Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2014-08-17 01:50
I remember when I was using cane reeds all the time before those 'you beaut' synthetic Forestones came along, I was having warped reeds also. That is, the thinnest part of the reed (tip) was warping. This was caused , as was noted by Ed Palanker, cane (wood) going from wet to very dry.
My solution was getting one of those plastic Vito or Vandoran plastic reed holders , the ones which hold four reeds and the elastic bands. The tip of the reed slides into a low (clamp) section of the holder, preventing the reed warping whilst drying out.
The best version of such a reed holder was the Aluminium one made by La Vox Corporation ( 'Reed Guard') No elastic bands but it also holds four reeds and has Aluminium 'rockers' where you slide the reed tip into. This metal version held the reed tips even more tightly than the plastic ones. As the reed dries out, it's impossible for the tip to warp.
I still have the two plastic holders (Vito and Vandoran) and the La Vox.
I never soaked my cane reeds very much anyway, and more often than not, just soaked the tip in my mouth whilst putting the Clarinet together. That's all that's needed to make the reed pliable enough to flex easily.
I never immersed the entire reed in water, that's just asking for all kinds of bothersome trouble including having the back of the reed swell very slightly into the 'window' part of the mouthpiece. I've seen cane reeds like this , and you could actually move your finger over the back of the reed and feel the swollen area. It's actually and imprint of the mouthpiece 'window'.
BJV
"The Clarinet is not a horn"
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2014-08-17 07:02)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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