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Boiled Légère

Author: acermak
Date: 2014-07-11 07:23

I have a strength #3 alto sax Légère reed for my alto clarinet. It was way too hard as the Légère classic alto sax reeds are harder than most other #3 reeds. So I tried the boiling trick I had read about on here.

On Sunday, I got a pot of water off to a roiling boil then used wire tongs (which held the reed's butt) to immerse my reed in it (being careful not to hit the sides or bottom of the pot). After 25 seconds (+- a second or two) I took it out and placed it flat side up on a wire rack. After it was cool to the touch I put it on my music stand.

Final result? It softened up nicely. It was wonderful to play on Sunday evening and has remained that way. It may have hardened up a little on Monday but not by a lot. I've been playing it for a good 30-60 min per night. I'd say I dropped the strength by a good 1/2 strength, possibly 3/4. It is a wonderfully playable reed now.

So thanks to the folks on this Bboard for the info on how to soften a Légère.

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