Finding the Perfect Reed
Every level of reed is made using the same high-quality materials and crafted with the same precision and care. This is why you will not see a price differentiation from the beginner, to intermediate, to professional reeds. The only difference is the level of resistance in the reed, enabling every level of player to produce an optimal sound.
Beginner Oboe reed
A soft reed is recommended for the new beginner, and a medium-soft for the student who has been playing a few months. The Beginner Oboe Reed is a completely hand-scraped reed from start to finish. It has a focused sound, good pitch and good response in all registers. Because it has been scraped to allow for less resistance, the tone will not be as dark and velvety as a heavier reed, as resistance is primarily what creates tone. This is a great reed choice for students who are just learning the instrument or are in their first year of playing.
Intermediate Oboe Reed
This is a great reed choice for junior high through intermediate level high school students, or for any player who prefers a slightly less resistant reed. The intermediate Oboe Reed is a completely hand-scraped reed from start to finish. It has a focused, warm tone, good pitch and great response in all registers. It has a slightly harder resistance factor than the Beginner Oboe Reed, but is still a manageable strength for the the newer player.
Professional Oboe Reed
The Professional Oboe Reed, geared toward the most advanced high school player, college level and professional player, is a completely hand-scraped reed from start to finish. It has a focused, dark tone, and excellent pitch and response in all registers. I personally prefer just enough resistance to create a warm, yet still colorful sound. Therefore, my reed of choice is more of a “medium” strength professional reed. The “medium-hard” reed is fully finished and has an ease of playing much like that of a nicely broken in reed, but with a touch of added resistance for those who like a little more to blow against. The “hard” reed is also fully finished, but has a little extra cane left to add resistance. So, if you're looking for a lot of resistance or just want a reed that you can do minor tip work on to adjust for personal preference, then the “hard” option may be the best choice.
tied oboe Blank
The Tied Oboe Blank is a hand-tied reed with the ears removed and filed until smooth. It seals all the way down the sides and is ready to be scraped and clipped. This is a good choice for those who don't have the time to tie up reeds. In my opinion, this is also a good choice for those who like a bit smaller opening, as I find when the cane dries in this position, it can cause the cane to “remember” it's closed position.
scraped oboe Blank
The Scraped Oboe Blank is a hand-tied reed with the ears removed and filed until smooth. The bark has been removed, and the tip defined and clipped open. It seals all the way down the sides and is ready to be finished. I find this to be the ideal way to store a reed before doing the finishing work.
beginner/ Intermediate English Horn Reed
This is a great reed for a young oboist transitioning to English horn or for the advanced middle school to high school level student. When transitioning to English horn, the tendency is blow as you would into your tiny oboe reed and significantly smaller instrument. The Beginner/Intermediate English Horn Reed allows an ease of blowing so that the student can get used to using a greater amount of air to fill out the tone of the much larger instrument. This reed has a focused, warm tone, and good response and pitch in all registers.
Professional English Horn Reed
The Professional English Horn Reed is a completely hand-scraped reed from start to finish. Available in both “medium” and “medium-hard” (“hard” upon request), this reed produces a focused, warm tone, and is responsive with great pitch in all registers. This is a great choice for the advanced high school or college student, or amateurs and professionals alike. It's perfect for that gig with that one piece that doubles on English horn.
tied English Horn Blank
The Tied English Horn Blank is a hand-tied reed with the ears removed and filed until smooth. It seals all the way down the sides and is ready to be scraped and clipped. This is a good choice for those who don't have the time to tie up reeds. In my opinion, this is also a good choice for those who like a bit smaller opening as I find when the cane dries in this position, it can cause the cane to “remember” it's closed position.
scraped English Horn Blank
The Scraped English Horn Blank is a hand-tied reed with the ears removed and filed until smooth. The bark has been removed, and the tip defined and clipped open. It seals all the way down the sides and is ready to be finished.
Oboe Cane, planed and cut to size (9.5-10.5 diameter)
I have always wondered why no one sells chopped planed cane. Seems like the hard part would be over and I could just finish with gouging on my own set-up. This would be a great option for someone who loves their gouge but wants to skip the time consuming splitting, chopping and planing. I split cane with a razor blade rather than a cane splitter (which divides the cane into 3 equal parts) so that I can hand select the straightest pieces in the correct diameter. With a splitter, a lot of time is wasted sorting through unusable pieces of cane. The chances of making a fantastic reed are greatly increased when you start with a good product.
Oboe Cane, gouged (9.5-10.5 diameter)
Starting with the chopped and planed cane, the pieces are then gouged on an Innoledy (John Mack version) to .59-.62. This is a terrific gouge which makes consistent, vibrant reeds with lovely tone.
Oboe Cane, gouged, shaped and folded (9.5-10.5 diameter)
The final step before tying up a reed is shaping the cane. The shape I use is the Jeanne tip which makes a stable reed with excellent pitch and a warm sound.