NOW OUTDATED! PLEASE READ MY NEW POST ON THE LATEST GEN 2.0 VERSION OF THE D’ADDARIO VENN.
The D’Addario VENN Synethetic Reed, which released in late spring 2020, was perhaps one of the most controversial and underwhelming launches in the history of the company. There were widespread reports that the initial batch of reeds suffered from numerous defects, such as splits, fraying, stray hairs, and splintering. This was quite surprising, because D’Addario is normally known for above-average consistency with their natural reed products. Worse still, these launch reeds often played poorly with ill-defined tone, unexpected resistance, and lack of flexibility. This was especially shocking for me because I experienced none of these issues while trialing prototypes of the VENN reed at the 2020 North American Saxophone Conference.
I was recently informed by D’Addario that they have since revised the reeds and expect many players’ complaints to be addressed in this new version. I received a box of six of the “new batch,” three in 2.5 strength and three in 3.0 strength. I am happy to report that the reeds have massively improved! While there was some expected (normal) inconsistency from reed to reed, none exhibited the debilitating problems of the initial release. The reeds generally play with a darker sound and more resistance than a comparable Légère Signature reed; I’d say about half a strength harder. While the latest VENN reeds do not quite line up with my personal aesthetic and total concept, they are an excellent option and especially viable for players who are looking up to darken up their sound!
Listen to the reeds and more in the video below: