Polymer Reeds by Silverstein

Polymer reeds by Bari, Legere, Forestone, Fiberreed, Silverstein (Vivace), Silverstein (Primo) Legere (European Cut)

A personal view from me (Leslie Craven)

In the article A Jolly Good Reed I discussed the MARCA cane reeds and some comparisons between leading brands of Polymer reeds. Silverstein has been very helpful in providing me with some samples to test and compare. The main designs sent were the Ambipoly Alta reeds in two styles the Primo and Vivace. The newest iteration of these reeds goes a long way to solving some of the initial small problems that I encountered. After soaking the reed for about 5 minutes (Silverstein recommends this) I found the reeds moulded very well to the mouthpiece and improved if left on the mouthpiece from day to day. I did the usual sanitising and cleaning of the reed/mouthpiece then replaced the reed to continue its moulding to the facing of my mouthpiece. I was quite amazed when the next day the reed actually played better than it did the day before.

The Primo gives a round sound and is very warm and the Vivace a round but slightly more focussed sound. The problem I had with he original design (and I reported this to Silverstein) in the extreme upper register they did not emit the super high altissimo easily. Now, this would not bother more than a handful of players who play in that region because of their work, but I needed to have all the range available to give a fair and balanced review.

Silverstein: a listening company

After a few weeks John Isley their main artist contact (I am an official Silverstein artist) sent me a new design and hey presto they had solved the original problem. This is what I like in particular about Silverstein - they listen and act on professional feedback.

The latest version the Maesta goes one step further and contributes complexity to the sound rather like that found in a fine wine compared to a quaffing product. There seems to be more interest in the sound. There are some good polymer reeds out there in other brands, notably Legere and Forestone (the closest in my view to Silverstein) but I feel that they provide a generic sound - not allowing one to put one’s personality into the sound. I am very fussy about sound and colour and I find with the Maesta I can achieve all the shades and fine expressive nuances I need.

6 month guarantee

The latest news from Silverstein is they are now offering a 6-month longevity guarantee. They say their reeds will play for up to a year before they deteriorate but I guess it depends on how many hours per day one plays :)

Regardless, 6 months is a decent guarantee and I must say if you buy one for about £30 + then it makes the outlay £5 per month for a reed (which, as it lasts easily up to 12 months if not damaged) is pretty good in my view. I expect in 6 months most people would get through several boxes of cane reeds. If the polymer reed did last 12 months or more (and they can in my experience do that) then it makes the possession of such a reed very attractive from an economic point of view. There is no doubt that more focus and projection can be achieved more easily on good, well-balanced cane reeds (see the SMERF system in click & buy accessories) but for instant peace of mind and a reed that will always work and deliver a decent sound, then polymer must be the ideal reed for most situations - especially in hot dry places.

So - I shall be adding the Silverstein range of reeds to this site - watch this space …………………… Les

2024 - January. Addendum - having played the various iterations of the Silverstein reeds for over a couple of years now I can report that they simply get better and better . The latest versions really do play extremely well and I find I can use them when giving master classes, where I listen to a performer for a long time then suddenly grab my clarinet and instantly illustrate a musical point. Normally I would be wary of just picking up my clarinet after a period of time and launching into a difficult passage without checking my reed is moist enough to respond, but these Ambipoly reeds allow me to do just that with confidence.