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Re: How do I find out about a Larilee? Also ideas for new student?

Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-03-11 17:11

Katherine Needleman is a serious professional oboist and oboe teacher who makes and sells oboe reeds on the side. Since all the other serious professional oboists and oboe teachers who make and sell oboe reeds on the side charge upwards of $20 for a single reed, I assume Needleman does the same. The only way to get reeds from her AFAIK is to contact her personally. And then almost certainly it will be a period of weeks before she gets your reeds to you.

So students, and especially kids, and especially kids whose families already have budgetary considerations, need to lower their sights to what are known as "factory reeds", i.e. mass-produced reeds. There's nothing wrong with factory reeds from reputable manufacturers. They don't have quite as refined a tone as the carefully hand-made professional reed will, but they're perfectly adequate for beginners and amateurs.

A factory reed will run from $6 to $12. And yes, that's per reed. Sorry, the high price of oboe reeds just goes with the territory. The only way to get 'em cheaper is to make them yourself, and there's a saying: you have to spoil a thousand reeds before you get any good at it. And cane for making reeds is not cheap, and the tools are not cheap. So you can have a lot invested, not to mention the time it takes to learn to make reeds.

So for right now, just order her some decent factory reeds.

I have used all of the following reeds and can attest to their decent-ness.

Fox reeds are very good quality. The downside is that you have to order them through a dealer and it can be several weeks before they get them to you.

Gower reeds are very nice, but generally cost $11. These also must be ordered from a dealer.

Two reputable online dealers are:

Woodwind and Brasswind.

Giardinelli.

I have ordered reeds from them for nearly two years now, with a credit card, and have had no problems whatsoever.

Please don't let your local music store order reeds for you, because they will charge you a hefty markup, and there's no reason you should pay them an extra $3 to $5 for reeds that you can order yourself online.

Nielsen Woodwinds will deliver their reeds to you at light-speed. I've ordered them in the morning and gotten them in the mail the next day. They were a bit hard at first, but as my embouchure developed they got easier to play. And their Black reeds tend to run a little softer.

Of the less expensive handmade reeds:

Evans Reeds are available on eBay, you may order without fear, they are very reputable.

Meg Cassell at the Goodtoneguild makes a nice student reed, but they tend to be a bit more expensive.

The Reedery's student reeds are nice. Tell her it's for a child.

Generally you order reeds two or three at a time, because each reed is going to be individually different, reed cane being what it is, and in any given batch of reeds, there is going to be one reed that's harder, one reed that's softer, one reed that's sharper or flatter, etc. So you can choose which reed you want to practice on that day. Also, reeds take some time to break in, as the cane deteriorates, so oboists always have a whole collection of reeds in different stages, "this one's brand new and too hard, this one's getting old and losing its zip, this one's just perfect", etc. It's not like with a clarinet reed, where you basically have "the reed", and when it wears out you get another one out of the little orange Rico box. Oboists tend to be very obsessive about reed management, so your daughter is going to need more than one reed eventually.

So the point is, you order reeds in batches, not only because it saves on shipping. If your music store orders you "A Reed", you're not saving money because that $3 to $5 would be your shipping cost from an online dealer. But if you order two reeds, that cuts the cost in half, three reeds, even more, four reeds, you get the idea.

You want to avoid "Mystery" reeds offered on eBay. At four bucks a pop, they can seem very attractive, but "you get what you pay for", and those cheap eBay reeds are never any good. And I'm not saying that out of some sort of "oboe snobbery", but because it's the truth. Caveat emptor and all that.

But the good news is, you got yourself a nice oboe for a good price. Just watch the cracking, and make sure she follows the wooden oboe Baby Rule: Never put your oboe anywhere you wouldn't put a baby. Such as: the top of the car, out in the direct sun, etc.

And the other good news is that this isn't something that your daughter is going to get tired of, and you'll be stuck with an oboe that nobody plays. Someone who gloms onto their new oboe and hasn't had it out of their hands for 4 hours is well and truly hooked. [grin]