Reeds Reed cutters, essential accessory or expensive gimmick?

[Bobby G]

I can't decide....

Cheers, Bob

 

[oliver_bentley]

IMHO they're useful - saves you money on reeds, when they get too soft you can clip them, instead of just replacin em, and as I picked mine up second hand for a tenner (the clipper not the reeds:x) then well worth it.

Then again clipped reeds never quite the same- spose if you were doin it properly it depends on matching the right clipper to the type of reed you have, then you get the right curve on the end. But cant say it makes that much difference.

Oli

 

[Pete Thomas]

Ken wrote:
Sometime ago, I read Pete's suggestion on burning the tips of reeds around a coin.

I couldn't find a coin the right shape/size and questioning Pete on whether the reed tips needed sanding afterwards brought no response.

I don't remember that. Anyway the answer is that I didn't bother sanding the tip.

I would only ever do this as a sort of last resort if I was on a gig with a reed that was too soft and didn't have a clipper, as the clippers give you a more precise cut.

I'd always prefer to use a reed that doesn't need clipping.

 

[ken_aust]

Bob,
Bin your reed cutter. Reeds are never the same once clipped.
Buy your reeds slightly on the hard side rather than on the soft side.
Get yourself the Vandoren made rectangular shaped sander, yellow ( coarse) one side brown (fine) the other.


Ken Aust

 

[robaldo]

Poor Bob's looking for something to spend his money on!

Tell you what bob; here's something for you to spend your money on, and that will further your knowledge and ability into the bargain:

Buy as many different types of reeds as you can find, and road-test them. There're all the vandoren and rico sorts, but then there's all manner of other things like the synthetics, the plasticote, and obscure makes like phat.

Score each of them against a range of criteria (consistency, strength, lifespan etc), and have a whale of a time spending a moderate amount of money while avoiding practising and serving the need for sundry saxophone ephemera.

I did this a couple of years ago, and found it not only satisfying my need to spend money, but also enjoyable and educational. Still using the V16s (which I concluded to be the best).

 

[Bobby G]

Done that comparison thing, Rob! Now I stick with one or two types of reed only, but I had heard that a reed cutter was 'essential' from some quarters, so I was wondering whether to invest. Not having compared with other players, but my reeds seem to last quite well anyway, maybe I'm quite gentle on them. Will playing loud and hard wear 'em out quicker?

Cheers, Bob

 

[spike]

Bob Green wrote:
Will playing loud and hard wear 'em out quicker?

I would say yes Bob, when I strap a new reed on that's a bit muffy I just give it a bit of welly for five minutes and it seems to work itself in a little bit, so I'm pretty sure givin' em lots of welly's gonna wear 'em out quicker.

To remark on the reed cutter - in my opinion they're a bit of an anachronism these days - a lot of the time you can use yer reeds fresh out the box, maybe a little balancing act but certainly no snippin' off the ends. If you check out a reed thru a magnifying glass you'll see the fibres running longways and the cells in between that hold the fibres together, when a reed starts getting done and feathered at the tip you'll see that the cell walls are becoming perforated, and even disentigrating entirely so the physical structure of the reed is becoming weakened, but not only at the front of the reed but all the through up to the heart, that's when the fibres start warping to the shape of the mouthpiece cos they've got no lateral support from the cells, and when the cells give up the ghost completely you'll get splits in the reed, which is end of story. Facit: If yer a classical clari player whittlin' yer own reeds - necessary, - if not get a designer model in 24 ct gold and use it as a paper weight.
gruss - spike

 

[robaldo]

How many reeds can you buy for the price of a reed cutter?

 

[spike]

There you go Robbo - now that puts it in an economic nutshell.

 

[gordon_]

Reed cutters are a waste of money!
Ok, if you cut a soft reed down a bit, it will be firmer but it will still sound as dead as it was before. In fact I have cut a soft but buzzy reed and killed all of the buzz from it! Cutting a reed really wont bring it back to life 🙁 I've also tried the suggestions in the Larry Teal bible on sanding reeds but have never managed to get a good result. I can only imagine that all of this reed tinkering was something that was done years ago because reeds were relatively far more expensive than they are today, or perhaps they werent easy to get hold of in pre-internet shopping times. Yes, I have spent some careful time on reeds and I don't think that I'm particulary heavy-handed but I've concluded it is just a waste of effort and it's best to cut your loss on a dead reed.
A quality reed only costs the same as a pint so dont worry too much about them 😉

 

[Bobby G]

Good input Gordon, I reckon reed consistency probably is better than it used to be. I never do anything to a reed other than play on it. I usually give them a rest when they get a bit soft, a few weeks holiday seems to do them some good. Economically it makes sense to buy New reeds rather than a cutter, especially as I only drink coffee.

Spike, I like your approach to a slightly duff reed, just blow the little bugger into submission. You have to show it who's boss. I'll try that myself sometime.

Cheers, Bob

 

[Bobby G]

Ken wrote:

Gordon wrote: A quality reed only costs the same as a pint so dont worry too much about them 😉

I agree Gordon about the reeds, but how much does a decent pint cost now?

Probably about 50% more than reasonable reeds (Rico Royals or Jazz Selects) although I wouldn't really know. The only alcohol that I drink is red wine.

Cheers }hic{ Bob