Any reedmakers with experience on this stuff? It’s Argentine arundo donax. This stuff I got from Midwest Musical Imports, a bassoon/oboe supply in Minneapolis. Seems to be pretty stiff. I’m wondering how this compares to spanish cane from Medir. Feedback appreciated.
Hi myrddinemrys, I use it fot my sets and harvest it myself, it grows anywhere here although I got a place where I always go.
If Midwest people imports it from here it must be from the province of Mendoza (center west of Argentina at the border with Chile) the weather there is appropriate for vineyards, olives, peaches, apples and some other kind of plantations, it´s a dry mountain climate with even sunny days all the year.
During the 50´s an oboist and orchestral Director moved from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and discovered that the climate was acurate for reed growing so started a small plantation, today it´s a big enterprise making and manufacturing sax and clarinet, fagot and oboe reeds, the brand is “El Zonda”.
I used to use it when I played the clarinet. In my opinion it was the best around. Instead of 2 or 3 good reeds out of a box of 10 I would get 7 or 8, great stuff and very consistent.
For what this is worth…
I was recently travelling through Valparaiso (Chile) - cane is growing wild everywhere there on the streets.
So, as you do, I grabbed enough for 10 flat pitch reeds.
Superb reeds - cane is easily as good as the best Californian stuff I got 15 years ago.
Long fibres, softish, workable, nice consistent diameters, etc.
All for free.
If anyone lives there and wants to make a few $$$, pm me and I’ll pay you to harvest
me some more.
M
For the last 18 months I’ve been using Gonzalez cane from Argentina for my GHB and Borderpipe reeds, if this is the stuff your enquiring about then I find it is as good if not better than Medir and Rigotti for those type of reeds and gives a nice bright sound.
But…
When I tried using it for ssp & nsp reeds I experienced a high split rate and reverted back to Rigotti and Medir for those reeds. I do intend to try using it again if for no other reason than it means I don’t have to order from lots of different sources.
Of course some years the crop can be better than others so it can vary.
Can’t comment on its use for Uilleann pipe chanter reeds though.
Iain
This company above in Netherlands/Holland sell Argendonax cane.
tube cane Ø24mm-Ø30mm
country of origin: Argentina
brand: Argendonax
Price is per tube, one kilogram is about 50 tubes so our price per kilogram is € 50,00
prices for Ø28mm -30mm are € 0,05 extra.
I have not used Argendonax cane before uilleann pipes reeds for chanter and regs but used medir Spainish cane and French cane before.
Cheers
Ferg