Klarinet Archive - Posting 000444.txt from 1996/11

From: "David B. Niethamer" <niethamer@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Vandoren reeds
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 15:55:19 -0500

Bill, you wrote:

>I have been wondering what the
>prevalent wisdom is about balancing/voicing. I have been through the reed
>knife (useless for tip work), X-acto knife (great but encourages gouging and
>overworking or "spotting" and hence uneven voicing), and presently have
>returned to fine sandpaper. I feel the fine sandpaper allows me to *preserve
>the manufacturer's slope*.

James Pyne sells a knife and plexiglass plaque with a curve in the
sharpened part of the blade, close to the tip. It arrived *very* sharp,
and on the curved part particularly, was very useful for working the tip.
I still use sandpaper to smooth the surface of the reed after using the
knife.

Until I began making my reeds, I used my Bohsys knife as a plaque -
nothing else to do with it!

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
niethamer@-----.edu
dbnclar1@-----.com
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/