How many reeds do you have right now?

[CMelodyMan]

Right now I have the most reeds I've ever had in my life:

Alto

10 Rico #3 reeds
48 Rico #5 reeds(I actually play on these sometimes)
10 RJS 2M reeds
3 Vandoren original reeds

Tenor

Five #4 Rico Plasticovers
5 RJS 2Ms


So that's 81 reeds total. That seems like a lot of reeds(at least for me) How many reeds do you currently have?

[BlueNote]

Too many to count.

[CMelodyMan]

Too many to count.

I knew someone would say that!:D

[JL]

Just out of curiosity, why such a range in hardness? You list RJS 2M & 2Ms along with Rico #5 & #4 Plasticovers.

I have a bunch of tenor V16 2 1/2 and RJS 2H. Three or four boxes of each, so around 30 or 40 new reeds and a couple dozen mostly used up reeds lying around on various surfaces around the house.

[CMelodyMan]

Well, I just bought the Plasticovers for only $10(I wanted to try them out in Rock & Roll) The Rico #5s, on the other hand, were purchased as part of an experiment. I saw them on starvingstudentsmusic.com for $10, so I decided to buy them to see if I could soften them to a decent hardness. My plan worked, to some degree. But, like some people said, it's just too much work. Sand, test, sand some more, oops chipped the reed, etc..:)


David

[Razzy]

I never really throw away reeds... and I'm not sure why. I have a lot lying around my old high school, my apartment here in Philly, my house in Trenton, and in my sax cases. Probably in the thousands, all told.

[CMelodyMan]

I never really throw away reeds... and I'm not sure why. Not even the broken reeds??

[TMadness1013]

I never really throw away reeds... and I'm not sure why. I have a lot lying around my old high school, my apartment here in Philly, my house in Trenton, and in my sax cases. Probably in the thousands, all told.

You know how people make models of the Brooklyn Bridge & such w/ matchsticks???

You could do it w/ saxophone reeds & become famous some day ;)

Do you ever go back & play reeds that you haven't touched in a few years?

There must be SOME reason you never throw them away... ?

[Ralph Grant]

I've got about 20 that I actually play.
10 in various stages of breaking in.
3 being used as a furry science experiment in one of those Rico Reed DevitalizerYummyCulturizer ziplock packets. I couldn't grow better mold with 20 lbs of agar and 40 petri dishes.
About 15 in boxes unplayed.
10 on order from WWBW.
10-20 in various books. Nothing marks a page in a great novel like an old Tenor Sax Reed.
One shimed under the corner of my Bandsaw in the garage to keep it from wobbling.
One #5 I'm saving for when I get chops like a pitbull.

[Brendan Muse]

I've got 9 bari reeds in circulation: four for my horn at school and five at home.

I also have a tenor reed that will have to last me until I can get a job and a decent mouthpiece on which to break in the five Alexanders I've got.

[Razzy]

I actually do go back and play some really old ones once in a while. Usually they taste bad and play horribly but once in a while I'll find a good one that I can get a few more days out of.

And, well, not the broken ones. But I never really break my reeds. I can probably count on two hands all the reeds I've broken, and they were all intentional. Three of them are acting as placeholders on my alto, tenor, and bari mouthpieces so that the ligatures don't scratch up the tables. Sometimes I lose those, in which case I pull out an old one and break that to replace it.

[saxfreak]

I never really throw away reeds... and I'm not sure why. Probably in the thousands, all told.

Me too, but I don't think it's in the thousands. Reeds for alto, tenor, sop, C-melody, and bari saxes, plus Eb, Bb, and bass clarinet add up quickly.

[goodsax]

Three drawers with way too many reeds in each. The drawers are designated for alto, sop/clarinet and tenor/bari items. I've been threatening to clean out, get rid of, all the reeds I have no further intention of using, but can't seem to get around to it. And to make matters worse, I just won a total of 80 more reeds - 25 tenor, 25 baritone and 30 alto - on eBay that I've yet to receive.

I think this must be a reaction to my teenage days when it wasn't out of the question to try to shave down a tongue depressor to fashion a reed because of not having one at a crucial time, or just being broke. Now, I make sure I never run out of any size for any of my saxes and clarinet.

As for makes and sizes, I try most of them, mostly Ricos and Vandorens, usually 2-1/2 to 3-1/2, in all the box colors, but also Alexanders, Zondas, Fibracells, Baris, Phats and others.

[saxfreak]

I just remembered that I still have some Morre Eb clarinet reeds, that I used when I was in college in the early 1970's.

