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Re: reed problems

Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-06-02 23:06

It's really hard to say for sure. A few thoughts to consider...The facing of the mouthpiece may be off sightly, the mouthpiece may need to be cleaned or has been cleaned, causing the rails to be slightly off.

If the cane was cut too young, such as a year or 2 old will cause the reeds to collapse. There was/is a huge cane shortage, which I won't get into, and the cane now days comes from other places around the world, less and less from France. As a result cane from other countries simply doesn't hold up. Several years ago you could often get a reed to play for a very long time, before the reeds start to break down. That cane came from the VAR region of France.

If the rails are on the thicker side of your Forbes mouthpiece compared to your Vandoren this could very well be the reason why you are having trouble. The reeds don't seem to hold up, because they break down and with thick rails the vibation of the reeds are even more restricted.

You may wish to try other brands of reeds. If you have used other brands let us know what you've tried. By the way, even Vandoren is getting a lot of their cane from other countries.

Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces

Yamaha Artist 2015

Post Edited (2010-06-03 03:40)

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