That one perfect reed...

[mutha potamus]

...You know, that one-in-a-million reed that just makes everything that much more effortless...

What secret tricks are out there to extend a reeds normal lifespan? C'mon, let it out of the bag!!

[JazzIsFreedom]

Well, to each his/her own.........a lot of factors involved, I feel.......

think about it..............but lets say you find the reed you really like.........as you grow as a musician, your tastes are going to change, and you'll discover new ones...........

Anyway mutha,

I will break in(or season) a new box of 5 or more reeds and alternate them.

[averageschmoe]

shoring em up with wax paper makes em play longer and a little more even.

[jd]

i have had a few perfect cane ones over the years but they might only be perfect for a few hours. i would go nuts with reeds. sanding,cutting, rushing, clipping . etc... i discovered fibracells work good for me and last for months. i use them now.i gave up the search for the perfect cane reed. and dont miss it !

[Subtone Sam]

I never throw away bad reeds.I store them and try them again.Sometimes reed that did not play at all first time might work after a while.The world of reeds is very mysterious :?

[colibri]

For unbalanced stuffy reeds, play some overtone exercises on it. Don't know why but it'll play very even after the treatment.

[Riff]

Just last week I came across a perfect reed right out of the box. So far it's still working well.

My secret, which I learned from an interview with Gerry Mulligan, is to simply wash the reed after each use. It keeps crud from building up in the reed fibers and keeps the reed looking new longer. I find you can use a soft child's toothbrush to get off stubborn stains. (I keep one in my case. Kermit the Frog, if you must know. :D )

In that interview Mulligan claimed he had been using the same reed for a year! Perhaps an exageration but who am I to dis Gerry Mulligan? I have gotten as much as a month out of some really good ones.

The one problem I've noticed with keeping a good reed too long is that it weakens so slowly over time that I sometimes fail to recognize when its day is through. Difficulty with altissimo is what usually snaps reality back into focus.

[Lyle]

Regarding Riff's comment regarding crud between fibers:

Somewhere I read about soaking reeds in hydrogen peroxide. I have tried that and it did seem to bring a good reed back to life. Of course, nothing lasts forever :(

[DirkW]

My sax-life is much more satisfying once I started playing Fibracell reeds. They look, feel, and play like cane; you can play them dry, and they last a very long time.

[BayviewSax]

For years I've been a fan of the Rico Plasticover. They blow out really fast, though. But I've seldom had a bad nne. When I did, it was usually the whole box (happened twice). The drawback is, you have to go to a harder reed to increase the play time (I usually play a 4-5 Plasticover, 3-4 cane). These reeds are cane with a plastic coating. They only cane reeds I've liked since beginning to use these were the are the Van Doren (regular). I didn't care for the Van Doren Java, but I haven't tried the 16s (though they've been recommended). As for as the "perfect" reed, play the hell out of it, it'll come around. :wink:

[Riff]

I played Fibracell for about a year and thought they were great. Then I put a cane reed on again and realized...
"Ain't nothin' like the real thing Baby".

[hornstar]

same experience for me, Riff. all the fibracell did for me was make it possible to play a horn dry, which is fine for multi-instrument gigs, and if I'm not too demanding of my sound. but for serious playing I find the sacrifice in sound and articulation too great.

to answer the original question, I've found that a VERY light sanding and/or simple polishing just before use makes the reed perform several times better than if I don't.

[Lowell]

I concur with the light sanding. I keep a piece of 400 grit wet/dry aluminum oxide paper in my case. With the sandpaper grit side up on a flat surface, a few light strokes removes all the fine fibres from the flat side of the reed. With the reed on the flat surface, a few light strokes on the reed top makes it much more comfortable on your lip. My personal preference is for VanDoren V16 reeds in 2 1/2 strencth. I have had good one last for 2 months before suddenly going soggy. I don't know if they last longer with sanding but they seem to play better.

[Ritchie]

I do not believe in perfect reeds. Yes, some are better than others, but l got used to playing all the reeds from a box in all situations, with very few exceptions. To make my reeds last longer I follow more or less Tom Alexander's reed break in method (www.superial.com/notes.html) for all brands of reeds, soaking them for 15-30 minutes before the first use, then playing them only for 5-10 minutes the first couple of days with moderate volume (mp-mf). And I rotate 4 or 5 reeds, never using the same reed in to successive days. Reed lifetime seems to benefit from this.

If a reed has become too soft I burn a bit off from the tip using a coin or a cut piece of metal foil. This usually gives also back some life to the sound of the reed.

[michaelbaird]

I've been using rico 3.5s, the cheap ones on a Dukoff D7 tenor mouthpiece and they last about a week. I would love to get them to last longer.