 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Thatoboekid
Date: 2003-09-15 02:06
I have a friend that casually plays oboe, and I was looking for inexpensive but handmade reeds for him. Has anybody tried the Marlin Lesher PRO series reeds?
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Author: Corey
Date: 2003-09-15 20:27
Martin Lesher reeds are not handmade. My local music store sells these reeds and I think they aren't of very high quality and would recommend you to look at another brand. There are many companies on the web that sell hand made reeds, just do a search. You may also look into contacting a local pro oboe player and ask if they can make you some reeds. I have been getting my reeds from my teacher for $7 until she teaches me to make them. There are many possiblities out there....I wouldn't recommend Martin Lesher because they will just lead to a lot of frustration......good luck with your search......Corey
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Author: Thatoboekid
Date: 2003-09-17 00:45
Are Lesher reeds better than Jones? And I've heard the Dunkel reeds are pretty good, have you tried those?
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Author: ChrisM
Date: 2003-09-17 01:10
Dunkel reeds are always a safe bet. They run about $17 a reed, but are well worth it. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
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Author: Bucky Badger
Date: 2003-09-18 01:59
My book and all internet sites say that the pro reed is "hand scraped". You can call the company direct and ask it this is so:
Marlin Lesher Reed Co., Inc.
PO Box 163
Randolph NY 14772
1-800-272-1948
jim buchholz
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Author: bhs1
Date: 2004-06-19 20:52
I bought a Marlin Lesher pro.
As far as I can tell, it is hand scraped.
As for sound, I really con't say, since it came with too big an opening, so i am soaking it now. it was pretty good for the moment i heard it to be too flat.
i would buy again, but in combination with another (dunkel, gower)
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Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2004-06-25 05:45
OH. That would explain the struggles I had with these reeds during concert season. Woo, I feel stupid. The dunkel reeds are excellent, in my humble opinion, however, I've only been playing since last October or November; I'm actually a clarinet player. Had you all fooled. I liked the Marlin Lesher reeds, actually, except for the fact that they were flat. STAY AWAY FROM JONES!! They're evil. Really. Promise. -Jen.
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2004-06-25 13:33
Hello --
On the subject of reeds, can anybody venture an opinion as to why so many commercially-made reeds (even some that supposedly have good reputations) have tip openings that you could drive a truck through, and sound like something you might want to use on New Year's Eve instead of in a concert?
I like the Dunkel reeds, too, for the very reason that they DON'T exhibit the above properties. But if Mr. Dunkel can figure it out, why can't the rest of them?
Susan
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Author: Juloboe
Date: 2004-06-28 02:23
Before I made my own reeds, I used the Lesher Pro reeds, and I thought they worked fine. However, that was 3 years ago and sometimes reeds change over time. Plus, I got them from http://www.advantage-usa.com/ and they were a great price! The Dunkel reed I bought from them didn't work for me though. I'd suggest that you just buy one of whatever reed you buy in case the oboist doesn't like it.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2004-06-28 02:55
Juloboe --
I bought my first Dunkel from www.advantage-usa.com, too. In fact, I bought two of them. One was great, one was a complete dog. Of course, the great one has long since gone to its reward, from being used so much. The woofer is still in my "bad reed" box. It will live forever, I'm afraid, because it will never get played. I keep going back to it, because I see that white thread, and I forget it's a dud, and I go, "OMG, what is that NEW Dunkel reed doing in the trash pile!?!?!?!?" And then I play it and remember . . . ![[frown]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie2.gif)
Susan
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Author: Alphons
Date: 2004-10-11 08:07
Hello fellow oboists,
The only way i know to produce oboe reeds for other people is really a mather of craftmanship and dedication to the art.
To produce around 40 oboe reeds a month for as well amateur and pro players
is a hard job.
But all these reeds should have in common that they are all playable in a high grade for the maker-oboeplayer himself.
At this moment i make reeds for about 30 oboe players among them at least 15 teachers.
