36 Now tha

t youve spen
t time condi
tioning, adju
sting, and cu
stomizing yo

urreeds to
the point
where they
play exactly
as you
desire, you

need to
store and
carefor
them in such
a manner
that they

will work for

you as
long as
possible. All
reeds,
nomatter

how
carefully you
prepare and
care for
them, have a
nite life

span. This
willnot be
the same for
each reed,
and there is
no magic

number
that
indicates
how longa
reed will, or
should,

last. Longevi
ty is
determined
by a number
of factors
discussedea

rlier in
our discussi
on of
the conditio
ning
process.

Generally,
though,
the lifespan
ofa reed is
measured in
playing

hours, which
can vary
considerably
. Here are s
ome suggesti
ons on carin

g properly f
or your reed
s to get the
mostout of
their
longevity

and their
playability
while being
used:

1.

Store your
reeds in
a highquality reed
case. While
my own

preference
is to
storemy
reeds in a
case that
has a means

of
controlling
the relative
humidity
insidethe
case, it is

perfectly
acceptable
to place a
traditional
case inside a
sealedzip-

lock bag
containing
a cigar
humidier
or some
other

method of
controllingh
umidity. See
the section
on
equipment

for a
discussion of
these cases.