Klarinet Archive - Posting 000737.txt from 1998/06

From: <CmdrHerel@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Good "aging" reeds
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 12:22:52 -0400

In a message dated 98-06-22 03:39:38 EDT, jasonavhs@-----.com writes:

<< With all the talk about aging reeds/reed brands, I was wondering...

What brands of preprepared reeds do many of you set aside for aging? >>

I use Vandoren regular cut reeds and for about fifteen years have been using a
system of aging them for two years before playing on them.

Just letting them sit like that makes a significant difference to the response
of the cane. They are much more stable and last MUCH longer than "fresh"
reeds out of the box.

I think it is for this reason that I am usually disappointed when I try a
different cut or brand of reed. When I order the new ones, they are of course
un-aged and so the cane seems mushy to me in comparison to my old Vandorens.

What does aging do? I think that it continues to dry the reed out and let the
fibers continue to settle and stabilize (for lack of technical savvy) and
compensate for not enough aging of the cane before the reeds are cut. To some
degree. Bad cane is still bad cane and no amount of aging can take care of
that.

This makes the reed much less likely to warp or get waterlogged when you do
play on it.

The downside is that you need to be confident that you will be playing on that
brand and number of reed for some time. Also you'll need to shell out a lot
of money initially to set up the backlog.

I store them in a dry cabinet, after I've removed them from the little plastic
holders and put them back loose in the original box (dated with a magic
marker). I don't know if that is necessary, but plastic warps and I think it
would change the shape of the reed over time. I'd rather the reed sit loose
and warp as it would naturally warp. A light sanding takes care of that.

Teri Herel.

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