[ErikJon]

Hi, friends.

I've been using fiberglas reeds for many years, and I am njust now switcing to cane, so I am trying to remember how it was before.

I never used to soak my reeds before using them, but just licked them and played them till they got moist. Now I am soaking them in a cup of hot tap water, 15 minutes before my rehearsals.

For the past couple of days I've found myself having to prepare sheet music more than rehearse, so my reeds ended up soaking for hours in what eventually became cold water. Then I dried them off, kept them flat in a reed-saver, and repeated the cycle the next day.

My question is to those of you who have experience either way: will this excessive soaking actually hurt the reeds, or is it rather innocuous, provided I eventually dry them and store them flat overnight?

I've also just noticed a thin band of mildew that seems to form whenever I soak them too long, straight down the center, even on brand-new unused reeds. Do you know of a quick way to get rid of that and continue using them?

 

[littlewailer]

Some people keep their reeds constantly soaked in water when in storage.

For whatever reason I have never been able to get behind this. Any time I've tried the reeds seem to lose a lot of vibrancy.

Truth be told I actually soak my reeds in near boiling water for the first couple of days for a few minutes each day before playing them. I've found they break in quicker and then I stop soaking them and just play them.

Every time the reed becomes saturated and then dries out it gets closer to wearing out.

 

[Saxland]

Littlewailer, are you using tap water?

 

[littlewailer]

Littlewailer, are you using tap water?

No, only premium Evian for my reeds.

Yes I use near boiling tap water heated on the stove.

 

[Dr G]

Hi, friends.

I've been using fiberglas reeds for many years, and I am njust now switcing to cane, so I am trying to remember how it was before.

I never used to soak my reeds before using them, but just licked them and played them till they got moist. Now I am soaking them in a cup of hot tap water, 15 minutes before my rehearsals.

For the past couple of days I've found myself having to prepare sheet music more than rehearse, so my reeds ended up soaking for hours in what eventually became cold water. Then I dried them off, kept them flat in a reed-saver, and repeated the cycle the next day.

My question is to those of you who have experience either way: will this excessive soaking actually hurt the reeds, or is it rather innocuous, provided I eventually dry them and store them flat overnight?

I've also just noticed a thin band of mildew that seems to form whenever I soak them too long, straight down the center, even on brand-new unused reeds. Do you know of a quick way to get rid of that and continue using them?

I just put a reed in my mouth as I am setting up my horn, then it is ready to go - that's worked for me for 50 years or so. I've tried the perpetual soak that some of my friends advocate, but it just results in a waterlogged reed, in my experience.

Here's what one reed manufacturer recommends:

http://www.superial.com/mainten_breakin.html

Breaking In A New Reed

We suggest that you break the reeds in by first soaking them for about 2-4 minutes in lukewarm to warm water, and making sure that the whole vamp, and not just the tip alone, gets wet (a reed that is too dry or only wet at the very tip might tend to squeak). Some players, especially in dry weather, prefer a little more soaking time and a some others like immersing the whole reed in the water. Then again, if you soak it for too long, it may end up becoming waterlogged, so try a balanced approach. And make sure you wet the reed each succeeding time you play thereafter, though you may find that as it gets broken in, less soaking time will be necessary.

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

I only soak them before out-of-the-box first use. Subsequent use gets the saliva treatment only.

 

[JL]

Just to answer the question first, no I don't think it will hurt a reed to soak it a long time, as long as you eventually let it dry. I've inadvertently left a reed soaking for a couple of hours; at that point it is totally waterlogged and doesn't play well, but once it dries out, it's back to 'normal.' However, I wouldn't make a habit of doing this. It might make a difference if you over-soak it multiple times. And I've never heard of using hot or boiling water to soak a reed. No idea if that can hurt it, but seems like it might.

I like to soak the reed for 1 - 2 minutes at most (see no need to soak it any longer than that) in room temp water before playing. Then after playing, let it dry in a reed holder.

 

[Saxland]

Thanks Littlewailer. I will give it a try.

I don't soak new reeds before playing except for a minute or two in my mouth. I store new reeds in ziplock bags where they sit until I need a new one.

I have been washing my reeds after playing with tap water, then dunking them for a minute in original listerine, wiping off the excess listerine, placing the reeds in their plastic holders, and putting them back in an airtight cylinder container I bought at a camping store. The listerine prevents any mold. I have 5 or more reeds per container.

If the reeds have too much listerine moisture they are a little sluggish but still playable. I generally keep them at a moisture level that feels like they are a new reed that has been soaked in water for a few minutes then the water blotted off. By rotating reeds and using listerine they last much longer.

For an experiment, a year ago I stored 10 new reeds after dunking them in listerine. I played them all 5 min once a month after the first month of storage and they all play well a year later. I think the listerine keeps any bacteria from breaking the reed down thus preserving it. Reeds played are Rigotti Gold, Rico Select Jazz, Vandoren ZZ and more recently The Boston Sax Shop Custom reeds

 

[skeller047]

+1 to JL and Dr. G. Their comments mirror my experience. I tried the Listerine approach once, and found it did not work for me. That doesn't mean it won't work for you, but I'm not going to try it again

 

[saxoclese]

In my experience reeds soaked too long become waterlogged and play "tubby". I wet the reeds I am going to play on for a few seconds in my mouth, put them into a Rico reed guard, and assemble my instrument(s). By the time they are set up I remove the reed from the reed guard and put it on the mouthpiece and it is ready to play.

