Yes, that's what I'd want too. If it would be a kind of one of purchase and last if not forever for a really decent amount of time I'd think about dishing out the cash but if it's not gonna sound really great and last indefinitely then I don't see the point and it's a lot of cash (10 reeds worth plus of some types) - an expensive experiment...

I'd been unhappy for quite a while with my reeds. I'd always used the Vandoren Traditionals but recently the sound was muffled and unclear. I tried changing the grade but still no luck. I then tried Rico and Rico Royal but couldn't reach the high notes as clearly.

I then found a thread on here which mentioned Reeds Direct- I never knew there was so many different types. After a lot of deliberation I decided on the Rue Lepic what a difference ! They are quite expensive but the sound is so much better and I don't feel so frustrated with my playing!

Thanks for all the information on here, it was really helpful.

Hello KatieB

I'm a fellow user of Rue lepics and I've found the same as you. Out of interest what strength do you use and what's your instrument set up? I play a Buffet E13 with a 5RV mouthpiece, a BG ligature and strength 3 reeds.

I ask because some people like us have found them worth the extra money and a number have not found them any better than the traditionals. I wonder whether they are more suited to some set-ups than others

It seems in part to depend on the lay of your mouthpiece, I play on an M13 lyre and the rue lepics don't suit it at all although they sound very good when I have tried them on other mouthpieces. The V12's work well with the mouthpiece I use

AAGGHH!!

I seem to be having reeds ganging up on me at the moment.

I'm now using Legere Signature synthetic reeds all the time and am very impressed with them, they are expensive but last for ages, I tried synthetic reeds again because of my lip but haven't used a cane reed for months now. Even my very fussy teacher likes the sound and it is miles better than the earlier legere reeds I tried

Oh dear. Any particular issues, sbhoa?

Have a few hard to play ones which are not improving for having had a good blow.
This is so unusual for the reeds I use.

Maybe leave them for a bit, and try them again later?

Keep coming back to them once a week or so. Some are pretty stubborn.

That's a good move. Very occasionally you may come across some really stubborn ones that just don't ever want to know...

Probably a silly question but have you tried soaking them? Doesn't always work for me but is occasionally successful!

No, not tried that......

It's not a silly question.

I soak my reeds! Have a "reed bowl", which is this little chinese style rice bowl ... not musically related at all!

I meant it might be a silly question because sbhoa might have already tried it.

I don't routinely soak my reeds but have found that it's helped with some of the more non-compliant ones!!

And I use an egg cup!!

How long do you soak them for?
Do you use tepid water?

I always soak new reeds, for about 30 seconds in tepid water. Tepid as in cold water from the tap, with the chill taken off by some boiled water from the kettle. I use an egg cup so can't test the water with my elbow but I know what I'm aiming for (which might be wrong of course!)

I use water from the cold tap. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about how long to soak. When I started sax I was putting my reed in water about an hour before I wanted to use it but I don't bother any more. The crucial thing is to make sure that you dry them flat after you've used them - if you don't the heart (thick part in the middle) will swell up and then your reed will be worse than ever because it won't sit flat against your mouthpiece. The ordinary plastic case the reeds come in should be fine for this - just give the reed a wipe and put it straight back in the case.

I know that others will have much more elaborate reed preparation techniques than this but I've found that this has helped me with some of the reeds I've struggled with. I usually just play new reeds straight from the box. The ones that I can't, I soak and if they're no better, I get rid - I'm really trying to break that habit of 'saving for later' - I think some reeds just don't work, or at least that it would take a much better player than I to play well on them!

Hope that helps - let us know how you get on!

Thanks.
Given the stubborn ones a soak and will see how they are over the next few days.
As I said before this is very unusual for these reeds. I've been using Rico reserves for some time now and until this latest batch only had 2 or 3 that weren't good straight out of the box.

The funny thing is I still try and moisten my synthetic legere's old habits die hard. With cane reeds I used to soak for about 1/2 hour if needed and use tepid water

I've never soaked reeds before. It's a new idea for me.

You may find that you just don't like it - it definitely makes them easier to play but I have found that unless the reeds are very hard, you can get a very 'buzzy' (sorry, don't know the technical term!! ) sound. I just think it's worth a try if the alternative is ditching the reed altogether!

For my legere reeds I put them in the fridge for an hour to revive them as they soften after an hour or two playing but then return to good condition after a bit of a chill

Could be down to weather conditions or maybe the heating in your house drying the air? Why not try 2 or 3 weeks without heat and see if the reeds go back to normal

Clarinet isn't in a particularly warm spot and new ones are in the kitchen where there's no heating and humidity is normal to high (when cooking sometimes). I have a humidity metre in there to keep an eye on it for the piano. Some improvement in a couple since soaking.

Glad you've had some success with the soaking! Wouldn't recommend turning the heating off at the moment!!

Last week my lesson was mostly spent in trying whatever reeds were there to try to find a solution.
The next day I opened the new box of Rico Reserves (2.5) I had and they were ok. Seems like I had a rogue box.
As the week went on I became more aware that they might be a bit too soft for me so tried some others I had around. The 3s are too hard but I was better with the V12 2.5 and the Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic 2.5 which I thought gave me more depth of tone.
After lesson today decided that the Rue Lepics are going to be the better option for me for the time being so ordered a box. I don't exactly have a cheap taste in reeds!!
Anyway, pleased to have sorted it out for now at least. Not being able to play properly was not fun.

Glad it's sorted! I have expensive taste in reeds too - just ordered a box of my favourites, which are Razzco Vintage XLs (unfiled) in a 2.5 - not to be confused with the ordinary Vintage ones, which I don't like at all!

