Do Saxophone Reeds Expire?

As of lately, I’ve had some old boxes of reeds, never opened, and I became curious as to whether or not they would be just as effective as if I had opened them shortly after they were made. In other words, do saxophone reeds have an expiration date if they’re left unused? That’s the question that I’ve set out to answer today.

Saxophone reeds almost never expire provided that they are not being actively used. This is especially true if the reed is kept in its original container and never played at all. Reeds which you are actively using will likely last anywhere from 1-4 weeks provided you are playing regularly and taking good care of the reed.

Whether or not a reed can expire depends also on how it is being stored as well as the extent to which the reed has had previous usage. If you’re here to find out how quickly reeds wear out if you’re actively playing them, I’ll address that further down in the article and offer some estimates on how long a reed is likely to last depending on how often you’re playing. I’ll also give some tips on how to make the reeds last longer.

Old unused reeds 

Three different cases come to mind with respect to whether an older reed can expire:

1. The reed has never been opened or used at all. It is either still in some kind of protective packaging, or in a box which is unopened and sealed.
2. The reed has never been used, but has no protective packaging. It’s just lying around, either in a box or somewhere else.
3. The reed has experienced some use, but not enough to completely wear it out (otherwise you should probably throw it away, or perhaps modify it if you think it might be worth reviving). It then gets picked up years later.

I’ll go through each of these cases, and discuss whether or not the reed is likely to expire and, if so, how long you can expect that expiration process to take.

Case 1: The reed is unopened and protected

The best example of this case is the typical Vandoren reed, still in its original humidity-controlled wrapping. It probably will never expire if you leave it in its wrapping. If it does expire, it will probably take at least several decades to do so.

A completely unused and protected Vandoren reed is exposed to none of the typical factors which tend to contribute to a reed expiring. The reed is sealed at the perfect humidity for reeds, so it won’t dry out or get waterlogged. It also is going to be relatively free from bacteria and mold, which would normally wear a reed out over time.

Case 2: The reed is unused, but not protected

Say that the reed wasn’t made by Vandoren or another company which packages reeds in a humidity-controlled setting. Maybe it is still in a box, but the box isn’t meant to maintain the humidity at a certain level. In this case, the reed will still probably last for a long time, perhaps even several decades, but you might need to be careful about where you store it.

If you leave the reeds in a place that is either extremely dry or humid, then this could cause the reed to expire. Reeds are meant to be preserved at a specific humidity level, and drastically throwing this off will gradually affect the way that the reed plays when it is eventually used. The humidity probably doesn’t have to be perfect. Having the box lie somewhere in your house is fine, and it won’t ruin the reeds inside of it.

Case 3: The reed is slightly used, but was set aside

This is probably the most ambiguous case. Say that you opened a new reed and played on it for a few times, but then set it aside for whatever reason. You then pick it up years later for whatever reason, and start using it. 

In this case, the reed has been exposed to your mucus and bacteria, which might wear it down to some extent. However, the bacteria probably won’t survive a period of several years, meaning that their impact might be minimal. 

It also depends whether or not the reed was given the chance to dry or air out after its most recent use. If it was wet and left in a case, it might have become moldy. This will probably affect how it plays in the long run.

That being said, if it is allowed to dry out after its initial use (and perhaps even if it isn’t), it will probably be fine to pick up years later. In fact, some musicians even claim that they discarded reeds initially because they didn’t play well, but found the reed to be excellent when they came back to it. Perhaps reeds sometimes get better with age?

Reeds that you are actively using 

Maybe you clicked on this article with the intention of trying to figure out whether or not the reed which you are actively playing on will eventually wear out. The reed will certainly wear out and will typically last no longer than a month. Precisely how long that takes depends on how well you are taking care of it as well as how frequently you use it.

Most saxophonists and other reed musicians will cycle through their reeds, so that they do not use the same reed every time they play. A good portion of these musicians will practice so frequently that they still use each of their reeds once per day, for a period of about 30 minutes to an hour. The longest that I would expect a reed to last this way is a month, and more realistically it might last about two weeks.

If you are reading this, chances are you might not be the sort of person who has the time to practice for several hours per day. You might only play for one hour every day, and you might use one or two reeds the entire time. Provided that you still cycle reeds (having about 4-8 reeds in use at one time) and don’t use the same one two days in a row, you could probably get the reeds to last a full month, if not slightly longer.

If you aren’t able to practice each day and you still cycle your reeds, it might even be possible for your reeds to last for three to four months. This is a little bit of a stretch, but if your reeds aren’t getting frequently used, then they can last for long periods of time.

Keep in mind that if you aren’t cycling your reeds at all, they will wear out much more quickly depending on how frequently you play. It is difficult to give an exact rate at which they will wear, but reeds generally need time to recover (usually at least a day) from use. Giving them more time to recover will nearly always save you money in the long run, which is why I always recommend cycling reeds.

Making reeds last longer 

The first and most obvious thing you can do to make your reeds last longer is to cycle through them. Don’t play on the same reed every time. Number your reeds, and each time you practice use the next number in the sequence until you eventually go back to the first reed in the sequence. 

After you finish practicing with a reed, make sure that the reed doesn’t stay soaked. Reeds always have some moisture in them, but if they are completely drenched then they might become moldy. Instead of just throwing it back in your case immediately, you might try pinching the reed between your thumb and index finger and moving your two fingers toward the tip of the reed as you squeeze. This will remove excess moisture.

Alternatively, you could just leave the reed sitting out to dry for a while, which is probably the better option if you have the time. It is best to leave reeds on a glass surface, as this prevents warping.

Speaking of warping, you should also make sure that you are storing your reeds in a way that prevents warping and maintains them at a reed-friendly humidity. The easiest way to prevent warping is to buy a reed case specially designed to prevent warping and maintain humidity. Keep in mind that the casing which comes with the reed is basically never suitable for storage. They don’t prevent the reed from warping, preserve humidity, or allow the reed to dry after being soaked. 

Finally, the last piece of advice I have is to always make sure your mouth is clean before playing. Ideally, this means brushing your teeth and rinsing with mouthwash. Saliva, especially if you’ve eaten recently, can break down a reed much faster than it would otherwise wear out. While this could be marginally helpful if you are trying to break in a new reed, it is definitely best to keep your mouth clean if you want the reeds to last.