Fish: I haven't used those reeds since I was a student playing a Bundy II back in the 1980s. From what I can remember, they were "okay" and inexpensive at first, but then as the years rolled on, I found that less and less of them were "okay."
Hey Curtis: Remember when a GREAT reed only cost about $.79? Gosh, not anymore!
Okay, now Mr. Anal Retentive is about to chime in again.........
Well, here's the problem. In my experience, you cannot judge the quality of a certain brand of reed from using just one. When I buy reeds, I buy them in boxes of 10. They are about 50% cheaper that way also. I soak and play test each one. With my Vandorens, I know that I'll usually wind up rejecting at least 2 or 3 of them. This doesn't mean Vandorens are bad. I've had other brands where I've rejected many more than that.
Now to toss in some other variables. Reed should be broken in correctly to obtain the most longevity. Why? It's because they start out life rather stiff (but there are exceptions) and you don't want to vibrate them too much when they are new and stiff. I know from experience that this will shorten their life. I will only play a brand new reed for five minutes the first time around. Sometimes only 20 minutes the second time around. I usually don't worry about the second time around though. It just depends.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a Rico size #2 is not the same hardness are a Vandoren size #2. Different companies measure reed hardness differently. A Vandoren size #2 is about about the same as a Rico size 2 1/4. It gets even more complicated when you add in some other brands of reeds.
I agree with Curtis about the spoon trick. What he's doing, is sealing up the pores on the reed. The same thing can be done using your thumb also. Just stroke the reed toward the tip a few dozen times while it is wet. It will make the reed last much longer. It will also help to keep it flat as it dries out. I also stroke them in this manner each time I put them away. I never let my reeds dry out 100%. I live in a very dry climate that is hard on reeds. This is why I use the cigar humidifier.
The reed you tried may be salvageable. If I have a reed that is too stiff, I will use 400 wet/dry sandpaper very carefully to remove a little from certain parts of it. If I have a reed that is too soft, I will use my reed trimmer on it. Modifying reeds is an art that requires some practice, and knowing the anatomy of the reed - ie the vamp, the heart, etc. A reed can be broken down into about 7 different areas. Modifying any one of them, or a combination of them, can give a variety of predictable results. Reeds are seldom the perfect hardness right out of the box. Just like hands and gloves, they have to be broken in, at least, for the right fit. Sometimes that also requires a little modification. But hey, it's your money as they say.
I've never seen a mouthpiece that can work well with any reed. When I get a new mouthpiece, I will first pick a brand of reed that has a reputation for quality. I will then try about 3 different sizes of reed from that brand to narrow things down more.
Now Rico makes some reeds that are good, and some that are notoriously bad also. You get what you pay for. Again, this is from MY experience, and the experiences of others who I am familiar with. With Rico, you get what you pay for. The Rico "Select Jazz" are considered to be pretty good. I have a few of those here, but the Vandorens definitely blow them away - especially when new. In my opinion, if there is a cheap a$$ Rico that is working well on your horn, there is probably a Vandoren that will work even better, but you haven't found it yet. *laugh*
I'm still amazed that Curtis can get a year out of a reed. I'm not saying I don't believe him. I have heard of people doing this, but then again, they usually say it's rare - even for them. The most I've ever gotten out of a reed was several months. The norm for me is about 2 weeks. I play at least 2-3 hours every single day, so that may have something to do with it also? Or maybe I'm just a little more fussy about my sound than most folks? I can literally hear a reed going downhill on my sax. I've had reeds go into the trash bin after the 2nd or 3rd playing. In fact, that is how I discovered the NEED to break them in properly.
Reed quality with the big companies has also gone wayyyy downhill over the years. Mainly because of the quality of the cane. Growing good cane is a pain in the butt. The best cane comes from the "Var" region in France. Over the last 25 years or so, companies have started getting their cane from elsewhere. This is because the "Var" region has turned out to also be prime real estate, so the growing fields just keep getting smaller and smaller and the price of the cane keeps going up and up. So now the big reed companies have turned to Mexican cane - mostly crap, but it's useable, to keep their profit margins up. This is another reason I'm thinking of trying to switch over to Alexander reeds as a lot of the pros have.
If you want to learn ALOT about reeds, the get yourself a copy of Larry Teal's "The Art Of Saxophone Playing." That book is worth it's weight in gold and it's inexpensive. Larry discusses reed modification in depth - and the money you'll save on reeds will more than pay for the book. Also, if you go to the "Alexander Reeds" web site, he has an article with suggestions on properly breaking in and caring for reeds. That is also worth the time to read.
