 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: joeclarinet
Date: 2004-12-08 13:20
I read in a thread that saving a box of reeds for a couple of years will "season it" by it aging.
Question is how can that be possible since the reed is cut (from the plant)so no more aging occurs? I'm doubting that a reed will go from green to yellow just by sitting in a box for a few years.
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Author: RAMman
Date: 2004-12-08 13:32
There are so many random factors involved in changing how reeds feel...that reeds left could get better...and could get MUCH worse.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-12-08 13:52
After the reed is cut it is laid out and allowed to dry out for a while. So if the wood hasn't completely dried out when you get it in the package, leaving it for a few years I think would do the trick.
I've heard all sorts of ways to do this (glovebox of the car, dark closet, desk drawer, etc. etc.) I think the main thing is you allow it to fully dry out. (Reed companies are SUPPOSED to allow it to fully dry out, but sometimes due to demand, they don't have enough stores of completely dried reeds and so they dip into the next batch which I think is what vandoren did for a little while)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-12-08 16:23
I don't know if it actually does something, or is just superstition, but it works for me, so I continue to do it. 3/3 perfect reeds out of my 3-year-old box can't be wrong, can they?
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-12-08 17:19
Some of us believe that keeping one or more boxes of reeds stored unused for some years improves them. Some people have the same belief about cheese and booze.....which I consume soon after purchase. I do in fact have a few boxes of reeds so stashed.
Bob Draznik
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Author: ron b
Date: 2004-12-08 17:22
This question reminds me of Hiroshi's idea, something like putting the reeds on a ceiling fan (or something like that) to let them age. I forget the details or the reasoning behind it now and it's been a long time since Hirosi posted that information. I think of that now as a reminder that lots of folks have lots of preferences and there may be a lot or a little factual truth to any one of them. Maybe different geographical locations are a factor too, who knows for sure? I've been growing a small patch of cane and cutting it for oboe reed making for over two years. I find that after it's cut it is dry and ready to be worked in about a week to ten days. By that I mean it has turned from green to straw color. I also find little, if any, change occuring after that. I believe rattan furniture makers work with cane at just about any stage of the "curing" process. Maybe they wet it before tightly bending it, I don't know about that. I do know they're not as particular about their reed supply as we are. Anyone interested in a new hobby??? Perhaps with enough patience we could string our bum reeds together to make wonderful easy chairs 
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-08 18:06
I store my aged reeds HERE, in the glove compartment of a '58 Edsel. These 2 men are stationed 'round the clock to guard them from rival clarinetists.
...GBK ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-12-08 18:51
The problem is... how would we ever know??? You store the reeds for a few years, try them and they're great. But maybe they would have also been great a few years before? Or maybe they're just great because you started playing them in Spring rather than Autumn?
I have a colleague who only buys reeds from a certain shop because she says that their reeds are better than reeds from other shops. She's a professional player and swears by this. I'd say it's bordering on superstition...
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2004-12-08 19:06
The pyramidal shape of the Edsel glove compartment is also well known for restoring a sharp edge to reed knives.
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2004-12-08 19:22
GBK--I'm sure we're familiar with that "old instrument case" odor. Any tips about what to do about that "old glove compartment" odor in your reeds?
Liquorice is right--how can we really know, but there sure seems to be a lot of people who store reeds, albeit less creatively that GBK does. How about making a ristra or a braid with the reeds and hanging them in the kitchen, like you would with dried chilis or garlic?
Actually, when I was using Vandoren reeds I sometimes wondered how long they were able to age the cane before they had to use it. If reed makers have demand pressures that mean a shorter aging period for the cane, that would be an argument for storing them.
Post Edited (2004-12-08 19:36)
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-12-08 23:04
lmao at GBK's post, though i doubt those guys could handle a ferocious clarinetist after some quality reeds.
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2004-12-09 00:45
hm... I wonder if they're tough enough to handle me... I'm feeling a little trigger happy, er I mean um... water gun happy... lol...
