[Harp-L] Another reason why polishing reed bases might increase their life

[David Pearce]

I was wondering if there might be another reason why reeds whose bases have been polished down 2 semitones or more might last longer.  (Until I see a controlled study I'm skeptical.)  Might it be that the base of the reed is thinner, rather than smoother?  I would think that a reed with a thinner base would be less likely to break when the reed vibrates because the base is more flexible.

David Pearce