Author: huboboe
Date: 2014-08-16 05:08
Mike and Frank -
We'll probably never get to the end points of soaked/unsoaked, but we CAN do the practical, 'standard' thing of X time (20 minutes?) at a standard water temperature, measure, and continue for some further time interval and test again. This would provide a comparative initial measurement followed by a 'is-it-soaked-yet' indication of how to deal with that cane.
Craig - I, too, was puzzled by altitude changes. I work in the SF Bay Area, at sea level. But I used to play the summer Tahoe Festival at 7000 feet. Reeds that worked at home simply didn't work at altitude and visa versa. I have come to the conclusion (since reeds that work at altitude are longer tipped and thinner in the back) that it is a response to the outside barometric pressure. Less air pressure, less resistance to overcome, a freer reed. My 2 cents worth, but it also accounts for dry summer, wet winter reeds; high humidity is a denser environment...
Frank - I think properly constructed, the Woofus scale will be absolute (HAH!) for the conditions it is set up in, but will translate consistently to other altitude/weather conditions. You might find that 2 works better than 3 where you are, and then continue to buy 2... I think the correlation between what makes a good reed and the Woofus descriptive is going to be subjective. If Woofus is consistent, then the reed maker will experiment as usual until it becomes clear he is making a better reed with 2 rather than 3. But for me, 4 is magic...
Craig - I had not heard of the drop test - and I've been in the game a long time. Oh well... It sounds interesting. If you have an iPhone or iPad, check out the TE Tuner. It's about $5 and includes an impressive set of functions including a wave form analysis screen. I love it!
Robert Hubbard
WestwindDoubleReed.com
1-888-579-6020
bob@westwinddoublereed.com
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