Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-12-01 13:09
Quote:
I found in general that people just want a reed that works WELL where they don't need to do much but stick it in and blow! This is particularly true since most of the people have day jobs, and aren't professionals, and therefore need an even better, more finished reed than a pro would because they're not necessarily in the best of shape (and need a reed that covers their insufficiencies.)
And a fervent "amen!" to this. Back when I was still experimenting with factory reeds, I used to sit there and stare at a reed from a new maker for a moment and think, "Please work." So yeah, that's it exactly--all we want is a reed that works.
Last week I was tidying the Junque Box and came across a Marlin Lesher "Pro" reed that I had been completely unable even to get to sound when I received it, let alone play on, and so had tossed it in the box. At the time I chalked it up to my undeveloped embouchure. "Ah," I told myself, "You're just a beginner, no wonder you can't get a 'Pro' reed to sound."
But now with my increased expertise concerning what goes into a reed, I was able to see that the reason it wouldn't sound was--it wasn't finished. The tip was hardly scraped. Obviously Lesher is marketing their "Pro" reeds to someone who is prepared to do a substantial amount of adjusting. But it didn't say that in the WWBW catalog, so I assumed that a "Pro" reed must be a really good reed.
Which I suppose it might be, after a pro had got done tweaking it.
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