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Can a reed geek be used to uniformly change a reed that is, for example, a 3 to a 2 1/2. If so, how exactly?
Using reed geek to change strength of reed
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It's really meant for balancing the reed and flattening its underside.
In theory you can 'soften' the reed by adjusting in the appropriate areas, but it may not be exactly the same as a 2.5 as the reeds are all made to the same shape, and you're going to be removing material.
If you know where the green oval used to be on LaVoz reeds, that's the place to scrape it down, if you want to soften it. It doesn't need that much taking off, so scrape it a little and play test it. If it needs a bit more, scrape a little then test again.
In theory you can 'soften' the reed by adjusting in the appropriate areas, but it may not be exactly the same as a 2.5 as the reeds are all made to the same shape, and you're going to be removing material.
If you know where the green oval used to be on LaVoz reeds, that's the place to scrape it down, if you want to soften it. It doesn't need that much taking off, so scrape it a little and play test it. If it needs a bit more, scrape a little then test again.
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once a reed has been manufactured eg: cut, filed, shaped etc, it's strength is determined by its natural and inherent rigidity. The manufacturing process attempts to produce a reed with as much uniformity and symmetry as possible. The manufacturing process is not an exact science and some lack of uniformity often exists due to the inherent nature of the cane . The methods of manually adjusting a reed to make it 'more uniform' are plentiful. The "Reed Geek" is a tool claimed to provide you with an 'easy means' to employ many of these methods. eg: to easily remove a "little" of the cane where deemed necessary to make it more uniform and for flattening its underside. Flattening the underside is just as often achieved by careful rubbing across a sheet of paper or exceedingly fine glass paper (hyper find sand paper). Other tools used are razor blades, knives, various scrapers etc. The reed geek aims to be an all in one tool. It has its advocates among those who understand reed characteristics.
To reduce a reeds rigidity from a 2.5 to a 2 (for example) I would not consider possible via manual manipulation. The resistance of a reed will diminish with use and become less playable. When this happens one can clip / trim the reed to restore some of its lost resistance and add a little more life to the reed.
There exists methods to reduce a reeds inherent rigidity but not to reduce this a much as inquired about by (the OP) yourself.
To reduce a reeds rigidity from a 2.5 to a 2 (for example) I would not consider possible via manual manipulation. The resistance of a reed will diminish with use and become less playable. When this happens one can clip / trim the reed to restore some of its lost resistance and add a little more life to the reed.
There exists methods to reduce a reeds inherent rigidity but not to reduce this a much as inquired about by (the OP) yourself.
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I'm afraid not and yes, you can bring down the sides a bit/ balance them, and make a stiffer reed feel more pliable but the heart and its shape/ellipse will remain the same; spoken from experience
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Where is the green oval that used to be on LaVoz reeds? Are you guys saying to focus on the sides of the reed then? I never realized reed strength wasn't thickness, always just assumed I guess- so what would be the best way to work on it? Got a whole box of Rigotti 3s- I generally like these reeds, but it takes so long to break them in.
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save yourself a lot of heartache and get the 2.5 strength; you will know almost immediately if they're better suited for you.
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If you want to mess with reeds, there's one spot you outta give a go first. You want to start by lightly sanding the vamp end in the middle of the reed. That's sanding the cut portion just off the uncut part. Give that spot a tickle, then try the reed. Repeat if needed. Don't mess with the tip end.
In my view, sanding down reeds necessarily degrades them. They'll play brighter for me and won't last as long. So if I have to adjust a reed, it pretty much becomes a rehearsal reed. Lots of players work on all their reeds however. Different strokes, you know.
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Do you have the 3strong, 3medium, or 3light? There's a difference between those. For me, the 3light are about the right strength, but 3medium are too hard. You could also try the 2.5strong, which are just a bit softer than 3light.
One thing you might try is to lightly sand the back of the reed, using very fine sandpaper. That seems to do the least damage and can often 'free up' the reed a bit. Beyond that, if you sand the top of the reed, it can help to sand the sides, but not the center of the reed. However, like Grumps, most reeds I work on to any extent end up as rehearsal reeds, but sanding the back of the reed can improve a reed that only needs a little tweaking.
