Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2015-03-16 08:50
Dear Scandinavian,
Observations
Your method is what i do as well with my short scrape reeds and indeed they work well with this formula. One side is definitely darker and somewhat lower (round side up) and the other brighter and somewhat higher (flat side up). I played on both sides, preferring flat side up, but in the recent years i have stumbled upon so many flaws (mainly staccato) that i have slightly altered the finishing method.
For me personally the flaw with this method is that the tip of the reed can sometimes flare out, resulting in a less desirable response. Also, in this method the neck area can sometimes feel too "big", resulting in low notes that respond less well. Both issues can also cause a pitch which is far too low (especially with so much soft cane in the market now) and a resistance far too high, something that is not solved simply by scraping (for less resistance) or by a shorter staple length (for higher pitch, often used in Germany).
Without wire, the solution would be to use a really narrow shape slipping the top of the reed (yes, it is possible even when one blade is completely in the other!) to the left side (perhaps which side depends on the tying methods described in this thread).
With wire, the solution remains the same but i feel that the wire safeguards certain pieces of cane from going totally rogue (slipping further down than it should when prompted). The method is to first wire, then slip. However, a slightly narrower shape will not permit this possibility.
The opening i feel is rather flexible and can be altered through various means, however, what does not change easily is the volume of the reed itself and so the choice of shaper really does define a reed. European reed makers often use a shape far too wide, and for the method you prescribe this becomes almost impossible to work with.
Good to know that i am not doing something completely foreign, after all...
Regards,
Howard
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