past experience with synthetic\u00a0reeds, \u00a0I\u00a0assumed that the MH reed would be like playing a 2×4 so I went with the M reed. \u00a0I put it on my 7* mouthpiece and blew………It played! \u00a0Not only that but it played easily! \u00a0I played up and down the horn for a few minutes and at one point a squeak popped out. \u00a0“There it is! I knew it!” \u00a0As I continued to play expecting more squeaks and chirps I was surprised when there\u00a0were no more.<\/p>\n

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Forestone Hinoki Synthetic Reeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a little while, \u00a0I decided to try the MH reed. \u00a0To my surprise, this reed also played easily and felt great. \u00a0It did feel slightly stiffer, \u00a0as if I went from a 2 1\/2 cane reed to a 3 but there was no stuffiness and it still blew easily.<\/p>\n

I decided I liked the MH reed the best on the mouthpiece I was playing so I stuck with that for the sound clip below although I could have just as easily played the sound clip using the M reed as well.<\/p>\n

This is what Tobia says about the Hinoki material and cut:<\/p>\n

“<\/span><\/em>\u00a0The Hinoki reed\u00a0suits more the jazz and intermediate players which need a bit resistance but like it a little bit more free blowing than our\u00a0traditional black and brown synthetic reeds with the strong heart. Also the unfiled cut which we used at the Hinoki is a better match up for all the American style faced mouthpieces<\/span>.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In the sound clip below, I decided to make two recordings of myself playing similar lines. One was on the Hinoki MH reed and one was on a Rico Select Jazz 3S Unfiled reed. \u00a0I then mixed the two recordings together so that I say the name of the reed, play a line, then say the name of the other reed and play a similar line. \u00a0I try to do this throughout the recording. \u00a0Keep in mind that the clip wasn’t recorded in this way as I would have had to change reeds after every line which would have been a pain. \u00a0Not to mention that placing the reed in different spots would have effected the sound and response and I didn’t want to mess with that\u00a0variable also.<\/p>\n

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Forestone Hinoki Synthetic Reeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

What were my thoughts and impressions of the Forestone Hinoki reeds? \u00a0Well, first off I have to give the Forestone company credit\u00a0for actually producing a reed that I could play! This is huge for me and the first time I could even play a synthetic reed! \u00a0 I actually played it all week long on Skype lessons and it played great. \u00a0The side benefit of a synthetic is that during one lesson I picked up my\u00a0tenor to demonstrate something and even though I hadn’t played all day the Hinoki just played immediately without having to take it off the mouthpiece, wet it and flatten the warpage of a cane\u00a0reed.<\/p>\n

I found the tone of the Hinoki reed to\u00a0be a bit different than a good cane reed. \u00a0The high notes seemed more prone to getting edgy with my normal bottom lip embouchure but I noticed that if I made my bottom lip a little fatter and more “pillowy” it took much of the edge away. \u00a0On a cane reed, I can make my bottom lip a bit harder and flatter and can brighten the sound and give the tone some more edge. \u00a0This was also true on the Hinoki but I felt\u00a0like the edge could easily get to be too much so for me I had to balance that out with my embouchure to keep the tone\u00a0\u00a0where I wanted it.<\/p>\n

I also found that the reed responded to my embouchure in slightly different ways than a cane reed. Usually, when I am playing, my bottom jaw and lip are moving quite a bit to add\u00a0variation and expression to the tone. \u00a0There was a number of times where my normal movement didn’t quite produce the effect I was going for. \u00a0I take this not as a deficiency of the reed but more as a fact that there is a \u00a0learning curve with playing these new reeds. I’ve been playing cane reeds for 35+ years. \u00a0A synthetic reed for a couple of hours! \u00a0I have a strong feeling that if I play these Hinoki synthetic reeds more I will\u00a0learn how to get the most out of them…….<\/p>\n

The tone of varied\u00a0notes on the sax was subtly different than with my cane reeds also. Some notes were brighter than usual and some notes seemed darker and more subdued than on a cane reed. \u00a0I found that this also\u00a0could be manipulated by taking more and less mouthpiece in my mouth for the different ranges of the horn to get closer to the sound in my head. \u00a0Even though I found the notes a bit different in tone at times, \u00a0I still felt the evenness of the notes was excellent throughout the range of the horn.<\/p>\n

I do think the cane reed in the comparison clip has a deeper richer sound to it. \u00a0A bit sweeter\u00a0and rounder sounding perhaps. The Hinoki sounded a little bit edgier to me in the clips. \u00a0 I do think the Hinoki is in the ballpark though. \u00a0I’d have trouble telling it was a synthetic if I wasn’t announcing it on the clip like I did. \u00a0(I was tempted to post the clip as a blind test but I know all of you hate those tests so I refrained.)<\/p>\n

Just a few added notes: The Medium Hinoki reed felt\u00a0little harder than a Vandoren Java 2 1\/2 reed. \u00a0I have a few 7* mouthpieces with 48 facing lengths that love 2 1\/2 Javas but the Hinoki medium felt a bit harder than the Java on those pieces. \u00a0On my 7* tenor pieces with a 50 facing length the medium and medium hard played much easier so if you have a 48 facing length on your piece I might go with a MS reed. \u00a0I haven’t tried the MS reed so this is just a guess on my part.\u00a0On a 50 facing length 7* the medium plays great but it felt a little soft when I tried to wail on it. \u00a0I preferred the MH because of that on the 7* mouthpiece I tried them on.<\/p>\n

Also, \u00a0I think that cane reeds\u00a0will naturally soak up excess saliva \u00a0that might make it’s way to the mouthpiece. \u00a0With a synthetic reed there is no where for this saliva to get soaked up so a side affect can be that you get a “spitty” or “bubbly” sound in the tone from the saliva on the reed. \u00a0I didn’t have this problem all week but this morning I had a coffee while playing and I think I was salivating like crazy. \u00a0I kept noticing this “bubblie” effect on the synthetic reed but not the cane reed at all so I thought I would add that tidbit of info to the review…………<\/p>\n

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Forestone Hinoki Synthetic Reeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m told by Tobias at Forestone that he changes his reed every 3 to 4 months of heavy professional playing which sounds like heaven to me as I change my reed every 2-3 days usually. (although he has said he has heard from people that have used one\u00a0Hinoki reed\u00a0for more than 2 years!) \u00a0He says that at the end of the reeds life they start to lose reactivity and become a little bit flabby\u00a0like\u00a0a cane reed \u00a0can, but these last much longer.<\/p>\n

If you read this review, listen to the clip and want to try the Forestone Hinoki reed\u00a0they are easily available at many retailers\u00a0 such as \u00a0Sax Alley<\/a>, Thomann in the UK<\/a>, or you can use the Forestone store locator<\/a> on\u00a0the Forestone website<\/a>. \u00a0In my opinion, whether you are like me and detest synthetic reeds or you are a synthetic reed player and want to try something new, these new Hinoki reeds are worth checking out and trying. \u00a0Maybe later I will add a blind test to see how well you guys hear a difference……………\u00a0Let me know what you think in the comment section below. \u00a0Well done Forestone!!<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/cdn.neffmusic.com\/2015\/December\/HinokiMHComparison2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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Forestone Hinoki MH Synthetic Reed & Rico Jazz Select 3S Unfiled Reed Comparison Clip<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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