 The Oboe BBoard
|
Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2015-02-14 21:04
Hi ...
Just curious have any of you owned/used a profiler machine?
What has been your experience?
Is it good just to facilitate initial reed making and/or consistency?
Or is too removed from reed making nuance?
Mark
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OboeLover4Life
Date: 2015-02-18 06:26
I think they're awesome! Saw one in action and it seemed to be a huge time saver.
But unfortunately they're incredibly expensive.
If money was no object I definitely would have it and the shaping machine.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: heckelmaniac
Date: 2015-02-18 07:25
Tom Hiniker bought a KGE machine a couple of months ago. Tom loves it!
Only problem is that now he has too many reeds...
Oboes.us
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tro
Date: 2015-02-18 17:44
Dear Mark,
I consider profilers extremly useful. Since I have a machine the quality and consistency
of my reeds increased a lot.
However there are typically above 1500 US$.
e.g.
http://www.reedsnstuff.com/en/Oboe/Reedmaking-Machines/Profiling/Profiling-Machine.html
http://www.georgrieger.com/shop/Oboe/Reed-making-machines-Accessories/Profiling-machine/Profiling-machine-for-oboe-standard-model::300.html
http://www.shop.kge-doublereeds.com/Oboe-Reed-Making-Machine_c7.htm
... and others.
I especially would like to draw our attention to the profiler made by Markus Bucher:
http://www.oboenrohr.ch/en-home
this machine is as expensive as a used profesional oboe. However, it machines reeds
for all type of oboe-instruments and offers much more possibilities for reed adjustement.
One will never use a knife again. For me the purchase of such a device (I was happy
to get a used one) was a "life-changer". This is also the ideal tool if you have many
students which all need personally adjusted reeds.
Keep in mind that it is much easier to machine a European-style short scrape reed
than a long scrape US-type. However all vendors of profilers also offer "US-style"
templates.
I would test a machine before purchase. I guess most vendors can point you to someone
in your region owning the machine in question.
Good luck,
Tilman
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Scandinavian
Date: 2015-02-18 21:03
I'm of the same opinion as Tilman; the Bucher machine is simply amazing. It takes me less than 5 minutes to finish a tied on reed. I then usually do a few minutes of knifework since it's faster to pick up the knife than to put the reed into the machine again.
I have also used Udo Heng's profiler (Reeds n Stuff). It is very well made, but you're not able to adjust it in the same way that you can with the Bucher. (On the Bucher, one click on the thickness knob is exactly 0.01 mm thicker or thinner scrape!) I used it more as a kind of pre-gouger kind of profiler, saving me time when removing the first layers of cane, but I had to do a lot of work with the knife..
With kids and high reed demands everyday at work, a good profiling machine really makes life more fun!
/Johannes
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jhoyla
Date: 2015-02-19 17:00
That machine looks amazing. A few years ago Nick Deutsch told a group of us that soon hand-made oboe reeds would go the same way as hand-made clarinet reeds - that is, nobody would bother any more and machine made reeds would become both superb and cheap...
J.
Post Edited (2015-02-19 17:01)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2015-02-23 01:18
Has anyone played on a American profiled reed(s)?
Which machine and template?
Mark
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-02-28 20:53
I have never heard of these before, and would surely have bought one during the years I was struggling to learn to make good reeds (failure overall) and still had a good income.
I have a question.....based on what I hear in the community groups I have access to, I can't imagine that someone's use of a euro-scraped reed would have any effect on one's desirability as a player. Just getting someone with decent tone and intonation is a success story, far from having a snit about how the reed is scraped. So if I were to foray back into oboe (not sure that is wise at this point in my life due to the pressure from the air) I would surely dive into one of the machines that easily makes a short scrape reed.
But....how would you choose a template without spending enormous amounts of money trying to find the "right" one?
And, last question, my failure at reed making was in the finishing. I could easily get up to the point where the reed "only needed to be finished" but never could arrive at one that was finished. So if these machines only get one to the point where fine finishing is required, they would be of zero use to me based on my personal lack of ability to do that.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tro
Date: 2015-03-02 17:02
Dear Beatrice,
if I understand your post correctly, you abandoned playing oboe because of reed
problems. That's a pitty. My recomondation would be to restart and try to buy finished
reeds
+ from your teacher, or if this is not possible
+ from a source recommended by your teacher, or from
+ a specialized double reed shop (charles music, mid west musical imports,
forrest music, aria, .......)
If you pay ~25 US$ for a decend reed, a profiler will never pay out for a typical amateur
player who needs ~15 reeds per year.
Most profilers require some hand finishing. Therefore the template needs
to reflect your profile only approximately .The only exeption I know is the Bucher
machine mentioned in my previous post which is about as expensive as
250 reeds (while the "normal" ones have a prize tag of ~80 reeds).
