I'm pretty much a beginner, playing on a student clarinet with a b45 mouthpiece

I've been using traditional van doren reeds (3) since the beginning of the school year, and i just wanted to know about pros and cons of different reeds. So can i get any recommendations for which reed i should use, varying from Van dorens v12, black master, white master, or 56?

i like rico royals better then vandoren but i have a differant mouthpeice (a selmer c**) i need to break it my vandoren better.

I have 7 years experience and vandoren reeds are my favorite. I just recently switched to V12's (about 3 months ago) and I can honestly say that i will never go back to using regular vandorens. although V12's are expensive they have a very good tone and in every box i always find that over half of them are 'good' reeds, where as with a regualar box of vandoren's i usually only find 2 or three 'good' reeds. Also, the difference in regular vandorens and the V12's is the way the cane is distrubuted through the reed. In the v12's it is evenly distributed giving it a better tone quality. I haven't tried any of the other vandoren kinds yet, but i think i'm sticking with the V12's for now.

hope I helped,
-ashley

I have tried the following reeds. It's become like a hobby of mine. Everywhere I go I buy a reed I didn't have before to try.
So I've tried
Vandoran, Trad and White Knight
Rico, Royal, Grand Concert, Reserve, Plasticover.
Zonda.
La Voz.
J. Michael.
Fibracell.
But I keep coming back to Vandoran, as my regular. Definitely the best tone. My second choice would be La Voz. Third choice Rico Reserve.
I have yet to try Michel Lurrie.

PS. I have two unused Rico Reserve 2.5, I would swap for Michel Lurrie, (I can't buy them here). If interested my email is arpgod@gmail.com

i used vandoren 56's and v12's. used to use traditional but im getting into college now and its about time to step it up. 56's are really thick so they work pretty well.

I used vandoren V12. it was what my teacher recomends.

v12 thats what i use. there are alot of playable reeds in the back. another think i found out or i have a theory about is that if there is less smudge or the black swirl thinks on the hard part of the reed or its clear. its going to play well

Change to Legere or Firestone and forget all the problems with cane reeds. Cane reeds are a nightmare, only a few in each box works properly, but all synthetic reeds work well. And they work out cheapet to boot !

For orchestra, I use a Vandoren 4 on my Bb clarinet. But for jazz, I use a Rico Royal 2 because I love bendy notes. It all depends on what sound you want. One tip - no matter what reed you end up using, right after you take it out of the box, BEFORE you put it in your mouth, get a piece of paper and put it on a very flat surface (such as a desk), then put the reed on top of the piece of paper. Applying even pressure, rub the reed back and forth until the flat side is super-smooth. This compresses the wood and pushes out air, sealing it so that water/spit doesn't get in as easily. Makes your reeds last longer.

Interesting bobo...
I have a friend who thinks that the cane with the most black/brown smudges make the BEST reeds....

Van Doren reeds are among the worst I have ever used. They need to be filed using a reed knife, which most people (including myself) do not have time/want to do.

some of the black smudges have the most amazing sound but the ones with nothing on them are the best so far. it you dont want to file down your reed i say that you dont put it in your mouth and let it soak in water then take it out and wipe the excess water off