I used his reed in the rehearsal but it was difficult to play, felt rough, and sounded stuffy. The reed was a brand that I normally use but it was one notch harder than my normal strength. Because I didn't have my reed case, I had to store it on the mouthpiece for the journey home. To no surprise, the reed dried out and warped. That is why I regularly keep my reeds in a bona fide reed case.
This morning, I tried the reed again but when I wetted it, the warping was even more severe. I took out my modest reed sanding kit consisting of No. 600 wet/dry sandpaper and a piece of 1/2" plexiglass stored in a box.
My Reed Kit
(box is clever packaging that once contained new Lucky Strike fishing lures)
To fix the reed, I placed the sandpaper on the plexiglass and gently pushed the reed across the gritty side of the sandpaper in a fluid motion away my body. This way, I am sanding with the grain. It is okay to sand when the reed is wet.
My next step was to place the reed directly onto the plexiglass, flat side down (as shown in the photo) and lightly sand the opposite side of the reed.
I repeat this two-step process except I use the smooth side of the sandpaper to buff the reed.
After I completed this sanding process, I tried playing the reed and behold, it came to life. Perhaps not all bad reeds can be saved this way but this little reed kit has saved me from prematurely discarding plenty of reeds.