I think I'm going to buy like 5 boxes of reeds for Christmas and not open them till next year, for mid-state or something... hehe... I'm so smart (Not really)... Anyways, yeah... That's some well spent Christmas money...
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Author: nobbsie
Date: 2004-12-09 07:04
I've had a few boxes of V12s that i played through untill they didn't produce a decent sound, left them for 6 months, then ran out of reeds and went back to them. At least half of them sounded great, never tried leaving them out for a year though.
Matt
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2004-12-09 11:41
A thought for "lil Mary's" Christmas plans...
All the reed boxes I have seen or bought have been tightly wraped in airtight (?) cellophane. Would think that if a year's ageing is a good thing, the cello should come off first.
Hey, but what do I know....
JDS
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-12-09 12:03
Yes, I too wondered about the cellophane wrapper seal.
Makes sense to expose the reeds to the atmosphere, unless the reeds have been artificially dessicated before wrapping.
AND GBK
A motor mag here in UK some years ago , ran a series on the ugliest cars of all time - sorry but the Edsel from memory, won top prize. The reason I noticed it was that there could have been a connection between the car's name and Edzell, which is a lovely village 6 miles from me (in the county of Angus) and where I've played golf for the last 30 years. Just outside Edzell there was a US Naval tracking station - the most important one in N Europe which was a base rented from the RAF - had 1500 personnel and the area hasn't really recovered from the US withdrawal (a world first possibly? - sorry folks)
Anyway, they could not find any use for the Edsel (was it a Ford?) - but of course, they wouldn't know about drying out clarinet reeds.
BobT
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-12-09 12:30
Maybe that's my problem . . . I store mine in a 1979 Mercury Cougar XR7. Guess I should try out the other glove compartments I have access too to see which one gives me darkest response after aging.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-12-09 13:07
Back during the WWII years I bought 3 boxes of those white plastic reeds and stored them. I'm going to open one of them for Christmas this year.
Bob Draznik
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2004-12-09 13:46
Hi joeclarinet:
I believe I've answered this question about old reeds in previous posts, but here goes:
I play reeds that I've kept in storage (a cool closet) that are about 10 years old. I've been doing this for about 25 years, so I really don't know what a "new" Vandoren plays like these days. I buy reeds from US dealers and directly from France, on occasion. I buy large quantities, date them, then store them away in marked boxes in the closet.
I believe my "aged" reeds play better than most of my colleagues new reeds. This may just be another one of those "urban myths," but it has worked for me for many years now.
My suggestion to younger players (and sometimes people with less cash on hand), to buy at least 2 boxes of reeds at a time, use 1 box as you need it, date the other box, and store it in some cool, safe place. After a few years, start using those saved, dated boxes of reeds, starting with the oldest.
Give it a try, it won't hurt!
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Ron Jr.
Date: 2004-12-09 17:43
I find the greatest benefit to aging reeds is that you can avoid spending more money due to the weak dollar.
I may start buying reeds again when the dollar gets stronger: about 80 cents to the Euro. The dollar is now $1.34 to the Euro and will get much, much weaker for at least 3 years.
Take care,
Ron Jr.
Post Edited (2006-03-06 17:45)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-12-09 21:36
644 boxes....hahahahahah.....you get the prize
Bob Draznik
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Author: joeclarinet
Date: 2004-12-09 22:23
I have about 200 boxes of reeds which I have aged (anywhere from 3 to 10 years old) and some old boxes of Vandorens which are about 25 years old. I just wonder sometimes if it's all for naught.
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Author: joeclarinet
Date: 2004-12-10 13:36
Ron, man I hope that you never change reed strengths! I was told by Ricardo that he has 800 boxes saved up. I could be misremenbering the #, but I do remember thinking "o my god, he has 4x what I have and I have the heck of a lot!"
So what's the point at which they just don't change at all? Would a reed aged 4 years be identical to one aged 2 or 6? (assuming that the reeds are stored where they won't mold, etc..)
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