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Re:

Author: hautbois
Date: 2010-07-26 19:21

There were countless episodes of inexplicable reed misbehavior in my years of reed-making. Weather and humidity are, as you acknowledge, precipitating factors. But I do think that thickening your gouge and changing the amount of cane you tie on the staple could very well be relevant factors here.
Unless you have changed your reed shape, the distance of the cane on the staple should not vary. (My teacher always had me set the cane so that the sides would visibly close three turns from the top of the staple. I know there are variations on that maxim, and also it depends upon the thickness of the thread you use.) When your cane is tied to the wrong place on the staple, you will not have optimal vibration.
When you use a thicker gouge, the amount of the reed which is unscraped will vibrate less and/or inhibit vibrations in the scraped area more than before, and the added thickness will absorb additional moisture. If you want to thicken your gauge, you can try a narrower shape to compensate somewhat for the dead weight of the thicker, unscraped areas.
Also, try just dipping the reed in water and letting it sit for @ 30 seconds to prevent oversoaking in a humid environment.
Good luck,
Elizabeth

Post Edited (2010-07-26 21:36)

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