I run either four or six reserve reeds for my horns. All are cane; my expensive experimentation with the synthetics has convinced me that I should stay with the natural item and take the appropriate precautions, as below.
Bassoon remains cane as well; the three or four synthetic fag reeds that I have used were all worthless, plain and simple.
To keep them all ready to go, I maintain the reed on each of the horns that I double on. (Currently, only clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor sax for the shows being played this show season; for my show band it's baritone, bass clarinet, clarinet and alto saxophone.) I gave up on mouthpiece caps over thirty years ago, after watching too many clarinet/sax players drop them in the pit. (In the case, the mouthpiece resides either in the compartment or in a bag.)
I mark my book to keep track of which horns are coming up. Prior to their use I periodically "suck" the "on deck" horns to keep things moist. (The bassoon reed resides in the cup on the stand unless it's a very quick change, in which case it stays on the bocal and it gets more oral attention than the other reeds.)
I really want to like synthetic reeds, but the Legeres are too hard on my mouth (cutting into my lip tissue at the worst possible place, the "vermillion verge"), and the others just didn't measure up.
Bassoon remains cane as well; the three or four synthetic fag reeds that I have used were all worthless, plain and simple.
To keep them all ready to go, I maintain the reed on each of the horns that I double on. (Currently, only clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor sax for the shows being played this show season; for my show band it's baritone, bass clarinet, clarinet and alto saxophone.) I gave up on mouthpiece caps over thirty years ago, after watching too many clarinet/sax players drop them in the pit. (In the case, the mouthpiece resides either in the compartment or in a bag.)
I mark my book to keep track of which horns are coming up. Prior to their use I periodically "suck" the "on deck" horns to keep things moist. (The bassoon reed resides in the cup on the stand unless it's a very quick change, in which case it stays on the bocal and it gets more oral attention than the other reeds.)
I really want to like synthetic reeds, but the Legeres are too hard on my mouth (cutting into my lip tissue at the worst possible place, the "vermillion verge"), and the others just didn't measure up.