 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-02-19 22:37
This may have been explained many times somewhere but my search failed to find it for me.
A musician friend recenty asked me, "What does the "V" by the number on the back of the reed mean?" We were looking at a regular Rico, V-2 1/2.
My standard answer to such questions is that I don't know but I'll try my best to find out. I've tried, maybe not my verrry best, but I've tried. I've looked around here, on the 'net and in my sparse collection of method books. Nuttin....
My appreciative thanks goes out to anyone who can relieve my torment. I really don't like to not know.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-02-19 22:54
Ron - Is the V used on reeds other than VanDorens? They seem [to me] to have their own "hardness" scale . Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-02-19 23:09
Yes, Don, Rico reeds have the name, "RICO", stamped on the back and next to the name the stiffness designation, V-2, V-2 1/2, V-3 etc.
We all know that, as the numbers increase the stiffness (hardness) does also. But the "V", I don't know -- I think it has something to do with the 'style' of cut, or at least 'something' to do with how it's cut... but, here I'm not even sure what "cut" means... now that I'm thinking about it.
Now that I'm thinking about that, I'm also reminded of just how little I know about most things 
- ron b -
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Author: music_is_life
Date: 2005-02-19 23:18
I don't know what it stands for, but I know Vandorens and Vandoren V-12s are different. maybe it's just a style/product thing?
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2005-02-20 04:57
I believe the "V" stands for a type of cut in the Rico line. Years ago there were, as I recall, 4 types of cuts illustrated on the Rico boxes (the old brown type). There was illustrated, although I never saw the actual reeds, a double cut similar to the Vandoren double cut.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-02-22 17:50
As I recall, the Rico "V" meant that the heart had a V shape back of the tip, i.e., it came to a point in the middle. A heart shape that was rounded, to parallel the shape of the tip, was called "U" or perhaps "D." Certainly the music stores I went to never had anything except the V style. The reedmaking books I saw always recommended a "U" shape, and that's what works best for me.
I would welcome any corrections to Rico's terminology.
Ken Shaw
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-02-22 17:57
Ken's explanation sounds correct.
The brown box "Style V" type were definitely the most popular Rico reeds that were sold. I'm not even sure if I remember ever seeing the "U" (or "D") type.
A few days ago, I sent an email to Rico to see if they had any further information.
Still waiting...GBK
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-02-28 16:30
This is the response I just received from the Consumer Marketing Manager of
J. D'Addario & Company, Inc. (Rico):
"...Before Rico settled on offering only one cut, they had an “A”, cut, a “D” cut, and the “V” cut. Sometime in the 50’s the one that most people preferred was the “V” cut and it was decided to sell only that one cut. In reality there wasn’t much of difference between the three cuts, and Rico decided to continue with the one that was most popular that is the cut found today..."
...GBK
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