This is almost the limit for me of what i can handle,company`s with over 300 customers making handcrafted reeds are not beliefworthy.
Greetings Mark Maass.
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Author: ladyjihye
Date: 2007-06-20 15:54
it's nice to know that everyone is so in favor of dunkel reeds, when they have done absolutely NOTHING for me. they're fragile, and though they may sound good for a little while- they go sharp and crack. the reed lasted me a week. i have a regular lesher reed, that has lasted me TWO MONTHS. my advice to you is to do what i did-- try different reeds. they're different for everyone.
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2007-06-20 16:30
No American style reed should last more than 20 hours playing. Assuming you play more than 20 hours in two months, something isn't right.
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-06-20 17:24
Reeds that are harder to start with, that have more cane left on them, will tend to last longer than a lighter, softer reed. I ordered a Lesher Pro "medium" reed at one point last year, and it was so hard that I couldn't even get it to sound. Even with my baby embouchure, I can get other makers' "mediums" to at least squeak for me, one or two notes at a time, but not the Lesher.
So maybe her Leshers do last longer for her, if they're harder to start with.
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Author: Bobo
Date: 2007-06-20 17:36
I ordered a couple of different reeds from Advantage a couple of years ago when I was just starting to play again so I could break in my embouchure before starting to make my own reeds again...my general experience was that the soft reeds were good for tooting around on and getting back into the swing without worrying too much about tone, but that the harder pro reeds required fiddling with to bring out their qualities...the Dunkel pro reed I bought, in particular, needed chopping down and scraping the back to bring it up to pitch and playability, but then it was a very fine reed indeed that served me well over a long period of time...i agree with CJ about the length of time, though on rare, rare occasions I get a reed that, with rotation and proper cleaning, seems to just last forever...i think it's in the unique properties of the particular piece of cane that results in a combination of resonance, strength and resilience...if you could bottle it you'd be golden. i can't really explain it otherwise. sometimes i get awesome reeds that are only awesome once, like a shooting star in the night. anyway, regarding buying reeds, i'm a real skeptic that you can get consistent quality without having to significantly adjust the reeds and if you're already doing that, you might as well just make 'em.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2007-06-20 18:23
<<i'm a real skeptic that you can get consistent quality without having to significantly adjust the reeds and if you're already doing that, you might as well just make 'em.>>
About "part a" of your statement, from my experience, I would completely agree with you. The handmade "pro" reeds that you can just plug-and-play are few and far between. But by the time you are onto a "pro" reed, you are probably up to doing a few (or even a lot of) adjustments.
And that ability to make significant adjustments is good training for when (if!!) you ultimately begin making your own. But from my experience, there is a great deal of difference between adjusting what someone else has already brought to near-finish and creating your own from scratch.
I'm good at the former, but totally cowed by even the prospect of the latter.
Susan
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Author: Bobo
Date: 2007-06-20 21:37
Susan,
Sounds like Craig is going to get you out of the barn! My two cents: there are two extremely good reedmaking guides that I think are well-suited to someone starting from scratch...the first is Joseph Shalita's "Making Oboe Reeds" downloadable PDF...about 100 pages in easy to read illustrated form with crows you can click on and hear...it's just a few mouseclicks away! the second is Weber/Capps book and video, which is actually geared exactly to getting you to the verge of final adjustments phase, precisely what you need to fill in. I learned to make reeds apprentice-like when I was a kid, but many years later when I started again I really needed these guides to refresh my memory and learn a few new tricks..I surveyed a lot of the books out there and am confident these two are among the very best. Reedmaking saves money and though it takes time, there's a lot of satisfaction in customizing your own reeds, and at the end of the day, you will end up making the sound you want!
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2007-06-20 22:13
<<Well, we will fix that next week!>>
I can only hope, Craig!
I'm looking forward to it, quite sincerely.
