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Filed vs unfiled

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2019-11-30 22:56

I've wondered many times what effects reed designers intend when they design reeds with the end of the bark squared off ("file cut" or, sometimes, "French cut") or rounded ("unfiled"). Vandoren starts the vamps of its Traditional, V.12, 56 Rue lepic and V21 reeds in four different ways - two varieties each of filed and unfiled styles.

Traditionals are filed. The bark seems consistently to be cut off some distance, about 1/8 inch, from the beginning of the vamp.

V.12s are filed straight, but very close to the end of the vamp cut.

56 Rue lepics have a rounded cut into the bark and are unfiled.

V21 are unfiled, but from the few I've looked at, the cut into the bark is much straighter across than the 56 Rues.

From what I remember, there are similar differences among the various Rico and D'Addario reed models. There are lots of other examples of both types.

These differences in the start of the vamp are obviously deliberate choices by the reed designers. I'm curious: what are the purposes of each style and what if any influence does the choice of cut have on the design of the vamp's profile?
How are these differences **meant** to affect the reeds' performance?

Karl

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