Has anyone else found out that Rico reeds seem to break very easily and not last very long (they suck in my opinion)? I switched to a Mitchel Lurie reed (I`m a 4 and 1/2) a while ago. It seems to work a lot better.

reliable reeds in my opinion are the "vandoren traditionals"..
after swapping from rico to vandoren, i dont see how i could ever change back!

Rico is low budget reed with the advantage of being easy to break in. But I agree, Vandoren is one of the best if you buy fabric made reeds.

I don`t play clarinet, but from my experience, Rico reeds are terrible. I made the accident of getting one of those for my oboe...i`ve never gotten that reed to sound right. =/

Plain Rico reeds are nothing but crap reeds. They are the kind that my school sells for a buck each, where as for most of my reeds I pay at least 3. They are simply a begginger reed, or at my school an if all your other reeds get chipped you go down to the office and pay a buck so you can play. Rico`s are about my last choice in reeds if I was buying, and I have tried near 15 different kinds, Vandorens, and any sub kind of vandoren, are near the best depending on what kind of sound you are trying to have.

i`ve been playing on a rico reed, and its gone soo thin, and started to peel....its pants!!!
I so wanna try the new plastic reeds that have come out, has anyone tried any??! if so, what are they like?

I agree with everyone that said that Vandoren reeds are alot better than any Rico reed. I once had a Vandoren reed that lasted over a month. It never cracked, it just got moldy.

Rico reeds belong with Bundy clarinets.
Vandoren for 20 years now.

Plain Rico and Rico Royal do suck. However, I use Rico Grand Concert, which are at the top of their range, and they are wonderful. I`ve always found Vandorens to be unreliable, and my most recent teacher (one of the top teachers and players in the state) agrees with me.

I agree, I think that most Rico Reeds are horrible, but I love to use their Grand Concert series! I want to try out their GCS Evolution reeds too. I`ve never been able to produce a good tone with any of the Vandoren reeds, but then again I think it`s my mouthpiece.

The Evolution are a branch of the Grand Concert series. I use them, and I think they have a darker and fuller sound than the Select.
What clarinet/mouthpiece do you have?

I use Vandorens, too. I think that they offer a richer and darker sound when paired with the right mouthpiece. I have enjoyed Vandorens after swapping from beginner Ricos some time ago.

Brit... 4th year clarinetist

Well, I will continue to stick with the good sound that I am getting out of my Grand Concert Evolution reeds.
-Rachel- 11th year clarinettist, clarinet teacher, semiprofessional performer, and former student of one of the best teachers and players where I live.

I actually still have the Rico mouthpiece that my Buffet B12 came with and a Rovner Ligature. LoL, a Rico A5*, I used to rub off the name because I was never fond of Rico. I want to switch to a crystal mouthpiece though. Does anyone have any suggestions on what brand and face opening?

Ricos suck. Vandorens do too for the most part- you have to search way too much for a decent one- and that goes for V12s and Rue Lepics as well. Everyone here should try Gonzalez which is modeled after old Moree reeds and Mozarts which are modeled after old Olivieris. Check them out at www.daviecane.com where you get the whole Gonzalez story. Once you go Gonzalez you won`t believe you were with Vandoren so long. Gonzalez take longer- about a week to break in, and the change daily till about a week and then they`ll be some of the best reeds you`ve ever tried- and you can get about twice or three times as much playable reeds out of a box.

Bradley