Rotating 4 to 8 reeds at a time I soak them thoroughly when new and play them 5 to ten minutes each. I do this for about 4 rotations. I usually never adjust a reed until after this process. Once that break-in is done it goes in my normal reed rotation or I "break it in" half (as in two pieces).

 

Rotating 4 to 8 reeds at a time I soak them thoroughly when new and play them 5 to ten minutes each. I do this for about 4 rotations.

That's what I do as well. I find that the reed becomes stable after the break-in, and more important, that if it plays well, it stays so for a long time.

I soak for 5 - 10 minutes both during break-in and before playing. I use water because I read somewhere that soaking with saliva will leave deposits which eventually will harm the reed. I don't know if it's true that the deposits will harm the reed, but I find it more appetizing to soak in water.
Some guys I know keep their reeds constantly soaked. To prevent microbial growth, they use vodka instead of water, or add a dash of disinfectant, like Vademecum or Listerine.
To each his own.

 

I here some guys soak overnight...just dont see the advantages doing so,seems reed would get y'know waterlogged.

 

I used to soak, and they do play/sound a little different soaked vs not soaked. Now I just put the reed on and play. I do a little maintenance during the life of the reed, like using fine sandpaper to keep the flat side of the reed flat. I do that every once in a while and that's it really.

 

Slap in on and hope for the best!!!!

Sincerely,

Matt

 

I don't break them in. I just play them.

Life is too short.

 

Qualified by the fact that the more in-shape your chops are, the more reeds seem to work right out of the box.

 

Yeah, I'll just suck on a reed for a bit as I'm putting my horn together. Should it work, I've got a good reed. If it doesn't, I put it away and hope maybe it'll play better next time depending upon the temperature, humity, etc. I don't like shaving and/or working on reeds. I find when I have to shave a reed to make it playable, it makes it a bit too bright for my preferences.

 

What Pete and Grumps said...

 

I wet it. Stick it on the horn and play. About one minute later it's ready to perform with unless the reed is a dud which doesn't happen that much when I'm playing Vandorens. There's nothing like have hand-faced tables and rails on your mouthpieces. EZ is the man.

 

lightly sand the reed to remove burs and make the surface more uniform then just soak it in my mouth until it stops warping (if it does warp) then plug and play

 

I follow the advice I read on here.
I soak then for a minute or two in warm water, then lay them flat on one of my wife's kitchen work surfaces. Then press down on them hard from the beginning of the chamfer and slide my finger down towards the tip several times. A milky sort of residue oozes out of the reed. I believe it compresses the fibres along their length.

 

When I'm out playin live..I like to soak em in my shots of tequila and then drown em in beer....

 

Amen!

 

I soak the whole reed, spit on the table of the mouthpiece, apply reed as directed, and usually the reed plays great ( 7-8 good ones per box).

 

i play them dry...always dry...

 

I think this is a good practice. After all, if you get nervous at a gig, your mouth dries up, right?

 

soak in a mix of 75% water 25% vodka for about an hour, with 3 reeds. slap them on and play them. if some are a bit stiff, or miss cut, i fix it there. then i put them in a jar with the same mix of water / vodka, and place in my case.

 

I think rotating your reeds is done to keep them from getting water logged.

LOL to each his own. I thought half the fun of playing was to start with a dry reed and play until it's water logged, constantly adjusting for the changing conditions the whole time.

The real secret to not having to fuss with reeds at all is to play on smaller tips.

All I can say is that I REALLY appreciate my recent move down in tip size for a number of reasons.

 

What Pete, Grumps, Skippy and Enviroguy said.

 

I soak mine ' coz when I don't I tend to develop what looks like an allergic response (tiny blisters). Soaking them cures that. It may not happen with all the reeds, but I got into the habit. A practical approach. When that typical cane taste is gone, they're fine for me.

I soak 'm in an egg cup. I have a pretty porcelain one, sort of an inheritance, and I am so glad I finally found a good use for it! Then I let 'm dry well. Sometimes, I soak 'm a second time. (Usually after I play 'm once.)

The ones that I just soaked got a bit rough (fibers) but I smoothed them down again with my finger nails. Apart from that, I find that I can often play 'm when they are chipped or split too. Depends; what matters is how the reed vibrates, as far as I can tell, whether that ability is affected or not and the split ones don't last as long. (I accidentally sliced one when I put it in my reed case, for example. Seemed a shame to throw it out and I had been told it does not really matter anyway, so.) Of course, at my level... LOL but seriously, after a while, the split ones do start to produce an extra buzz.

