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A Visit to the Davie Cane Co.

Author: GBK
Date: 2003-04-25 18:07

During a visit to South Florida this past week I was fortunate to spend an entire afternoon with Phil Shapiro and Bob Weiner of the Davie Cane Company (Davie, Florida).

For those who may not be aware, Davie Cane is the main US distributor for Gonzalez FOF and Mozart clarinet reeds, as well as selling blanks and tube cane for all single and double reed instruments. They are also a woodwind.org sponsor.

As a new company (only 2 years old) Davie Cane has quickly made a substantial name for themselves with their Gonzalez FOF and Mozart reeds. Players are finding them as a quality alternative to some of the traditional clarinet reed choices.

Gonzalez reeds are now being played and highly recommended by many "household name" players as well as a countless number of very satisfied players who want an aged reed that takes little to no adjusting, and is amazingly consistant from one reed to the next.

I (and many others) have written extensively on this bulletin board on the quality and consistancy of Gonzalez reeds, and those comments can be found under my initials in a search on this board.

Phil and Bob are doing everything correct in marketing and promoting these reeds, as evidenced by their phone constantly ringing with both new and repeat customers.

What impressed me the most, aside from both men being as gracious and hospitable as one could imagine, is their absolute dedication to pleasing each and every customer. Their attitude is one of "just try the reeds - if you don't like them let me know." Customer service with a smile and genuine caring for each musician was truly a pleasure to watch.

We talked shop for quite a while (clarinets. mouthpieces, ligatures, etc...) and tried each others equipment. Phil is a superb clarinetist and his partner Bob Weiner is a professional oboist with fine credentials. They also told me in great detail how their particular grade of Argentinian cane is harvested and brought to market. I also got a glimpse of the new Gonzalez saxophone reeds as well as information on upcoming products. We also compared notes as to the break-in and adjustment methods which we both use for these reeds. Not surprisingly, we use very similar techniques.

All in all it was a day most clarinetists would truly enjoy - talking in detail about reeds and reed making. Phil and Bob's true dedication in bringing the finest possible reeds and cane to market is apparent in everything they do.

In summary, Davie Cane is a company which is growing at an enormous pace, selling first rate single and double reed products, but still maintaining an absolute control over quality while treating each customer like family and listening intently to their concerns.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that the reeds are fabulous? ...GBK

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