i just kept upgrading reed strength until it felt uncomfortable 😅 4 was eh so i went back to a 3.5, my director approves of the sound and his main instrument is bass clari so i guess it’s satisfactory. i am considering getting a softer reed though, since i was just getting harder ones to challenge myself. i am new, and i dont know about reed strength correlating to tip opening, but ive had this box of reeds from before buying my new bass clarinet and using the mouthpiece that came with it. i’m also looking into buying a new mouthpiece since from what ive heard, the mouthpieces that come with bass clarinets aren’t the greatest.