 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul H
Date: 2026-01-09 17:58
Hadn't bought reeds for a few months and suddenly they are up 20% in the US! Is this because of Trump's tariffs? It's making the cost of a box of Vandorens in which only half are what you expect to get more significant.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2026-01-09 20:22
That's my guess. The blue boxes were $27, but now they're $30. The others were $37 and now they're $41.
I'd consider D'Addario, but they're already similarly priced at $32 and $42.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Ridenour Homage mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren Traditional #5 reeds
ATG System and Cordier Reed Trimmer
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-01-09 21:51
At least the tariffs will bring back the American reed industry. Just like with bananas and coffee. Nothing beats reeds grown in the good old USA.
But seriously, if you do the math, I think they're pretty much the same price as always if you consider inflation.
Post Edited (2026-01-10 04:05)
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Author: Neil
Date: 2026-01-09 22:34
As far as I know, the current tariff on EU goods is 15%. The price rise from $27 to $30 and $37 to $40 is about 10%, so they're not as high as they could be. There are some exceptions in the tariff agreement for strategic goods, so perhaps clarinetists could lobby for a drop in the tariffs on reeds, possibly tied to quality control measures by the manufacturers.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2026-01-09 23:48
It could also have something to do with the dollar having weakened against the euro.
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Author: donald
Date: 2026-01-10 04:21
While my opinion is that the tariffs are stupid and more a bargaining chip than serving any function that will support domestic production ... here in NZ Vandoren reeds are almost twice the price of Daddario- leaving me to suspect increased prices are more to do with exchange rates than the tariffs.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2026-01-10 19:17
I can remember when Rico clarinet reeds were 30 cents each.
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-01-12 19:32
I was curious, so I looked back at the prices on Amazon for the past 15 years, for Rico orange box, 2.5 clarinet reeds. In that time prices have doubled (200%) from 12.50 USD to 25, while inflation alone was only 150%, in which case they should have gone up to just $19 or so.
2011 - $12.50
2014 - $16
2015 - $19
2022 - $20
2024 - $22
2026 - $25
2025 to 2026 saw an increase of about 12%.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2026-01-16 04:01
davyd,
Back in 1961, I paid 25 cents for a single Rico reed and I got to pick out the exact reed I wanted from a fairy large container which held something like 25 reeds.
Yep, those days are long gone.
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-01-16 06:31
Dan Shusta wrote:
> davyd,
>
> Back in 1961, I paid 25 cents for a single Rico reed and I got
> to pick out the exact reed I wanted from a fairy large
> container which held something like 25 reeds.
>
> Yep, those days are long gone.
>
Same for me from the 70s into the 90s. Then something changed, and music stores wouldn't open the boxes anymore. Shame.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2026-01-16 06:58
Back in the late 90's, I remember a box of Vandoren V.12 reeds being about $20. Now they're $42.
Inflation over 30 years... 2.5%
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Ridenour Homage mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren Traditional #5 reeds
ATG System and Cordier Reed Trimmer
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2026-01-16 09:20
lydian,
>Same for me from the 70s into the 90s. Then something changed, and music stores wouldn't >open the boxes anymore. Shame.
I think the Chicago Tylenol murders in 1982 changed a lot of things.
To me, it was like the age of consumer safety confidence had abruptly come to an end.
I wonder how many players, today, simply take out a new reed, stick in their mouth and moisten it with their saliva before play testing them.
Do any of you rinse them off or perhaps even wash them with soap and water or disinfect them with 3% isopropyl alcohol before trying them out? (Cane reeds, of course.)
Just curious...
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2026-01-16 12:40
Back in those days, 70s, I remember hearing you could go into the Vandoren shop in Paris and try/select reeds. I never went there myself, so can't verify that. As far as I recall, you were never able to select reeds in London music shops.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-01-16 13:10
Soon a box of reeds will cost more than a cheap Chinese clarinet!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2026-01-16 18:34
"Soon a box of reeds will cost more than a cheap Chinese clarinet!"
Hah! Presumably there are also cheap Chinese reeds. Has anyone tried them?
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-01-16 23:42
Philip, I have tried Chinese reeds. The cut was no good, but I think they have good cane. Watch out for the Chinese! They'll have good reeds soon. If I were Vandoren, I would worry.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-01-17 00:47
ruben wrote:
> Philip, I have tried Chinese reeds. The cut was no good, but I
> think they have good cane. Watch out for the Chinese! They'll
> have good reeds soon. If I were Vandoren, I would worry.
>
Can you post a link to the ones you tried? I've tried a few, and they were beyond awful. Nothing like cane, more like balsa wood with questionable substances oozing out when you soak them. But I admit some of them played great ... for about 5 minutes.
If any place in China exists for growing quality cane, the Chinese haven't found it yet.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-01-17 03:58
lydian wrote:
> At least the tariffs will bring back the American reed
> industry. Just like with bananas and coffee. Nothing beats
> reeds grown in the good old USA.
>
> But seriously, if you do the math, I think they're pretty much
> the same price as always if you consider inflation.
>
>
> Post Edited (2026-01-10 04:05)
I never knew that there was an American grown reed industry. Could anyone elaborate?
I've been led to believe that the soil in places like (but not exclusive to) the Var region of France, and the winds (which I believe stiffen the cane) there provide a unique environment for musical cane.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2026-01-17 06:01
SecondTry,
When lydian wrote: "Nothing beats reeds grown in the good old USA,", I don't know if he was joking or not because in the USA, Arundo Donax is looked upon as an invasive, noxious weed.
Yes, D'Addario cuts their reeds in CA, however, their raw material comes from France and Argentina.
https://www.dawkes.co.uk/sound-room/the-reed-cane-journey-from-field-to-factory/?srsltid=AfmBOorPBX8mB5stmDaBQ1o95kT7j3k-4bbfTkCOk0mHUWXVHERxo0N3
In the following link, two maps show where this noxious weed grows in the USA.
https://www.eddmaps.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=3009
Now, as to the tariffs, I don't know if the raw material (Arundo Donax) is taxed the same as finished reeds.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-01-17 07:21
Dan Shusta wrote:
> Arundo Donax is looked upon as an invasive, noxious weed.
>
Hi Dan.
Yes, I'm aware. 
I wonder if the US soil conditions where it grows domestically and lack of winds contribute to it not being good cane for instruments.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-01-17 11:58
Lydian: bassoonist friends have told me that they have had good cane coming from China. But then again, bassoonists make their own reeds.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2026-01-17 18:38
ruben wrote:
> Lydian: bassoonist friends have told me that they have had good
> cane coming from China. But then again, bassoonists make their
> own reeds.
>
If the prices keep rising, whether from the manufacturer or the addition of tariffs at U.S. ports, so may many American clarinetists go back to making their own reeds.
Karl
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Author: lmliberson
Date: 2026-01-17 20:45
Karl said “ If the prices keep rising, whether from the manufacturer or the addition of tariffs at U.S. ports, so may many American clarinetists go back to making their own reeds.”
Quite true, Karl - but where will the cane come from???
Likely not domestically. 🤷🏻♂️
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