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  • #10848
    john
    Keymaster

      Ya right, it’s a good way to make use of most reeds. The razor blade is an extreme method as opposed to the sanding, more gradual effect. I dabbled in this when first starting out at the suggestion of my teacher but I just got too lazy to keep doing it. I guess if you use a brand that gives you a good number of good ones you don’t mind throwing out a few, but if you’re getting mostly bad ones why not give this customization method a try. It can be fun and interesting for many I’m sure. Good post Matt!

      #11664
      Rodney Name
      Participant

        Does sanding a seed to get a smooth top feel provide a better sounding reed?

        #11665
        john
        Keymaster

          i’ll have to try that! All the rico 2’s that i bought have been fine, but i have got one thats a real pig to play, i even gave it a real good soaking but it made no difference. i’ll try the sandpaper method – like you say its heading for the bin one day. One thing i found is keep your old reeds to rub down new reads! and the old reed cases keep them for when you go to starbucks and table you are sitting at is wobbly!

          #11666
          john
          Keymaster

            sanding just for smoothness no, you need to sand it a bit more to actually take a bit of cane off to feel a difference.

            #11667
            john
            Keymaster

              i read an article by a mouthpiece maker, and he said you can soak a reed for 5 mins and with some reeds you can blow through the bottom end and watch bubles come out the heart area. and he goes on to say to make it a good for playing you need to stop it acting like a reed, and to do that you have to seal the pores at the bottom end and on the top where people sand it down. Effectively you’re trying to stop the read from absorbing saliva and becoming waterlogged. So he seals the pores by rubbing with paper, whereas some people seal them with powder or grease from behind their ears! ugh! He does admit to sanding down the rejects. Another article by a concert player – he plays a new read on day 1 for 3 mins, day 2 5mins, day 3 10mins – by day 5 20mins, and if it still plays well Then he puts it away for playing at concerts.

              #11668
              john
              Keymaster

                Some good tips there, thanks!
                I always have 4-5 reeds in my “good” box which get rotated as well. When one bites the dust I know I have a few more that are ready to go.

                #11670
                john
                Keymaster

                  another interesting statement the mouthpiece maker said that he could tell the pro’s from the amatuers when they turned up to test a new mouthpiece. The amatuers always turned up with new reeds they hadn’t played on much, whereas the pro’s always turned up with their best playing reeds. He was trying to say that a new reed can sound different to your working reed on a mouthpuece. Also went on to say if you are trying out One particular mouthpiece size, don’t try one, try at least 6 identical ones because no 2 will play the same as one thousands of an inch in manufacturing them csn change the sound! fascinating articles!

                  #11671
                  john
                  Keymaster

                    sorry i appologise the statement about trying out new mouthpieces was wrong. The pro’s turn up with new reeds they haven’t played long on whereas the amatuers turn up with their best playing reeds. His logic behind that was that after 5 mins of playing a new reed moulds itself to the shape of your existing mouthpiece and will play differently on a different mouth piece and bias your opinion of the new mouthpiece.

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