Susan
P.S. I own the Shalita book, and have used sections of it to guide my reed-adjusting experiments. That, plus Martin Schuring's online guide, and Jay Light's reed book, have formed the basis of my trial-and-error attempts. Lots of trials, more than a few errors, but many successes.
Post Edited (2007-06-20 22:16)
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Author: Craig Matovich
Date: 2007-06-21 04:00
Bobo, well-put....! ![[toast]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley15.gif)
Its huge to be self-sufficient with reeds and the current resources you name are extremely valuable to reed makers.
Nice that technology lets us share so readily and that some folks have compiled such useful information to add to the old standards.
And its also good to spend time with a really good reed maker now and then to demystify the art and craft. Nothing resolves the extreme ambiguity of our art better than lessons in motion and teaching by example.
Ok... now I am breaking my don't break my back at the computer rule again.
So, off again for now, and back in a few weeks...
And between then and now, I get to meet a great boarder, oboe lover and new friend, OhSuzan. I am a happy man!
Post Edited (2007-06-21 04:02)
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Author: JudyP
Date: 2007-06-21 04:58
Good luck on your trip to Virginia and your new recording. 
Have fun.
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Author: MDW
Date: 2007-06-25 01:51
I have made my own reeds (never was able to get it down fast, but I really did try) and made some excellent ones (patting self on back), but had to give it up due to pain in the base of my thumbs. Holding anything for a half-hour (and sometimes less) causes pain and a weak feeling. This has been going on for yrs, and actually started to be noticeable about 25 yrs ago in college (so now you know my approximate age).
Anyway, I thought I'd put in my opinion about reeds. I teach privately, and usually start them on Emerald med soft. Then get them to try something with a bit more quality, like GoodToneGuild or Gower. I have one jr high student that is hooked on Jones reeds, and she sounds pretty good on them. Another prefers Lesher, and she's doing well with them. A couple others get reeds through their band teacher ($5 ea!) and they seem pretty good, too, so why not let them use what is cost effective until they realy get to the point where they WANT to sound better and try a quality product.
I have been using GTG myself the last 3 yrs and have been pretty satisfied with them. I'm now on a subscription in which I receive 2 reeds per month. I have had some excellent reeds from GTG, and Ms. Cassell has gone out of her way to provide my style and to meet my particular needs. While I am in general satisfied, I still get one here and there that just do not work for me. Oh, they'll play okay, and not bad enough to send back, but sometimes it's the resonance factor, or dynamic contrast that isn't great.
My $0.02
MDW
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Author: MDW
Date: 2007-06-25 01:56
Also:
Bobo wrote,in part:
i agree with CJ about the length of time, though on rare, rare occasions I get a reed that, with rotation and proper cleaning, seems to just last forever...i think it's in the unique properties of the particular piece of cane that results in a combination of resonance, strength and resilience...if you could bottle it you'd be golden. i can't really explain it otherwise.
Yeah; I have this ONE "magic" reed in my box that I almost threw away once. It was a Wright Reed, one of 2 I ordered. They both played quite flat for me, no matter what I did to try to fix it. I put them away for a couple yrs and in the meantime bought a new Loree AK bore. I decided to give them each one more try, and was able to bring them up to pitch by squeezing the heck out of the throat (keeping the tip squeezed open). Well, one of those turned out to be the MOST responsive reed with a lovely tone I've ever had! It will play low notes at a pppp, and high notes without much lip pressure needed. It's about played out now, but it got me through some tricky concerts in which I had to play low and soft a lot. It'll still play for short gigs, like a church one I had last wk. Wouldn't trust it for a concert, though.
I can't explain it either.
MDW
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Author: angeldust
Date: 2008-11-19 14:14
I actually have had alot of professionals and teachers that like the pro series from Marlin Lesher. If ur looking for a good qty reed thats the best one to go with.
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Author: JRJINSA
Date: 2008-11-19 14:31
I ordered a couple of those and found them to be way too soft and I had a hard time with getting them to play forte.
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