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Rigotti also sells boxes by major strength only (e.g., 2.5, 3, 3.5) in which the strong, medium and light subtypes are all mixed up.
Sonja: If you have one of these boxes, you can try selecting out just the "light" reeds to see whether they work for you.
The reed strength is indicated by an obscure code in the lettering on the underside of the reed as follows (and discussed in this thread): a darkened O means it a light reed; a darkened D means it's a strong one; no darkening means it's medium.
This is extremely unscientific and risky, but I've "softened" reeds by bending them between my finger and thumb enough to stretch/weaken/break some of the fibers. Do it in multiple, very conservative iterations until you get the softness you want. I do most of the bend about an inch from the tip, where the vamp starts to thicken. This has about the same effect as removing material. You bend it up, down, then straighten it out again, using a flat surface to confirm it's straight. Practice on some reeds you've already scrapped until you get the hang of it. I only do this in emergencies, as it's not very precise, could completely ruin the reed and shortens the life. But it works in a pinch, and doesn't require any tools.
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My bad; I didn't read your post carefully and didn't realize until JL wrote out the Rigotti number/letter strength system similar to Rico/D'Addario select jazz. Try 3M then since it's only a third strength softer.
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I think the OP meant 3's (as in "threes"), rather than 3S (as in "three strong"). In any event, Rigotti actually has six divisions per full strength unit (i.e., 3 light, 3 medium, 3 strong, 3.5 light, 3.5 medium, 3.5 strong), rather than the 3 divisions (i.e., 3 soft, 3 medium, 3 hard) used by D'Addario.
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And where the green oval is, that's where I start to sand a bit down.
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Just want to clarify something that was hinted but not mentioned explicitly. All reeds of a particular brand and style are cut exactly the same (well, as near exactly as possible). So a Rigotti 2 light and 3.5 strong are cut on the same machine. What determines their grade is measuring the strength on another machine that bends the tip of the reed a little and measures the resistance.
Changing the strength of a reed (from, say, a 3 to a 2 1/2) is difficult because as soon as you start sanding the vamp, you are changing the profile of the reed and thus its sound. Same objection to sanding the back of the reed a lot - it just makes for a thinner, more Rico-like reed.
One can slightly soften a reed by sanding the sides and tip - but stay away from the heart. Grumps, I hate to disagree with you, but I almost always sand the tip of the reed, and usually one side or the other depending on which side blows harder in the "twist the mouthpiece in your mouth side-to-side test". I balance every reed as soon as I take it out of the box, using that test, and aside from an occasional minor tweak later on, that's all I do.
Sonja, I suggest that you learn to balance your reeds, I'll bet it's not that they are too strong, but merely stiffer on one side or the other. Very common, and almost unavoidable due to the nature of cane itself.
Changing the strength of a reed (from, say, a 3 to a 2 1/2) is difficult because as soon as you start sanding the vamp, you are changing the profile of the reed and thus its sound. Same objection to sanding the back of the reed a lot - it just makes for a thinner, more Rico-like reed.
One can slightly soften a reed by sanding the sides and tip - but stay away from the heart. Grumps, I hate to disagree with you, but I almost always sand the tip of the reed, and usually one side or the other depending on which side blows harder in the "twist the mouthpiece in your mouth side-to-side test". I balance every reed as soon as I take it out of the box, using that test, and aside from an occasional minor tweak later on, that's all I do.
Sonja, I suggest that you learn to balance your reeds, I'll bet it's not that they are too strong, but merely stiffer on one side or the other. Very common, and almost unavoidable due to the nature of cane itself.
I think that's the part you stay away from. I go alone the sides to the tip and work next to where that oval is to soften them up.
The great thing about Rigotti are those different strengths. I'll practice on 3Ms and play them to where I like them but if I want one that plays out of the box, I'll use 2 and 1/2Ms.
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