ATG Reed Finishing System

[Scottysax73]

The ATG Finishing System does what it promises; it evens out the ears of the reed. I play saxophone and I think it may be geared more towards clarinet, maybe its the grand of sandpaper they use. It dulls the sound! I think if you had a very heavy reed it's work great on the tips but for me it totally dulls it. I play alot of funk, I like to get that warmth; that buzz from my reeds while still having some power. I assume that balancing the ears is still important but basically, i wanna sand my reeds so that they are playable within 5 minutes. They don't have to be perfect but I need a 5 minute grace period to adjust.
So my question is this: Let's say i have a reed which is playable but wanna make it a little buzzier while still having some bite to it. What area of the reed should i work on? Is that the heart? And within the heart, would sanding help and should it be done evenly or favoring a side? When i get out a reed, i soak it for 2 min and do the pop test. The pop test actually makes it more playable. Also, what grand of sandpaper do ya use

[Gandalfe]

Hmm... Scotty, maybe you are ahead of the times. My wife purchased the Tom Ridenour's ATG Reed Finishing System that comes with an instructional DVD. I viewed presentation with her and I am really impressed.

Because the cane can naturally have different densities the measurement of the read doesn't determine playability. Most systems work on the principle that you sand the reed to make it a certain size or consistency of size across the reed. ATG is the is the only system I know of where you play the reed conducting three simple tests to determine the playability of the reed.

The four sheets of sandpaper (two of each grit size) should last through 300 or more reeds. But eventually I will need to replace the water cleanable sandpaper. That's when I will consult with a hardware store clerk.

By the way, my wife and I both play clarinet and sax and the test is the same for each. I don't go for the buzz, I go for consistency of sound, think Desmond or Getz. I tend to shy away from solo mouthpieces that give you a distinctive sound (often described as edge) vice one that allows you to merge with the section better.

[Steve P]

I have to say, I have used this system for over a year, and I love it! It really saves time, and more importantly, frusteration. I used to get really annoyed with reeds, and their quirks, but now, I can quickly, and easily fix them.
Its really a great package. The booklet explains everything very well, and the DVD is a great addition.

Its also worthy to note, you can easily replace the sand papers when they wear out. I went to my hardware store to buy paper, and two sided tape. Works great!

Steve P

[saxophrenic]

Steve,
Thanks for the suggestion. I use ATG too and had to buy more sandpaper. Saxophone reeds tend to wear the paper out alot faster than clarinet reeds do I think. Anyway, I glue mine on the block with rubber cement. It's okay, but I think your idea is better. Gonna try it.;)

[Jbroad572]

So after watching this video are you pretty much able to take a whole box of reeds and tweak them to the point where they all play as good as the "good" ones? I just want to figure out if it's worth the investment.

[Gandalfe]

My wife and I watched the DVD instructions last weekend and started tweaking our reeds. I had rejected other systems but this one just made sense and works for us.

Will you be happy with it? It depends on a lot of things. If you are currently happy with most of the reeds that you play, then obviously there is no need. If you find you have a lot of unplayable reeds, I'd really recommend this system.