[jazz51]

I have recently been able to have a lesson with a professer of mars hill college in ashville NC and he suggested keeping my reeds in a jar with 1/3 original literine and 2/3 water. It seems to work pretty good(been using this for about a month now) What its supposed to do is not let the reed dry so it wont be able to warp. If you try this you need to change the water every month and it has to be the original listerine with cleansing alcohol. If you test this out please post your results

 

[martinm5862]

I use vodka or grain alcohol and distilled water. I change the vodka every week. The active ingredient is the alcohol in the listerine. I've been using the alcohol for a couple of months. Grain alcohol smells better than vodka but if you don't mind the smell of listerine it should work as well.

 

[SaxPunter]

Deleted ..... Wrong thread sorry

 

[martinm5862]

In addition keeping the reeds from warping, the reeds seem to last longer and have a uniform feel to each reed. If a reed is taken out of the alcohol and dries out, it warps drastically

 

[chknbon]

I, recently, heard Adam Niewood's band, & he kept his reeds in the same solution.

 

[JohnGalt]

Or you could let the reeds dry out between sessions. They'll last just as long, and you dont have to slosh a jar with liquid around and make sure they dont break in there too.
Btw, you should change the water (if you're gonna do the pickle jar thing) far more frequently than once a month - eeeeew.

 

[Jazzaferri]

I wonder about soaking a reed that long. ... Seems to me that the upper heart of the reed would eventually become saturated and change it's tone and perhaps it's strength a bit. Do you guys who do this notice any difference?

If soaking is a good thing ... I think I would prefer whiskey myself .... most non dentist supplied mouthwashes are mostly alcohol.

 

[Murgo]

Or you could let the reeds dry out between sessions. They'll last just as long, and you dont have to slosh a jar with liquid around and make sure they dont break in there too.
Btw, you should change the water (if you're gonna do the pickle jar thing) far more frequently than once a month - eeeeew.

Yes, it seems to me at least that the warping that occurs when the reed dries does not matter if it's soaked sufficiently before playing. Mine are usually like fried bacon when dry, but when soaked they get perfectly straight again. Of course the soaking time needed can be a problem if you're in a hurry, I find it takes as long as 10 minutes, 5 minutes being a normal average, to get the reed straight if it's really dry, harder reeds seem to take longer than softer ones which makes sense as they are thicker.

I frequently soak mine at home before going to a lesson etc. and still they dry out a little during the travel, so I have to keep them in my mouth for a while before they start working properly.

Haven't tried keeping them wet all the time, so I don't know if they'd last longer that way.