[paplauskas]

3 being used as a furry science experiment in one of those Rico Reed DevitalizerYummyCulturizer ziplock packets. I couldn't grow better mold with 20 lbs of agar and 40 petri dishes.

10 on order from WWBW.


I've been experimenting with that Rico moisturizer deal (85% flavor), and yes, I'm getting some mold growing on the butt end, no where else. I put a #3 Alexander Tenor in there a week ago, one which played well, but average. Took it out yesterday, scraped off some of the mold on the end, and man, it played SUPER. I've had some Rico 2.5 soprano reeds in there that I've been "curing" for awhile, and they seem to get better with age as well.

As for WWBW, I'm still waiting and getting the same warehouse B.S. line from them that everyone else has been getting.

[CMelodyMan]

I've been experimenting with that Rico moisturizer deal (85% flavor) I thought of getting that..I have not idea why. It's so humid down here, that there's really no need for it. However, when my private lesson teacher was living in Arizona, she simply took a big ziplock bag, put a very moist paper towel in it, and put here reeds in it. She claimed it worked just as well, if not better than the Rico Reed Humidifier, or whatever it's called, and it's about $16 cheaper.:D

As for WWBW, I'm still waiting and getting the same warehouse B.S. line from them that everyone else has been getting.

I know the feeling.:Rant:

[Jbroad572]

I've got like 5 reeds... I don't want to buy a full box so have been working on 1 or 2 reeds for each sax. I have to order something this week, but I'm not happy about it, because I have no idea what to order.

[BariSkaJazz]

My sax teacher estimates that he has somewhere between twelve and fourteen thousand dollars worth of reeds in his house.

Yes, I said THOUSAND!


On his dresser alone he has maybe 400 boxes of unopened reeds.

[Daktion]

i guess he'll be the first official "reed dealer" :D

*looks around with eyes shifting left and right

-look kid, i've got the perfect one for you... a rico orange box 3, one of a kind, MINT.... it's yours for $10.

[Timmy_G]

Somewhere between 120 - 150 of various sizes. Form 2* to 5*. I about 70 standard cut reed that i'm planning to use sometime. But I prefer the french cut.

[swede_peter]

BUT! When that first one either brakes or go sour:shock: , then i get a *need* to buy a new one. AT ONCE! Or at least the same day/week:| . I just hate to have a bunch of reeds that i "break in", one at the time, so they will all be playable when and if i need them. For me, theres no need. Reeds last at least 3-4 months, and i usually play/practise 2-4 hours a day. :) (fibracell medium), if number one breaks or go bad, i KNOW i have to get a new one, soon, because of the No1 & No2 reed system.. :D . Works for me eventhough it sounds weird. To be *sure*8-) i still have a couple of year old Van doren Java 2,5:s IF my theory should crack... :D. My end comment is: i like to play: yes :twisted: , fiddle with them reeds: no;) .
Ill guess im one of those guys who just like to play. If buying a LOT of reeds makes anyone happy, or a better player, Id say: *great* :twisted:, Me, i just stick to my guns. Sure i change/try another setup once in a while, i think we all search for the ******* sound.. ;) , But i like the playing part better.


/Peter. :walk:

[Face Ache Mike]

Exactly 20 reeds. Mostly Rico #2, a medium Fibracell. a Rico Royal 2.5, a Rico 2.5, a Rico 1.5 hiding somewhere and one or two crappy reeds made by SR. I gave away a box of Arbiter reeds after trying a couple. I`ll be ordering some V16 #2 next.

My "currently playing reeds" are kept in a La Voz holder, the rest are in a paper napkin and they all are kept in a Ferrero Rocher plastic box inside my sax case. The napkin is temporary as the plastic holders they came in were too bulky and damaged the side edges of the reed. I`m looking for something better to store my reeds.

[CircaRevival]

Box of Vandoren ZZ 2 (Tenor)
Box of Vandoren ZZ 3 (Tenor)
Box of Vandoren ZZ 2.5 (Tenor)
Box LaVoz Medium (Alto)
Box of Vandoren Traditional 3 (Clarinet)
Box of Vandoren Traditional 2.5 (Clarinet)


I also have about 100 assorted reeds in a box.

[BobbyK]

I guess I have about 30.

[altosaxguy1]

i currently have 7 alto in rotation and 2 bari in rotation and 3 unused bari and a box of altos on the way

[fballatore]

Total, I have between 40 and 50 reeds. About 40 new and unused, and 4-5 that I cycle through for playing.

[Ruediger Kramer]

4 rico royal using, 10 in stock (2,5)

[Brendan Muse]

I've got a big ol' pile of random reeds in a drawer that I can't play and can't throw out, and then five bari reeds and four tenor reeds I'm rotating.