Klarinet Archive - Posting 000244.txt from 1994/04

From: Tom Ascher <U15310@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Reed cutters
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 10:47:09 -0400

Just thought I'd mention that my Vandoren reed cutter works perfectly.
If you have one and it isn't working properly, I'd suggest returning it
to Vandoren for repair or exchange. A feature I like about the Vandoren
is that once the reed is locked in place, you have a micrometer like
feature that allows you to precisely move the reed for the amount of
cut desired before cutting. An interesting point made by Pino in his
book is that you should never (well, almost never) throw a reed away.
That you can always cut a reed shorter, do a little scraping and sanding
and start over. On the other hand, the time spent cutting and scraping
reeds might better be spent practicing, or earning money to purchase
reeds so they can be thrown away once they loose their spine or shape!

Tom Ascher Internet: u15310@-----.edu
University of Illinois at Chicago Phone: (312) 413-3665