how long do you keep a reed?

03-03-2003, 06:13 PM

In a Paul Coats article on this site he writes, "If you are not buying at least 4 reeds a month, for school playing, you are suffering."

I play an hour a day, every day, and play professionally with a band on a Yanagasawa 901 tenor. While I rotate my reeds, I don't think they're wearing out or anything, and I don't feel a need to replace them. What does Coats mean? Am I suffering and don't know it? Do reeds wear out?

03-03-2003, 07:23 PM

Of course reeds wear out. How quickly depends on how much (and how intensly) you play, and the original strength of the reed. Paul has worked with students for years, and I'm sure his estimates are based on extended observations. But we all need to figure it out for ourselves.

sessionsax · 03-03-2003, 07:32 PM

I usually use a reed for about 3 months. I use fibracells and fiberreeds though.

William J. Dillard · 03-04-2003, 08:50 AM

Hi everyone:

I practice about 3 hours daily on my Yamaha Custom 875 with its Meyer 5 mouthpiece and regular, brass, 2-screw ligature. About six months ago, I switched from La Voz medium-soft reeds to Fibracells, medium soft. I found that the Fibracells lasted anywhere from 2 to 3 months, whereas, a La Voz reed played well for only a week or so. In addition to that, one or two of the La Voz reeds were lemons right out of the box.

I thought the medium soft Fibracells (#2.5) were excellent, but then I tried the medium (#3). Wow, they're even more awesome. Some players complain about Fibracell's brightness or dullness etc., but I think with them it just takes patience in finding the right strength for one's particular horn and its set-up.

Regards,

BillyD

Stacey · 03-05-2003, 07:18 PM

On my alto, I've found that the reed usually tells me when it's getting tired. That varies a LOT from reed to reed. Since I don't presently play out anywhere, that's a luxury I can afford - but if I were in the middle of a concert, I wouldn't want the reed to suddenly tell me it's decided to retire.

On soprano, I don't know. I'm still a lousy enough soprano player that when things go south, it's tough to distinguish between "worn out reed" and "Stacey's really awful today".

On C-melody.... well, I need to wait until my mouthpiece shows up. So far I'm still on my first reed, but then again, it's never been used. LOL

Andrew · 03-06-2003, 02:43 AM

I use my reeds till they die...Of course, I have reeds ready to be strapped on, but I use them until they just don't play well anymore.

JEdge · 03-06-2003, 03:54 AM

I feel when they go but usually keep them longer cause im broke. Usually a reed will be at 100% for about a week and then slowly get worse. I do not feel like they suddenly go in an instante but gradually.

JL · 03-07-2003, 11:43 PM

I use V-16s on my tenor. I find some good ones can last a few weeks of steady play, others die out after a couple of gigs. It is highly variable, but the ones that take longer to break in (probably = harder ones) tend to last longer. When I find a really good reed I save it for gigs only. For practicing and rehearsal, I will settle for second best reeds and "gigging" reeds that are close to worn out. On a gig, I want the perfect reed in good condition.

Media Lint · 03-08-2003, 02:17 AM

Through aggressive playing I usually end up destroying them after a few hours of play time. Then I throw them away. They don't really wear out for me, per se ... they just get destroyed, period. At the time I "destroy" them I could, if I had to, continue to play them for several songs if I had to. Reeds are a minor expense of life to me, I don't mind buying a few boxes every other month.

**MusicMedic** · 03-08-2003, 02:16 PM

I used to keep my reeds on a glass plate in a small tupperware with a bit of Listerine on a sponge...
When I went through that painful exercise my reeds lasted a long long time. I audition for college (having several reads) on my favorite reed then, a few years later, used the same reed in another audition!

SaxMBB · 03-17-2003, 02:40 AM

How do you tell when a fibracell has gone bad? I've been playing one, on and off, for about a year. I used to get a good sound and response and now it seems like its gotten stiff and non-responsive (very difficult to get anything out of the lower end). I expected it to get soft and gushy when it wore out - like a cane reed. Any experiences?

