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Old Aluminum LaVoz Reed Case

15K views 61 replies 29 participants last post by  milandro 
#1 ·
I'm fairly young, but I hear people talking about this and that they were THE BEST reed cases of all time. Could someone take a picture or something? I have no idea what they look like and I searched online.

I want to get the best modern reed case at a price cap of around $30

I was almost about to get the protec until I heard some convincing stuff about the Selmer reed case. I have almost no problems with humidity in my house and wherever i go, it's almost perfect humidity all the time where I live in New Jersey, and i've never had mold problems unless i left something soaking for too long without cleaning it. Warping to me isn't TOO big of a deal on the tip because I can fix it but i do notice that the tone of the reed slightly deadens. What is the reed case for me? I'd like to stay as cheap as possible so I can put a little money towards getting the Just Joe gel strap soon.

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Woh, I just got one of these for free from Don at the Brass and Woodwind. I had been buying tons of reeds lately and asked if he had anything. He gave me one of these.

It is much better than the plastic counterpart for sure. But still not enough space. I tend to have about 5 reeds going at a time.
 
#6 ·
Reed cases are nice and quite handy but... You don't HAVE to have one.
I have a Vandoren 4 slot case for my clarinet reeds only because it was a gift.
My sax reeds just get put back into the little plastic holders they come in.
As long as the reed is in something that will protect the tip from damage you're good. :)
 
#7 ·
I've gone both ways for years. IE using a reed holder vs just using the holders they come in and it is my opinion without any scientific basis or actual fact that the reeds get softer quicker putting them back in the original case. There's something about the reed being pushed against the flat surface that works better for me.

Mind you I bet someone could make a case for the opposite.

Cheers.
 
#13 ·
This looks like a nice product - thanks for posting the link Steve.

I have one of the old aluminum La Voz reed guards as well. It works okay for the most part but occasionally I have a reed with a thinner vamp which allows the reed to slide too far forward and the tip sticks out past the end of the guard. Likewise, once in a while I'd slide a reed in damp and as it would dry it would shrink down and then slip back out of the holder. I'd categorize these guards as a " 3 out of 5 star" product - well made and functional but not a particularly great design. I use the older Vandoren VRC guards in my gig cases since they seem to travel better.
 
#17 ·
These take me back...I used to have a few until I dropped one on my alto in it's case.
So I switched over to the plastic ones recently.

You know how your reeds will dry sideways if they sit in the case on the side? Gravity pulls the water in the reed to one side or the other as it dries. With the old aluminum cases, all the reeds face the same way, so it is easier to have them dry with gravity pulling towards the tip. With the plastic non-scratch-your-horn type, the reeds face in different directions on the two sides. This makes it easier to pull out your reeds, but I'd rather have them facing the same way.

Does this REALLY make a difference? I think so.
 
#14 ·
I had that exact metal reed case back in High School. I think I got it in 1979.

Today I've got the back plastic version. It works just the same.
 
#15 ·
I agree with Enviroguy, but in my case high school was twenty years earlier. I grab every aluminum reed case I come across, but mostly because of a sentimental attachment to them. The new LaVoz plastic cases work fine.
 
#16 ·
After 41 years, of playing the sax, I would say these original metal La-Voz reed guards are the best!!!
First of all, they last, and the reed dries flat,
They are so handy, put in your pocket.
For alto, I use 2 of them from the 1970's, I load 8 Vandoren Java 3.5 alto reeds, (for my jazz set up (Meyer 7MM),...
this will last me for about 2 years....because I cycle the reeds, I play reed #1,then next time play reed #2 and so forth...I am still mad at the company for discontinuing such a perfect product. I have one for tenor, one for clarinet and one for soprano too....
Greatest reed guard ever.... the plastic one are good too, but not as great as the old metal ones...The aluminum material was the perfect choice....
 
#21 ·
I have used the regular reed guard for sop, alto, and tenor since the 70s. They're hard to beat, if the mechanism is still in good shape. For tenor, I have one of the plastic ones with the dessicant that I bought when I thought I'd lost my original one. It worked fine, but didn't hold the reeds as tightly as the original.

I've seen people use rubber bands and glass and really fancy cases that hold the reed flat. The important thing is flat, not the material, IMO.

The original certainly is great, though.
 
#24 ·
I have used the regular reed guard for sop, alto, and tenor since the 70s. They're hard to beat, if the mechanism is still in good shape. For tenor, I have one of the plastic ones with the dessicant that I bought when I thought I'd lost my original one. It worked fine, but didn't hold the reeds as tightly as the original.

I've seen people use rubber bands and glass and really fancy cases that hold the reed flat. The important thing is flat, not the material, IMO.

The original certainly is great, though.
I used to use an old aluminum LaVoz reed case, but I think I've hit on something much better. I now have a ReedJuvinate which allows me to store three reeds (color coded - I keep my best reed on the white surface, backups on red and blue) . They are stored in solution all the time against a flat surface and never warp, and are ready to play immediately. Much nicer solution that storing dry.
 
#22 ·
A few years ago I recall seeing a study that indicated that keeping a reed on a flat surface actually trapped moisture and inhibited the drying process and encouraged warping. The idea was that the cases that have grooves would allow more even drying and circulation.

I have not ever done any study or comparison, so I don't have any idea whether there is any validity to the argument.
 
#23 ·
A few years ago I recall seeing a study that indicated that keeping a reed on a flat surface actually trapped moisture and inhibited the drying process and encouraged warping. The idea was that the cases that have grooves would allow more even drying and circulation.

I have not ever done any study or comparison, so I don't have any idea whether there is any validity to the argument.
The Vito reed cases widely available in the US have grooves instead of a flat surface. They are also very cheap (< $5) and they work well. They use a rubber band instead of a plastic clamp, and I like them better than the reed guard type for this reason. However, I have had those bands break after a time... I use the Vitos for reed tests - when I try a new type of reed, I put 4 in one. They also have numbers for each slot...

I still prefer the reed wallet from Muncy Winds. Also cheap, though more than a reed guard, holds 8 reeds and work great.
 
#27 ·
yes, I have several of this, beautiful but not particularly good. I too prefer the ones with grooves (Vandoren or Leblanc).

If you have any aluminum or plastic reed cases which got dirty, I use an ultrasonic cleaner for spectacles too keep reed cases, reeds, mouthpieces and necks clean.
 
#33 ·
I tell my students to never store the reed on the mouthpiece. One kids reed was stuck. I had to pry it off with a razor blade, then the inside of his mouthpiece was disgusting! I had to lecture him about the importance of pulling a cotton handkerchief though the mouthpiece, and then drying the reed and putting it away......
 
#35 ·
It's a pity they stopped manufacturing them. They looked much cooler than the plastic thingies. It seems they don't make them anymore because the saliva on the reeds was absorbing aluminium from the case, putting our health at risk (?).
 
#36 ·
I responded much too early after getting one and should retract my previous comment.

They're garbage.... there's almost no spring pressure at all to keep the flap pressed against the reed so they slip out way too easily or they slip forward, "beyond" the reed guard and the reeds break at the ends.

I had to super glue a piece of plastic to the top and that still didn't help the slipping backwards problem. The plastic ones are actually a step up in design.
 
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