Author: d-oboe
Date: 2004-09-05 00:53
In my opinion, the thick plaques destroy the tie-on of the reed. I mean, we go to all the trouble to tie the reed at the correct length to make sure the reed presses tightly all the way to the tip, so that the reed doesn't come apart (I call that coming apart "duck-billing") ....why would we want to ruin it by shoving a big thick slab in between the blades? Flat plaques don't do this, and they allow far more control of how wood is being removed from the tip, and I find I'm less likely to tear tip extremities off with a flat plaque. I agree with oboeblank...crappy reeds usually have nothing to do with the plaque. Usually, it has to do with inadequate condition of any materials: dull reed knife, dull shaping razors, useless crooked cane, incorrect diameters, tie-on lengths, unequal tension when wrapping, (a lot of people pull really hard, and then slack off, and then pull too hard, etc.- this completely wrecks the reed) , tying past the tube, not measuring tubes before wrapping, not slipping the right way, slipping too much...I could really sit here for hours listing off what constitutes a bad reed! What doesn't constitute a bad reed is a flat plaque, because it doesn't force the blades apart. So, I would definitely stick to the flat plaques.
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