German-scrape Oboe Reeds
These reeds are crafted with superior quality cane of medium density and flexibility (the MH reeds are sometimes made with harder cane). They are shaped with a RC12 (RC12*) or RC 13 (RC 13*) shaper tied onto a RC1 staple. These reeds are available in three different strengths: Medium Soft (MS), Medium (M), and Medium Hard (MH).
The Medium Soft (MS) reeds are made with cane of 10.75 – 11 mm diameter gouged to a thickness of approximately 0.56-0.58 mm (measurements taken on dry cane). We generally use a gouge giving a differential between centre and sides of approximately 0.13 – 0.15 mm, which ensures a good aperture and allows for a thinner scrape if need be.
The Medium (M) reeds are made with cane of 10.5-10.75 mm diameter gouged to 0.57 -0.59 mm thick (measurements taken on dry cane). The ratio given by this gouge between the centre and sides of the cane lies generally between 0.14 – 0.16 mm.
As for the Medium Hard (MH) reeds, they are made with 10.25-10.5 mm cane gouged to a thickness of 0.59 – 0.61 mm. The ratio between centre and sides with this gouge lies between 0.16 – 0.18 mm.
These German-scrape reeds are stable, responsive, and offer excellent balance between a round, dark sound, and flexibility. They offer a standard U-shaped scrape with a length of between 10.5 and 11 mm. Compared with the French style (W scrape) reeds, they are a little more resistant. This is partly explained by the fact that the scrape is more convex (rounder) over all. The tip is scraped in an inverse U and can vary in length, though would never be considered ‘long’, per se. The central spine is well defined to maintain resistance and aperture stability. These reeds are approximately 72mm long in total, on a staple of 47mm. They are our best seller!