 

I play Alexanders (DCs and Superials). I follow the recommended break-in procedures contained in each tin. After that, I adjust the reed if needed (usually, they don't need much, if any, adjustment). After the initial break-in soaking in water (about 5 minutes or so on each of the first two days), I never soak them again. I hold them under a running fawcett for about 5-10 seconds before I play, and that's it.

It works for me. I rarely get a reed that doesn't play well -- especially after adjusting them.

Buck

 

THE FIVE STEP PROGRAM TO BREAK IN NEW REEDS

1. Place new reeds in a north-south direction to align the magnetic fields.
2. Put on a Recording of John Coltrane's "Expressions"
3. Let reeds absord the Coltrane vibrations.
4. Chant "burn baby burn" while dancing around in a circle.
5. Pass a recording of "Jack Johnson" by Miles Davis over the reeds 3 times to give them extra strength. Follow by placing reeds on the record cover of Maiden Voyage. Speak in soothing words to the reeds to bond with them and establish a relationship.

They are now ready for playing.

Wisco

 

I have tried it - it works.

 

1) Buy good quality reeds. Why stint on the thing that makes your sound.
2) Lick it
3) Put it on the mouthpiece.
4) Blow
5) After one week throw it away and get a new one.

If that doesnt work use plan B as described by Wisco99 above ^

 

That's one difference from my procedure (post #12):
5) would read: "After 3 months throw it away and break in a new one" :twisted:
Naturally, it depends on how much you play and whether you rotate several reeds or only play one until it's finished.
(I practice about an hour per day and gig 2 - 4 times a months)(I rotate 2 - 3 reeds)
I am sure my reeds keep longer, and they are consistent almost until they start loosing response.

 

The natural level of humidity on the island of Japan is always at least 50% so my reeds stay just fine with quick slobber or two...

 

I take the whole box of them, clamp them to a board with a 12" speaker attached, and then give them a 4 hour dose of Coltrane recordings to align the structure and relax the fibres. I then give them 2 hours of Dex, and then they're good to go. Every note you could possibly wish for has been imprinted into them with this treatment. :twisted:

 

I take 400 and 600 grit sandpaper and smooth out the edges. Sometimes I take a disposable razor blade and scrape a really stiff reed near the vamp, but not anywhere near the tip.

Soak them for a few minutes and put them on the mouthpiece and massage the reed by rubbing it starting at the vamp towards the tip so it closes the reed. Test it using the pop test, if it passes I know I got a set up that will work.

I usually buy a half size harder reed then I need so I can get them to play well without going soft too quick. If a reed plays straight out of the box it's usually too soft.

I'm not big on playing reeds for a few minutes and then putting them away and coming back to the them. My prep method seems to produce reeds that last long enough.

 

Test it using the pop test, if it passes I know I got a set up that will work.

I'm not big on playing reeds for a few minutes and then putting them away and coming back to the them.

After a long stint on very open pieces, I have gotten out of the habit of the pop test. Even now on my 7* it just doesn't seem to matter any more.

I wonder about the playing only a few minutes too. For me it's a matter of wanting to play all the reeds in a new box when I first get it so that I have an idea of how they'll work. Otherwise, the reed is going to get played anyway, I don't see what magic there is to only playing them for short periods at first. I think the only reason they seem to last longer that way is because you're not playing them as much at one time.

 

I think rotating your reeds is done to keep them from getting water logged. It's also to keep you from making any adjustments too soon, if you blow on a reed that is too hard at first the fibers will have time to soften up a little over time.

The real secret to not having to fuss with reeds at all is to play on smaller tips. I play on an STM 5* most of the time and that tip size is closed enough to where you can blow a hard reed without having to fuss with them. Larger tips in the past have meant more rejected reeds and more playing around with them. Now it's mostly just slap and go.

 

Many years ago I got into the science of reeds...started making my own from blanks in order to understand their properties. That was when a new box of Vandorens could be counted on to produce 2 usable reeds! Everything needed manipulating...sanding, cutting, shaving, etc. My teacher was big on this.

Now I find that most of the Vandorens are playable out of the box (some better than others). Have they changed their process? Or is it that I am less picky now (I'm playing big band now; I used to play concert band and classical solo material)?
I don't soak as a rule (well, sometimes). I just try not to overplay them, break them in, store them well. And I generally find that the some of the bad ones change their playability if left alone for a period of weeks or months. Why is that?

 

according to Dr Lector...soaking your cane reeds in Flava beans & rinsing them off with a nice bottle of Ciante will certainly bring out the best in your chops.

 

I soak my new reeds in water for a few hours, then put them in a mason jar with some hydrogen peroxide in it. It keeps the reeds moist and keeps the mold out. I change the peroxide at least once a week. The reeds stay wet even after long playing sessions. I just put the reed back in the jar and they are fine. I never dry my reeds out.