Klarinet Archive - Posting 000005.txt from 1993/08

From: Kyle Barger <kbarger@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: Reeds
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 19:25:56 -0400

Claudia Zornow <claudia@-----.com> writes:

> What grit of sandpaper do people like to use on their reeds?

I used [haven't played seriously in a while :-)] three kinds--320, 400, and
600. 400 for most work, 320 (most coarse) for new reeds that have really
rough backs, and 600 (finest) for the rails--it's easy to take off too much
there!

Another good hint is to get a pane of glass to work on--I believe I have an
8 x 8 x 1/4" sheet of plate glass. It ensures a perfectly flat surface for
sanding, and is even easy to carry in the lid of your case, if your case is
big enough (e.g. Buffet double case).

Another word of wisdom is that you can do a lot to improve a reed's
playability just by a) judicious bending and b) minor adjustments of the
reed's position on the facing.