Grantibibitus · 03-18-2003, 09:47 PM

It has been my experience that yes a humidified box or case of some sort will extend the life of a reed quite a bit. However, I simply don't understand how guys are going through reeds in only a week. Even when I was on the road, jumping up and down on stage for three hours every night my reeds would still last me a few weeks, chips and all. I dropped the reed box thing a few years ago and now just leave them on the mouthpiece all the time. Dusgusting as it may be, my reeds last no shorter than two months. I've been playing on the same plain rico bari reed for probably three or four months now and I think it's probably time to trim it. I play every day and gig probably five times a month. Sure, reeds loose that initial zing that they had in the first few weeks but they're not unplayable. Buy a Cordier reed trimmer and breathe new life into crap reeds again and again.

If you want my opinion, people who stress over equipment will never be happy with their setup (or themselves for that matter.) If you first learn to overcome any and all shortcommings of your axe, you'll sound so good you'll have guys oooing and ahhhing over your vintage Bundy II. So blow off that Guardala mouthpiece you ordered and the hand select reeds. If you don't like the sound, work at it until you do. Don't go blaming the equipment. You'll spend a lot of money finding out that your axe and setup are only about ten percent of your tone. The other ninety percent is all you.

Media Lint · 03-19-2003, 02:47 AM

Rarely is a reed mounted on the mouthpiece more than five times. I usually end up wrecking them through aggressive playing after a few hours. I also don't take good care of my reeds nor mind buying a box every other month per horn. And I don't even play it that much, not like a studying student.

colibri · 07-31-2003, 08:03 AM

What exactly does a reed do when it dies? How do you know it's dying or dead?

orions_belt27 · 07-31-2003, 08:29 AM

it's considered dead when the tone deteriotes to a point where u sound just bad. i just found out the difference today on a dead reed and a gd fresh reed. Of cos my instructor was quick to point out the deadening tone on my horn, of which my still novice ears couldnt tell the difference having played with it for almost 2 weeks.

but after i had the reed switched, i noticed a very distinct difference in tone. the tone became very much fuller, more solid and sounded definitely better.

kingperkoff · 07-31-2003, 10:26 AM

I play a reed once on a gig then throw it away, unless I'm playing in a hotel or somewhere that I have to play quietly the whole time, then I can get 2 gigs out of a reed.
Another sign that it's dead is the reed goes flat after it wears out.
But the main thing is it loses it's tone and altisimo range.

Ritchie · 07-31-2003, 12:56 PM

Reeds become softer when they wear out, but the tone also suffers. This is because their fibre structure breaks after too much playing. Play a fresh reed from time to time, when the difference becomes obvious (or too much to tolerate), it is time to throw the reed away. Breaking in the reeds also makes them live longer. A set of four reeds in rotation usually lasts several weeks for me.

colibri · 07-31-2003, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ritchie

Reeds become softer when they wear out.

I've never had a reed that gets softer. My reeds (no matter which brand) would actually get harder and harder as it dies. I throw the reed away when it feels like a plank.

Any comments?

Mike Ruhl · 07-31-2003, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colibri

I've never had a reed that gets softer. My reeds (no matter which brand) would actually get harder and harder as it dies. I throw the reed away when it feels like a plank.

Any comments?

I would also say they get softer as they wear out, but it's all perception and semantics. If a worn out reed feels like a hard reed to you, fine. Doesn't really matter - suffice it to say, they don't play as well as they did when new.

MS · 07-31-2003, 05:08 PM

As for hard reeds getting harder, I suspect that as they get older they become less flexible. A soft reed getting less flexible just perhaps brittle and brighter- more two dimensional in sound (maybe lacks resonance and warmth and smoothness from note to note). When hard reeds get less flexible they just get ornery. However if you have the time and learn the craft (reed adjusting), it is possible to get more satisfactory hours out of a hard reed. Then it's a matter which is more important - your time or your money.

+$0.02