 

[Reet McVouty]

So, I guess I'll ask the question then. What is the purpose for soaking a reed? What is to be accomplished by this. Will it make a bad reed playable? I mean there must be some thought process behind this, right? I tried this (soaking reeds in water for an hour or so before playing) based on someones advice many years back and found it to be a waste of time. My assumption is that the reed soakers (not to be confused with cork soakers) believe that if they pre-soak a reed it will be well saturated and play better. Well, I just couldn't get it to work for me. I just wet a reed in my mouth for a minute or so while I'm setting up my horn and that's it. A couple of thoughts I have about this is that our saliva has enzymes that work their way in to a reed to our benefit, as well as the fact that vibration of the reed and the air being forced over it somehow helps to saturate a reed to maximum play-ability. Of course, I'm not a scientist, this is just my uneducated theory.

 

[JL]

So, I guess I'll ask the question then. What is the purpose for soaking a reed?

"Happiness is a wet (rico) reed" --Dexter Gordon.

 

[chilehed]

I recall seeing a video in which David Sanborn says he prefers waterlogged reeds.

 

[jgreiner]

I use a home-made version of "reed juvenate" and absolutely love it. I only soak my reeds in water for about 20 minutes before playing for the first time. If they're worthy of joining my rotation of 4, then they go in my airtight, watertight container along with a piece of sponge with original formula Listerine in it. My reeds stay moist, but nowhere near water-logged. Depending on how much I saturate the piece of sponge will determine how moist my reeds stay. When I play, I simply get a reed out, put it on the mouthpiece and I'm ready to go. My reeds also don't dry out after I let my horn sit for hours. In the last 40 or so years, I've tried EVERY method of reed preparation and without a doubt, this is the best. I'll never waste money on another overpriced reed case/container again.

 

[B Flat]

What is it that breaks down a cane reed?
I was under the impression it was moisture.
Which is why I do nothing more than get them moist in my mouth while setting up and no more.
I really just have them in my mouth long enough that once they go on the mouthpiece the tip is flat and not wavy.
I don’t really see the need to raise them on an organic diet and give them their own names and a private bedroom.
Some play better than others but very few are rubbish.

 

[Jazz Is All]

Moisture can't hurt the reeds AFAIK. They grow in wet and even boggy areas of the French, Argentine, and even Spanish coasts where it not only rains but the ground is moist. Kind of like bamboo in Asia they thrive on moisture to grow. However, once they are cut apart and made into reeds, too much moisture obviously will keep them from vibrating sufficiently to play well. Think about it. Can a soggy piece of cardboard flap in the breeze as well as a dry one? Of course not, nor can a wet leaf. So a soggy wet reed defeats the purpose for which it is designed.

So why do we wet them? Well, for one thing to make it easier to flatten out the tip if it has gotten wrinkly or wavy when it dried out from being played or washed after playing. If you wash them or even soak them in H2O2 to sterilize them the tips can wrinkle up if it is not pressed down by something such as a reed holder or something flat. I use a flat SS ruler that I place over the wet reeds (all lined up) and weighted down with a few objects. Once the reeds dry....overnight is best.....they're flat and ready to go. However, I wouldn't do that too often because I'm not a fanatic.

The other reason wetting them, either with a quick soak or better yet just sucking on them in your mouth for a minute, is, so they will adhere to the table of the mpc and give you a decent pop. Just totally dry, with no sticky saliva on the table side of the reed, they may not get tight enough to give you a good vacuum, especially if the table of the Mpc is at all uneven. And if you have a stock mpc, especially an old one, that has not been worked on by a refacer, the chances are that the table will not be perfectly flat. Some brands are notorious for that as we all know. So I always give the bottom of the reed from tip to butt a good ole licking with my tongue so the seal will be good. IMO this is the only real reason to do it, and I always do the pop test to make sure the reed is on firmly. If not your tone will suffer IME.

JIA

 

[milandro]

I have occasionally forgotten a reed in a glass for one or even two days. Upon recovery the reed appeared dark and soaked but sometimes played well all the same after a brief squeeze and soem other times after having spent a few hours on a glass surface it was like nothing had happend. I’ve never observed mod growing on a soaking reed.

Reeds are meant to live in an environment that is both wet ( where they coem from) and dry ( they are cured for at least 3 years beofre being cut), neither will damage them but only they change dimensions, a reed swell considerably and shrinks when not wet.

 

[Stretch]

I like the consistency of waterlogged cane. I keep my reeds in water with a bit of mouthwash in it when I'm not playing them. I can get a few months playing out of a good reed provided that I am careful not to damage the tip.

 

[Wonko]

Now that I have a "Vandoren Hygro Reed case" I don't soak my reeds in a glass of water before I play (like I used to).
Now I just put them in my mouth while assembling the sax.
But when I open up a new pack of reeds, I give them all a really good soak (up to one hour).
Last time I did this, I put them in the reed case and discovered that they had gone moldy after a day or 10. There was too much moisture in the reeds.....

 

[extradarcafe]

I like the consistency of waterlogged cane. I keep my reeds in water with a bit of mouthwash in it when I'm not playing them. I can get a few months playing out of a good reed provided that I am careful not to damage the tip.

Three or four in their plastic guards in a pill or small spice bottle filled with 1/2 mouthwash and water does me for well over a year. Saliva is the worst thing for reeds; it's digestive.