Best drone reeds

Bagpipes (Non-Uilleann)
1

All,

I am typically an uilleann piper for most events - but for the past 10 years or so, have picked up the highland pipes (was a grade 2 piper at one point) and still perform for the occasional wedding, funeral, graduation, st. andrew’s day, etc…

Since I typically do not do much with the GHB except pull them out to practice a week before a gig, I have not been as anal with maintenance as I am with my uilleann pipes, which I play weekly if not more… my question to this forum is this: based upon your experience, what are the most reliable, stable, dependable drone reeds you guys are playing? PM’s are fine if you want to avoid insulting makers out there… I play a set of MacLeod’s of Glasgow GHB with a Shepherd chanter (not that this matters)… my current set up is with a hybrid bag (leather outer, canmore inner) and i find that my drone reeds whistle more starting up and cutting off than I am used to (lack of use and love i would imagine)… have one older shepherd drone reed in the bass, and two something-gent tenor drone reeds (red)…

any advice, or none at all, would be welcomed… thanks, and sorry for crossing over to the other piping forum.

maze

PS Go Gators!!

2

Kinnaird

3

I can second that… I have been on my GHB set for 7 years now, and I exclusively use Kinnaird carbon fibre drone reeds. Instead of the usual “a” or “ah” sound you get from other reeds, these give you more of a low “oh” drone.

They are expensive, but you will never need to replace them since they are synthetic. Should the bridle/flap or rubber piece ever wear down, they are cheaply replaceable. Basically you will invest more $ up front, but recoup that in short order.

Matt

4

For a more-than-one-word answer, you can go on BobDunsire and read endless forums and posts discussing a wide variety of synthetic reed makes, and which makes of reeds work best in which makes of drones.

It’s not one-size-fits-all, and the make of reed that works great in one brand of drones may not be the best for another make of drones.

For example, I know top-notch pipers who prefer EzeeDrone reeds over Kinnaird reeds in their pipes.

All that being said, Kinnairds are great reeds and give a big, bold, reedy tone in most makes of drones. If you’re not playing a strong loud chanter reed the Kinnairds may be a bit overpowering. I would try EzeeDrones. Like any synthetic drone reed, once set up properly they are completely reliable. EzeeDrones tend to give a sweeter tone than Kinnairds which may be better suited to your chanter tone if you’re playing a Medium or Easy chanter reed.

Many pipers mix their reeds, using for example EzeeDrone tenor reeds and a Kinnaird bass reed. This gives sweet tenors and a more edgy/powerful bass tone.

The relatively new MG reeds are basically EzeeDrone-style tenors and a Kinnaird-style bass. Many top pipers like them, and I heard an Open piping competition won by a piper playing them. His pipes sounded fantastic.

Many pipers feel that the best synthetic reeds available are the Lee Rockets, which however must be custom-made for your particular make of pipes. He does not attempt to fit Rockets to some makes. What many top pipers feel are the best pipes being made today, the Atherton MacDougalls, come fitted with Rockets.

Another respected synthetic drone reed is the Canning.

I too play both the GHB and the uilleann pipes. For my “gig pipes” I need pipes that are completely reliable and stable. For several years I’ve used a Ross bag with the full Ross canister system which keeps the reeds dry so that they do not change pitch as you play.
This is more crucial to stability than which brand of reed you’re playing.
Those Bannatyne bags which have a Goretex bag layerd with a leather bag are the worst at retaining moisture, which is the opposite of what you want.

5

For the OP’s needs, Kinnaird.

The other reeds are great too. I use them. But if I want peace of mind I use Kinnaird.

A drying system is a good suggestion. Ross is tried and true. Several players up my way have been getting great results with the Achiltibuie systems. The advantage of the hybrid bags is having the heft of leather, which is better for pressure control, yet don’t need seasoning. Most drying systems should fit.

6

shepherd s90