Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-08-02 02:45
SunnyDaze - No, it would have to be a huge greenhouse. Maybe a mile large. For example Rico sells about 25 million reeds a year. Vandoren isn't too far behind this. Added a lot of the cane is rejected, maybe 1/3 just because of color, hardness, bugs, and an assortment of other issues, such as thickness and much more. So in short you are looking at tons and tons of lost cane. There are secrets these companies won't give out either regarding curing the cane after it's been cut. Again more cane is thrown out at this stage. Such as the time of year, how long, the storage time, how hot it is, how often do you turn the cane, when do you cut them, which cane is used for assorted saxes, oboes, English horns and assorted clarinets. I know all of these secrets. Plus stuff Vandoren and Rico don't know. For example I often can taste where the cane comes from and by just sanding the butt end of the reed I pretty much know by 98 percent pinpoint accuracy how good or bad the reeds will play. This is why I often make my own reeds lately. So if I'm gonna make a reed in 25 minutes I surely don't want to make a dud. :}
Added reed companies use 220 grit sandpaper to sand the bottom of the reeds. This allows reeds to warp badly. This sucks at so many levels. Dirt gets into the reeds, water, so you need yo flatten the reed and then the strength drops down. So long story short these darn companies should be using 600 grit. After a week or so I use 3000 grip to polish and seal the bottom of the reeds.
Even if a player grows his/hers own cane in a greenhouse it won't play for several reasons. humidity control, finding great rhizones to start with, and the knowledge to cut the cane, cure it, and actually make the final reed.
Another fact to remember if you plant the first the cane takes about 5 years before the beginning s crops to an actual playable reed. Players don't want to wait 2 years yo test reeds.
Rico can cut a reed in 5 seconds. Vandoren cuts reeds in 8 seconds. If you make your own reeds, which I do at the moment, it takes about 25 minutes and I'm fast. Most players don't want to do this, they would rather practice.
It's about 4AM and I have a concert tomorrow.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2019-08-03 13:47)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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