Hi again Mr. Ray, I have just taken out reeds that have been in a drawer for more than 15 years, they are Vandoren V16 2.5. I wanted to throw them away!… I soaked them in a glass of warm water for a minute, dried them, and "Miracle!" »… But why are they better than the ones I just bought?. When I take a new reed, I force it, the sound is not good, not natural, it takes effort, etc. So I take an old reed, and there... the sound comes out on its own, musical, easy intonation. I don't understand? Maybe it's like good wine, you have to let it age?. I will try to modify the new reeds as you explain, and follow your advice. I hope I can improve them. Thanks again for what you do. patrick
Sorry, I just discovered I had missed your question. Reeds do get better as they age with time. Michael Brecker was always playing on reeds that were 10 years old. One of my clarinet teachers played only on reeds that were 5 years old. Every time he pulled a box off the front of the pile, he put a new box on the back of the pile.
I’m not just sure what you are experiencing? Is it that when you go to take your reed off or to move it a little and it’s stuck on the mouthpiece? If so, that is good, no problem! It means your reed has a good seal to the mouthpiece, and that is always a good thing.
The best Synthetic Reed I have found is the Legere 2.5 for alto, 2.75 for Tenor, 2.5 for bari and soprano. The Fibracell is also pretty good (Not Fibercell!) You don't need to work on them generally.
You can prevent the mold growing by placing some rock salt into the reed storage, but I would keep it from touching the reeds. Some people wrap the salt in nylon stocking material or salt water in a sponge. I would not keep it sopping wet. You also do not want to grow salt crystals on your reeds. Good luck!!
