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VK reeds can be played straight out of the box, without any preparation. There’s absolutely no need to pre-wet or prepare them. Place the reed on the mouthpiece as you would do with a cane reed, and tighten it on the mouthpiece with your usual ligature.
Take care not to damage the reed tip when removing the reed from its packaging. The reed tip is the most fragile part of the reed, and requires special care.
Throughout the life of the reed do not to stress or knock the reed tip, because although VK reeds do not chip, the tip can be irreparably deformed by contact with a hard surface. You may not realize it, as the deformation is sometimes barely visible, but a VK reed with a deformed tip will no longer function properly.
For optimum performance, we recommend that you select the correct reed strength. Please refer to the equivalence table provided.
The position of the reed on the mouthpiece is very important. You can slightly modify the feeling of strength by moving the reed up or down in relation to the tip of the mouthpiece.
The advantage of VK reeds: 2 reeds of the same strength are identical. Feeling of strength, sound, projection, stability, etc. do not vary from one reed to another.
VK reeds should be stored with minimum stress, if possible, in their original packaging or on a reed holder with a perfectly flat surface.
As with cane reeds, we recommend that you do not leave the reed on the mouthpiece after playing.
Caution: reed holders that pinch the bevel can permanently damage the reed.
If for any reason the reed has not been stored properly, let it rest on a flat surface for 72 hours, then try using it again.
The material is a fibrous composite [polypropylene/polypropylene] designed, patented and produced by VANDOREN, in Bormes-Les-Mimosas, France, and is 100% recyclable. This material is perfectly harmless, conforming to the toy standard, chemical part, Directive EU 2009/48/EC, annex II – part III.
The material is also hypoallergenic.
The advantage of VK reeds: the material is washable and can be easily disinfected with alcohol or any food-grade disinfectant.
The material of VK reeds is exceptionally durable and stable: insensitive to humidity, non-deforming when dried, resistant to saliva and most chemical agents.
Our advice: to optimize the life of your VK reed, we recommend that you rotate it on 2 reeds, trying not to exceed 1 hour of play between each rotation.
The advantage of VK reeds: fatigue strength is ten times greater than that of a cane reed (tests carried out on a bending bench at 35°C, 100% RH).
No, it’s not possible to touch up VK reeds (no resurfacing, no scraping of the bevel, no recutting of the tip). You won’t get good results because of the fibers that make up the material. These highly resistant fibers explain the material’s exceptional behavior, but also make it particularly difficult to machine. High-performance equipment is required to work the material.
A few fibers may appear on the edges during use. This in no way impairs the reed’s operation. However, if you wish to remove these fibers, don’t pull on them! Instead, we advise you to cut them gently with a sharp pair of scissors.
We do not recommend heating a reed in an attempt to modify its strength.
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