Mr. Bucher gives you templates for trial and also offers to make them according
to a sample reed provided to him (like other vendors).
The decision whether to play a long or short scrape reed you have to take together
with your teacher. If you play nicely, nobody will care for the reed you use for that.
However, "European" style reeds differ distinctly in sound (Listen to recordings
fo US and European oboists). So if you want to play in an ensemble it seems of
avantage to stick to your local "sound tradition".
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-03-02 20:01
If I ever get back into oboe I'll look into the Bucher machine. Thanks for the information about profilers.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: huboboe
Date: 2015-03-26 01:19
Has anyone used the Bucher machine with an American template? Does anyone know of a Bucher owner in the SF Bay Area who would be willing to Show and Tell?
Robert Hubbard
WestwindDoubleReed.com
1-888-579-6020
bob@westwinddoublereed.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: veggiemusician
Date: 2015-03-26 13:41
I have been using oboe profilers since the late 90's and I believe they are the greatest invention for an oboist. They save so much time and adds consistency to reed making. One has to be much more careful when it comes to gouging, shaping and tying on as any shortcomings will be reflected in a profiled reed. Also a profiler is only use to someone who can make a great reed by hand!
I have owned a K.Michel, Rieger, Reeds N Stuff and TA Machine and have also used a Bucher Profiler.
TA Machine.... Good for student reeds - that's it!
In my opinion the K.Michel Machine is the best. I don't feel the Bucher machine makes any better reeds at the increased cost. The Bucher may work well for a player who is not so good at reed making as the fine tuning adjustments are done for you. I find it quicker to get the reed knife out than place it back in the machine again. The quality of the scrape cut of the Michel is slightly above the Bucher, but getting the Michel blade sharpened can be very difficult. Both are top class machines.
Rieger is a crude basic machine that actually works very well. I feel it has the best Standard template of all the machines. However, it will not scrape a reed to playing stage and it still requires about 5 mins worth of hand scraping. The blade is easy to sharpen, but quality control between machines are poor. Every Reiger machine I have seen has a different length tip and some are off centre... try before you buy! Saying that, Rieger are among the best for after service and always quick to send out spare parts etc. Reiger is my most used machine - it can be thrown in a bag for trips as its small and indestructible.
My Reeds N Stuff is brand new and not yet received in the post, but I have used one for a few weeks. Its similar in concept to the Rieger, but has a few useful extra's such as being able to move the template about to change tip length. It produces an excellent tip and there are so many templates available - even by world famous players! Quality of scrape cut is just a little behind the Michel, but certainly produces better finished reeds than the Rieger that are more even and symmetrical. In fact I sold my Michel to get the Reeds n Stuff! The company is just light years ahead in terms of service and advice and I have had long chats talking about template options.
I sold the Michel because living outside of Europe I find it just too difficult and expensive to get blades sharpened. Template options are limited to 4 and none offer a reed style with a large step behind the tip that I like.
Oboists are so lucky today as even 20 years ago we had to book trips to Hanover and camp outside of Kuni's door hoping that he will answer to get machines! I can walk into Howarth of London and buy machines as well as ordering online from oboeshop.de, rieger and reednstuff websites.
Jerome Broun
Principal Oboe UAE NSO Symphony Orchestra
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tro
Date: 2015-03-30 11:29
Dear Bob,
I am not sure if there is a Bucher profiler at the Pacific coast. But when I talked to them last time, they told me that they provided devices to the NY area with owners using US-style templates. So there is experience which such kind of reeds and I have the impression that US-scrape "standard" templates will be released soon. I guess it might be the best idea to approach Markus directly via e-mail (bucher@oboenrohr.ch). Typically they are very cooperative and I am sure they will happily provide all information you request.
Regards,
Tilman
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: huboboe
Date: 2015-03-30 23:27
Thanks, Tilman!
Robert Hubbard
WestwindDoubleReed.com
1-888-579-6020
bob@westwinddoublereed.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tro
Date: 2015-04-04 23:27
Hi Bob,
let us know if you got hands on such a machine and what your experience is.
Regards, Tilman
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2017-06-30 21:00
Are there any updates to people's experience with profilers?
And to make a couple comments on the thread....I go through a reed a week, and the idea that someone would only need 15 a year seems odd to me.
For the person who thought I gave up on oboe because of my failure at reed making, no, I had five years of a serious illness and it did not appear I would survive. I sold almost all of my musical things. I'll never be 100% again but am back trying to get good enough on oboe to have some fun with it. I've found a couple of reed suppliers now whose reeds I can play on, probably due to the years between when I used my teacher's stellar reeds and now (he is retired from teaching and no longer lives in the area.)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
