Author: Bryanwalker
Date: 2011-06-10 04:46
The below information describes what Ms. Needleman uses. I got this through the Peabody website.
I have tried tons and tons of reed equipment. Here are some brief thoughts about what I consider to be the best. This is my personal opinion. I encourage you to use what works for you and experiment yourself. If you are having a lot of trouble and suspect your equipment, many of these things may be a good starting place. It is hard to recommend equipment. Even the best things are often sub-optimal, as our market is small.
TUBE CANE
I use Chinese cane, imported from Australia. It is the best thing I know that is currently available. I get it from kge-reeds.com, and order 10-10.5 diameter. Another advantage is that it is cheaper than cane you buy here, and is shipped quickly and not terribly expensively.
CANE SPLITTER
Don't use one. They are sub-optimal. Use a razor blade.
PLANER
I have a plane and planer bed made by Robert Graf. Graf products are somewhat hard to come by now. I prefer this to the push-through types of planers. Robert Graf (609-561-1738).
PRE-GOUGER
I use a crank-type machine from Reeds N Stuff (reedsnstuff.com). This is not a necessary tool, but I use it to save time. I had to alter the machine somewhat to be happy with it.
GOUGER
There is no perfect machine. I am happiest with my Graf machines set up by John Symer. They are finicky, but can be great if you get them to the right place. You can buy one from Graf directly (609-561-1738), and have him send it to John Symer for setting up. If you can find a used or damaged Graf, get it. Mr. Symer can remedy it for you. Having the gouging machine in your hands after placing a call to Mr. Graf can take many months; plan ahead. This is a great investment in your success.
I own an Innoledy machine (innoledy.com), but have never made a great reed off it. Some people think they are great. I hear good things about Dan Ross gougers, but have no personal experience with them. I would avoid the Jeanne gougers.
SHAPER TIP
I use the Mack ++ (note the two plusses, not one) machined by Westwind. This can be purchased through forrestsmusic.com now. I tie it at 72 mm or less. I think it is a fantastic shape. Sometimes it is hard to find. Peabody owns one kept the Oboe Studio.
A standard shape that I used for years that you can't go too wrong with is the Gilbert Minus One, available at lots of stores.
TUBES
For me, the best hands down, are from Stevens Double Reeds in California, (925) 684-9821. They like you to order a large quantity (at least 100), so consider placing an order with a friend. I order silver, 46.5 mm, #3 opening, finished tip, triple scored, tubes.
KNIVES
I think reed knives are greatly flawed. I am constantly looking for something better. You cannot buy anything that is ready for scraping right out of the box, and the way a knife scrapes is fundamental to your reed-making success. The best things I know available are:
Nielsen Wedge Knife, handle #2. $28. nielsen-woodwinds.com . I alter these knives before I use them, and can show you what I do. I make my reeds exclusively with these knives at this point. This is not to say I won't switch, but they're pretty good if you set them up correctly.
Landwell Knives. M or H. Available most places. They changed something a few years ago; they used to be better.
Jende Knife. Pretty good knives, but not as great as they are touted to be, I believe. Maybe you can find a better way to sharpen them than I have.
SHARPENING EQUIPMENT
I have tried everything. For me, the best products come from razoredgesystems.com . Follow the directions in their book. I use an 8" coarse hone, a 6" fine hone (this is better than the 8" one, I don't know why), the razor edge guide or the cub guide, and a Mousetrap Steel and a Raz-R Steel (though one of those alone would probably work). Make sure to replace the stones when they are no longer perfectly flat.
Recently, I have had a good deal of luck, especially with regrinding knives, but also with basic sharpening, with a product called the Edge Pro Apex System. www.edgeproinc.com . It looks funny and takes a few minutes to figure out, but I think it is worth the money. I have the Apex Kit #3. It was expensive at $200, but worth it.
BOOKS ON KNIFE SHARPENING
John Juranitch, The Razor Edge of Sharpening. Ignore the cultish things, and there is a lot of useful information.
Daryl Caswell of Landwell Knives, Reed Knife Sharpening Book
PLACQUES
I like the flat oboe placques from jeanne-inc.com , $1.35, for their shape, which is small enough that it doesn't destroy the compression of the sides of the reed as much as the others. Avoid contoured placques. Make sure to replace them as they get scraped up, so it doesn't negatively affect your view of the reed.
THREAD
I like EE or F nylon thread. I'm told these are approximately the same thing. You can get this almost anywhere. I avoid FF thread for a few reasons we can discuss. If you want to save a little money and get some unusual colors, look for online closeouts of fly tying thread. Gudebrod is a good maker.
BEESWAX
Don't use synthetic paraffin; it doesn't work.
RULER
Spend the money to invest in an actual metal reed making ruler. It is hard to be accurate with a plastic one. Another advantage of a steel one is that you can use the end to push the threads down on an over-tied reed, but you shouldn't be over-tying reeds in the first place.
MICROMETER
I prefer the cheaper handheld ones to the expensive dial indicators because the dial indicators push into the cane, more into soft cane than hard cane. I prefer to rely on the consistency of my own touch. I have a tiny one I got from charlesmusic.com in the dark ages. It seems they have changed their bullet micrometer a bit, but I assume it's as good as the original. One should never assume anything about reed equipment, though.
RADIUS GAUGE
I have a great one made by Paul Covey. You can get this a number of places, but the website of Covey Oboes is oboes.com . It's got some important marks on the side, in addition to the diameter cut outs, and I can't imagine making a reed with just a ruler, though it's certainly theoretically possible. I'm really attached to this thing.
RAZOR BLADES
I buy packs of 100 in the paint department at Home Depot. They are relatively inexpensive, made by American Line, and are .009 thick. They seem to work just fine. Make sure to use a new blade for each shaped piece of cane, and not to clip a tip of a reed with anything at all dull. It's worth the extra 4.5 cents per blade. Some people report success re-sharpening these blades, but I cannot do it to my satisfaction.
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