I have a feeling that you may like these too but they are ?25 a box ! Have a look at the description on Reeds Direct - if you haven't tried them and like the sound, I'll bring one to the York Play Day (assuming that you'll be there, whenever it may be!) and you can try them. They work best on mouthpieces which have a close tip and a long lay, which I think will suit yours!

Glad you got it sorted. The last time I tried 56s, I didn't really notice enough of a change to convince me it was worth the extra money...

I'm having another reed crisis as well. Until last week I had some lovely 56s but suddenly they all went mushy together and the ones from the next box are nowhere near as good. I got some Mitchell Lurie 3s and they aren't good either. I am struggling on with a few of each, making little adjustments and trying to improve them. I make many more mistakes when I'm not happy with the reed because Im concentrating on the sound and not on the music. I've still got some V12 2.5s somewhere so maybe I'll add those today to add to my confusion.

Thanks, that would be good. The problem has been finding something which gives me the 'pure' sound I want.


It's been difficult finding reeds that don't make me sound as though someone stuffed a sock up the end of the clarinet. It seems that the mouthpiece change this time was a bigger one which I've taken time to get used to (still working on it to some extent I think). Getting more depth while maintaining the clarity I like has not been easy. Don't know whether where I'm at in my clari development has a bearing on getting the sound settled too.

That is a possibility

If it is sounding like a sock is stuffed up your clarinet your reed may be too hard.

Depending on your mouthpiece the more open the lay of the mouthpiece the softer the reed you will need for example the B45, B40 end of the spectrum vandoren mouthpieces will require a softer reed than for example their M13, M15 mouthpieces. Also some mouthpieces are more suited to V12 style and others the traditional vandorens.

I've been through lots of trials with reeds but now use the legere signature almost all the time, they are expensive but last ages and once you get the right strength for you are very consistent

These are what I use too - Strength 3 though.




Oooh.... I remember saying last time we should have a reed swap shop ... A few of us with similar tastes/ requirements club in to buy a different box each and then meet up to do swapsies.....


And you and I have always agreed to disagree on that one .... On my set up I think there's quite a big difference.

Sboha - which mouthpiece have you got now I forget ....????

I'm fighting with a "sock stuffed up the clari" sound at the moment too but it's not the reed. Think it's probably a linkage problem. Will get the instrument up to Bradford for a service when I get the chance.

I'm having a bad time with reeds at the moment. All are too hard or too soft so am struggling with Bb Eb bass and sax all at the same time. I'm hoping it is a weather thing which seems plausible with all sizes going odd at the same time.

Talking of mouthpieces I've just bought a new one the M30 lyre so am adjusting to it at the moment and still haven't decided the optimum reed strength yet , have changed from the much more closed M13, the new one does sound very nice but the only thing I'm finding at the moment is I quite often get a top A instead of top E but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon

Yes, I think that was the problem with the 3s at the moment with this mouthpiece.
I tend to keep reeds longer than some people think I should.


I have an M30.

It's really tempting to do this, especially if the reed is a particularly good one. However, in all cases, it's not a brilliant idea...

When I told Mr hoa today how much a box of reeds was costing me he asked how long they last.
I told him that with me it's usually longer than they should.

I wonder what he made of that answer...

When I actually put a figure on it he wasn't overly impressed. He thought that a box should do me best part of a year.

It'd have to be a big box

It also depends how fussy you are with your reeds, and whether you are ruthless enough to throw them away or put them aside to give them a second chance on another day

I hope he doesn't tell Mr Moo.

This is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string but interested in opinions on how long we should expect a good reed to last? I started my box of lovely new reeds last night and thought I would actually take note of how it is before I'm buying another one this time!

My clarinet sounds so much better than it did and is so much easier to play. No sign of any socks inside clarinet (!) at lower end and I can play easily up to altissimo F. A week ago, I was struggling and beginning to think I'd overdone it with the sax playing and destroyed my clarinet embouchure - what a difference a good reed makes!!

Forgive me clarijo but which reeds do you use? (you've no doubt told us this earlier in the thread but trawling through it........... ) My usually good Vandorens are proving less than reliable and I'm thinking about changing.

I'd try a load of different ones (including different sorts of Vandoren), and see what works for you

I'd do as Barry suggests, Louise - I have tried LOADS of reeds! My absolute favourites are Razzco (also known as Reeds Australia) Vintage XL unfiled. These seem to really suit me, the clarinet and my mouthpiece but I think they are a bit obscure and not many places stock them. They are also quite pricey at ?25 for a box of ten but they really work for me - they are made for mouthpieces with a close tip and a long facing. However, I seem to think that you have a 5RV? So they may not suit you.

I used to use ordinary Vandoren Traditionals but got fed up with them being inconsistent and having to discard loads. Also tried V12s which were just ok - nothing special. Liked the Rue Lepics for a while but found that unless the mouthpiece was in exactly the same position every time, I squeaked - don't know why but they do slope at the sides and I don't know whether it was that.

I've also used Rico Reserves and Mitchell Luries but found my lower notes sounded quite stuffy. I quite liked the Rico Royals at the lower end but struggled with the altiissimo!

So, that's my reed history!

You can end up spending a fortune buying single reeds but I think Jonathan Myall do mixed boxes (Lois posted about this in another thread somewhere), which look like good value - I think you get Vandorens and Ricos, rather than just one brand too, so that might be worth a try. Good luck!

Having found a brand that I like, I'm not really interested in experimenting further but the others which were on my list to try were the Razzco Passion and also Pilgerstorfer (sp?) Dolce - both on the Reeds Direct website. Howarths have a useful reed strength comparison chart too, which might be worth a look!

Possibly : I think it's more likely that you just didn't really get on with them.