Author: cjwright
Date: 2007-06-07 23:34
I don't really think you can "adjust reeds" effectively without understanding how to "make reeds" effectively. Sure, anyone can scratch behind the heart or trim the tip, but usually these adjustments are done in combination with at least 2-4 other little "shave here" and "dust here". I think when done incorrectly, they more often throw the reed out of balance with the end result solving one problem but ruining another. For example, scraping in the heart might lesson the resistance, but might make the reed unstable. Trimming the tip might destroy the response.
Only a reedmaker with a good understanding of a reed's balance, and knowing exactly how much the gouge can do can make "really good reeds" for that specific gouge. I currently have three gouging machines, each specifically tuned to slightly different settings. After making probably 20 reeds for each reed, I've come to understanding exactly what the "best possible reed" for each gouge is. If I take the same amount out of the heart on a reed made with gouger 1 that I would normally take out with a reed from gouger 2, the results would be disasterous.
Speaking for American reeds, I think gouge is the single most important aspect of reedmaking, and the single most underestimated aspect of things. I can make perfectly stable reeds if the gouge is correct on shapes ranging from a Gilbert -1N (very narrow) to a Gilbert 2 (very VERY wide). Joe Robinson used to have a different gouge setting every time I went to a lesson with him, for which he always thought he'd get it "just right the next time." Tabuteau was also obsessed with the gouge, and insisted that a good gouge could compensate for poor-quality cane and less-than perfect knife technique.
I currently have three gouging machines, 2 Graf machines and a Driscoll Opus 1 machine, each one tuned exactly to one of thethree shapers I'm currently using: The Weber 1B, The Weber 1C, and the RDG 2. Because of my gouging setup, I get equally stable reeds from all of them, with lots of vibrancy and just the right sized openings. This is from adjusting the thickness of the sides, and grinding the blade curve to be just the necessary arc.
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