 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: yearsofwisdom
Date: 2011-08-19 20:20
I know weiner music has a deal when you buy 8 boxes but with our economy, i have a feeling the price will go up. If i get 8 boxes, how long can they last me in terms of shelf-life? I don't want them to go bad if i can't use all of them in say for example, a year.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2011-08-19 20:34
I wouldn't buy a box of reeds, let alone eight, until you decide which mouthpiece you will be using.
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-08-19 22:09
There's argument on if they stay good, get better, or get bright over time.
But for sure if you keep them in a stable humidity that isn't too high, they won't get moldy and useless.
No problem stocking up if you are settled with your mouthpiece. Then again, you could always auction the leftover boxes if you change strengths.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: William
Date: 2011-08-19 22:55
The only danger in buying too many boxes at one time is that all of the reeds may come from a bad crop of cane. Good years and bad have been much discussed on this forum and it's really hard to predict.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2011-08-19 23:14
I have some 30+ years old. They play just fine.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: davyd
Date: 2011-08-20 00:36
How many are in a box, and how quickly do you go through them? Eight boxes seems a lot to buy at one time unless you're giving them out to students.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-08-20 19:18
I have boxes of reeds dating from between 10 and 40 years back, they all seem to play OK when I open them although after 40 years they seem to have aquired a darker hue.
I wouldn't suggest 40 years as normal practice (I was just visiting Paris regularly on business in those days 20-40 years back and couldn't resist calling in on Vandoren whilst there).
However after 10/20 years the reeds still look good and play at least as well as newer purchases. Mine are just kept in normal household conditions but climate here in UK is quite equitable.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-08-20 19:50
I'm an amateur, but fwiw, I've used elderly clarinet and sax reeds that came in cases with used instruments, with good results. I only use a "found in case" reed if I'm sure it's new. Anything I suspect of being used goes in the trash. But if the reeds are new old stock, from a good brand name, and if they look all right, with no mold, insects, outer space aliens, etc., then I try the reeds out.
Time won't improve a reed that was probably no good in the first place (with wavy or uneven grain, sloppy cutting, etc..). I've never found a reed that looked bad but played well, regardless of its age. Most of the old reeds that look good play well.
Sometimes the *very* old reeds, such as some basic Ricos that came with my bass sax (this brand turns out to be the only brand that fits the 1920s mouthpiece), play well but they're brittle and break down more quickly than modern reeds. But by *very* old I'm talking about 20 years or more.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2011-08-20 19:53)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-08-21 03:06
As long as you don't keep them in a very dry climate they will last for many years. I've always tried to stock at least a five year supply to "age" them and have had many a lot longer than that. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-08-21 12:42
Cane is plentiful, inflation is imminent and worrying is futile.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2011-08-22 14:58
"Can reeds go bad?"
It's not in their genes but if you bring them up in a bad environment ...
Best regards,
jnk
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