Reeds, what a drag. I had a colleague that swore that the reason high school flutists were usually more advanced than other woodwinds was because they didn’t have to deal with reeds and had more time to practice. Dealing with reeds in Colorado; average humidity 15% - strike one, elevation 5,000 feet (or more!) – strike two, is a challenge to say the least. Here is a fairly basic method for you as you travel down this god-forsaken path.
On all the other saxes and clarinets I use Vandoren - Java for jazz, "blue box" for classical, V12 for soprano clarinet. LaVoz and Rico are not my favorites because I believe the cane and the cut are not of the same quality as reeds by Vandoren. LaVoz reeds work well for me when playing jazz on baritone sax - where tone does not often appear as a critical issue. There are many other boutique brands, sold for prices approaching what you spend on an evening out. Be sure to buy some of those and report back to all of us how they are – we’ll be at dinner.
Buy enough reeds to make good choices. Always have a few boxes of reeds on hand, and at least eight reeds that will play. Rotate the three to eight reeds that really work for those times when you really need to sound your best, not over-playing just one of them.
As you practice, bring another five of the reeds that aren’t the best into rotation, playing each one just a few minutes. I usually force myself with a ritual like this, "This reed is terrible, but I'm going to play half (or just three) my major scales on it before it goes back in the box." Eventually, some of those reeds will soften into shape.
Adjusting Reeds
If you want to cautiously test the waters of reed adjustment, start with two acquisitions:
First, a piece of thick glass, with sharp corners rounded off - so you'll have no ready life threatening edges when you practice session goes south and thoughts of ending it all begin to crowd your thoughts. Some players use auto glass, but I also suggest checking out the local hardware store to see what you can find.
Second, pick up some wet or dry sandpaper of fairly fine grit - 400-600.
After you have tried each reed several - as many as ten - times, wetting it before each session, allowing it to dry afterwards, place the reed - flat side down - on the glass and rock it back and forth, side to side to see if the flat side is truly flat. If it rocks, it's warped, if it doesn't it's possibly OK. If the reed appears to be warped, place the reed on the sandpaper, on the glass, and gently rub it forward and back (with the grain) with the tip of the reed hanging out over the glass so as not to be sanded at all - to flatten the back. Now try the reed. If it plays, play it. If it is no better, put it back into secondary rotation. I don't spend a lot of time working on reeds because with four saxophones, each with classical and jazz mouthpieces, along with clarinet and bass clarinet, that comes to ten different reed set-ups to maintain. I'd rather play than involve myself in extended microscopic "wood shop" moments.
The Search for Tools
Often when I have a spare minute I look in hobby stores for potential reed or quick fix tools. The felt, plastic, or cork self adhesive circles sold as feet for lamps are great for fixing a noisy key, or to adjust key height for your palm keys. My favorite pair of tweezers came from a fishing supply store.