Britton Watson Posts

Vandoren Saxophone Reed Guide

One of the questions we frequently receive is “which reed is best for me?” Vandoren has forged a reputation as an elite maker of quality reeds for clarinet and saxophone that work right out of the box. Each type of reed is designed with a specific sound quality in mind. If you were wondering what each reed is designed for, here is a detailed description for each type of reed!


“Classical” Reeds

Traditional
This reed is designed to produce a quality, extremely pure sound due to a very thin reed tip (the area of reed with maximum vibration), balanced by a solid vertebral column (more cane in the area which climbs gradually to the heel). Traditionals feature the thinnest tip with the thickest heart, resulting in crisp articulation with a full, dark sound.