Okay so I've been having a nosey at some various reed manufacturer websites and one claimed that "most reeds only last 10 hours"... is this true? Seriously? I mean I never recall my old reeds only lasting 10 hours I used to get a good three/four weeks out of them. I'll probably do 10 hours of practice a week... is it seriously going to cost me £12 per week for reeds?

It varies from reed to reed.
Sometimes I've had them work well for months & others go off after a few weeks.
It's best to keep 2 or 3 going at the same time - they can revive after a rest. Also their response can vary with the weather - changing temperature & humidity does affect the cane.

Thanks for that tip! I had read that it is advisable to buy a few at once but the reason it was recommended was so that you don't suddenly need to go and buy a new one... I'd never realised that reeds were good after a rest! I'll remember this. I must admit, I've still got all the little bits and pieces to buy. I only bought one reed until pay day, but this bassoon needs a new neck strap and some pullthroughs too and I don't even have my old reed case anymore... so there's an ever growing list.

As far as I remember I used to get a good length out of my old reeds so I'm hoping the same will prove to be true... but I never had the world of the internet at my finger tips back then... so i'm reading all these comments for the first time and some of them just make me a bit jubious because they are all things I never recall as problems :O

I'm enjoying it though... and loving being able to jump on here and get answers from much more knowledgable people... I need to book a bassoon lesson soon, but in the mean time I'm just working my way through my beginners books! xx

To make your reeds last longer, be sure to rinse them out after playing. That saliva that gets onto them is great for digesting things, and after you play on the reed, the saliva left on it just keeps on digesting things, namely your reed.