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Reed Tip Adjustment

Author: Scaysie
Date: 2015-05-29 06:00

Hi All,
The Abstract:
A reed will perform optimally, if its striking surface (reed tip or hammer), matches precisely, the shape of the struck surface (mouthpiece tip rail or anvil, if you will)

Last night, in a quiet moment at band practice I was looking at the relationship of the tip shape of the Rico reed, and the shape of the tip rail on my Graubner Contra Bass mouthpiece, on my Leblanc Contra Bass.(Vandoran has a different profile ,but the problem remains)

Now that I think about it, this relationship is quite profound. No matter what I did I ,there was always a few thou of reed shoulder hanging over the rail ,or a few thou gap where part of the rail was not being struck by the reed.

Surely , there must be a place for a system to "work" a reed, so that it matches the profile of the tip rail more closely. Would such a process destroy the integrity of the reed ?....could this be restored by using ATG for example?

Before I head off to the workshop and spend hours fashioning a template to match the tip rail facing out of tool steel (that I can then attach to the reed and carefully sand or file the tip ....and finish it with ATG ?),has anyone examined this situation and perhaps come up with a better plan?.Thanks to all for losing sleep over my question

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Re: Reed Tip Adjustment

Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-05-29 07:08

http://test.woodwind.org/oboe/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=401936&t=401888&v=f

I fought through this issue on soprano clarinet last year, and reached the conclusion that it was not important for me. I was glad to redirect my attention to other items. But of course, I could have been wrong to do so. Each of us must pick our battles.

Stan in Orlando

EWI 4000S with modifications

Post Edited (2015-05-29 07:09)

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Re: Reed Tip Adjustment

Author: rdc
Date: 2015-05-29 07:33

Three observations:
1. Some reed makers leave the tip of the reed square, not bothering to clip it to the normal curved shape.

2. At a reed making workshop I attended a couple summers ago, one of the presenters asserted that the curve of the reed tip should match the curve of the inner side of the tip rail, not the outer. He accomplished this with a double edge razor blade (the flexible kind you shave with), but I didn't ask the exact procedure, nor have I tried it.

3. Minor problems with the shape of the reed tip can be adjusted with 320 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper by hand and eye. I did this recently with a Daddario Reserve Classic reed, which has a more shallow curve than my mouthpiece. I got it very close with just a few strokes of the sandpaper on each side of center, but I can't say that it made any difference in the way the reed played.

You might want to try the sandpaper before you invest a lot of time, energy, and possibly money in fashioning your template, and see if you hear and/or feel any difference in the way your reeds play. I personally think that as long as the reed tip seals on the mouthpiece tip rail, the exact shape of the reed tip (within reason) is probably not critical. Others may disagree.

R. Chest

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