Dear Sirs, forgive me if this seems a basic problem but I am very frustrated with apparent leaks on my drones. When the switch is closed the set is airtight. When I open the drone switch, but stop the drones sounding by putting my thumb on the holes in the drone ends I can still feel air on my hand coming from the tenor and baritone drone. I have tried changing the reeds but still I can feel the air. This seems like a stupid question but in this situation is the only source of air that which is coming through a leaking reed tongue or could it be something else?
Thank you
Are your reeds possibly not sealing the end of the drone bore entirely? That’s the only other way I could think air might leak through.
This could simply be that the dry air has caused the wooden drones to shrink slightly.
First check if the drone tenon fits snugly into the mainstock. If not, you may have to add a little extra binding.
Next, check if the slide section of the drone is too loose. If it is, again add a little bit of binding until it is snug (but not too tight).
Remember to remove extra binding at the end of the winter. If you have too much binding in the summer when the air is more humid, the drones will become stuck and you might even end up splitting wood or metal.
You could try testing your drone reeds by taking them out of the drones , putting the drone end of the reed to your lips and sucking whilst pressing the reed tongue closed. Some reeds will seal completely when you do this and some will not, but both ways they can work well, as long as not too much air passes through when the tongue is closed.
Of course you could be fooling yourself and could be feeling air leaking out of an adjacent regulator key or end cap.