Possible Reed Problems

[Abe Sloan]

I am using a Selmer 80 C* mouthpiece and Rico 2.5 reeds. The problem is that after I have used a reed for a few days starts to squeak on just about any note above middle C. I do practice quite a bit, but do reeds wear out after such a short time? Could it be caused by reed Quality? Or is it more likely something I am doing? Or something else? I will explore this with my teacher next week, but if anyone has dealt with this type of situation, please share. -Abe-

[john]

no, reeds last much longer than a few days.
get a box of 10 or 20 reeds…
put them all in a narrow glass half full of water…
start playing each reed for a few minutes…
select the best reeds and line them up in a row…
now that you have your 3-4 best reeds, play them over the next few sessions…
do they squeak? all of them…I doubt it.
chances are you have been limiting your experiments with only one or 2 reeds.

[Abe Sloan]

Yesterday I got a box of 10 Rico 2.5’s and followed Johnny’s instructions (see above). Also evaluated 5 assorted 2.5 Vandorens that I had previously rejected because they all felt too stiff. The whole process took about two hours. Here are the results: Ricos- one good, three usable, six set aside to be worked on. All but one of the Vandorens did not feel good. That one Vandoren, a V16, is far better than anything I tried. One thing I noticed is that hands, throat and jaws seemed to relax more. I tried it again today with the same result. Next time I go through this process I will start with a box of V16’s and see if this time was just luck. Meanwhile, I would like to know what reeds others have found to be most consistently good quality. -Abe-

[Anonymous]

i use a selmar solo D mouthpiece, and funny enough – la voz medium (ricoh brand) and V16 2.5’s (vandoren brand) are the only ones i find works with my selmar mouthpiece!

i find it helps after soaking them, dry them with a tissue, and rub the slanted side with your finger to block the pores with finger cells, and rub the flat side on a glass like surface to seal the pores.

the idea of blocking the reed pores is to seal them from absorbing spit and becoming soggy & less responsive while blowing. i feel i getting a more stable pitch sound.

[Abe Sloan]

JB, as a woodworker I recognized the merit of what you describe right away and it is helpful. However a woodworker would never ever wet a project before finishing (rubbing and oiling) it. So I used your idea and changed it a bit. So no water. First I use 3000 grit sandpaper on one of the rejected Rico reeds, rubbing the flat side on a sandpaper covered flat surface until the reed is completely flat. Then I sanded the rounded surface so that the translucent profile is as described in various articles. All sanding is done both with and against the grain. Finally, I moistened the reed with coconut oil instead of water. The result is a very good reed that has been removed from the rejected pile. Will use it for a few days before making a final judgement about the process. -Abe-

[Anonymous]

excellent – i’ll have to try that.

perhaps the idea of wetting before is to waterclog the reed, then by pressing firmly on the reed squeezes out the water and stops the air tubes in the reed from splitting. I find it amazing, that you can blow air through the reed and watch bubbles pop out.

i’ve got to the stage now, where i can look at a reed and tell straight away if its going to play ok, nine times out of ten.

[Abe Sloan]

After a week of trial and error using the above responses as my guide, sanding and oiling my reeds is working well. Using Johnny’s and JB’s advice, I am soaking and drying the reeds before working on them. It is very important to soak older reeds until any warping is eliminated because both sanding and oiling will make a warp permanent. JB, I am looking forward to trying the la voz reeds, but it looks like the ones I have are going to last a good long time. -Abe-

[Anonymous]

I soak my reeds in a glass of water for ten minutes before I play. I’ve found that they tended to squeak when the reed wasn’t properly soaked.
I had all kinds of issues with reeds in the first few months, but over time these problems have disappeared. I suppose it could be due to the muscles around the mouth developing and becoming stronger which now gives me more control.

Before I use a reed, I rub the flat side on a sheet of paper until it shines. The top curved side is made to shine with a nail buffer file. I don’t work on the tip of the reed, but from 3mm in towards the thicker part. Polishing the lip contact area of the reed makes for a more comfortable and longer playing time.

I practice more than 10 hours a week and some of my reeds have lasted four to five months.

[Author]

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