February, 2012 | Clarinet Reed Making

Archive for February, 2012

On Model Reeds

So you have an amazing reed- should you save it forever to use as a model reed? Probably not. If you are playing a commercial reed then definitely not. Chances are what makes that particular reed great is the cane and not the shape of the vamp. If you have a great commercial reed, that is almost certainly the case and copying that reed won’t really matter anyways because believe it or not, the major reed brands are made on incredible machines and are extremely consistent in terms of measurements- so copying that particular reed wouldn’t be much better than copying any reed of that brand and model. What I do recommend strongly is to use a model reed with a vamp that is similar to the style of reed you like. So if you like “X” brand of reeds the best, start with a model that is similar to that. UHL Technik produces a number of plastic guides that serve as models for the RPM68. You can also use a reed as a model- but the plastic guides are much more consistent and durable. If you want to copy a rare vamp or create your own, UHL Technik also does custom guides.

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Sanding with diamonds- UPDATE

I’ve found something better and faster than sanding with a diamond stone. It’s 3M sandblaster sandpaper. This sandpaper is design for wood and it’s non clogging, which means it cuts fast and lasts a long time. I’ve been using 220 to flatten and 400 for finishing. My diamond stone? It’s a nice flat surface for me to sand on now…glass works too!

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