I have a DD practice set (with which I am well pleased). I am looking into getting a hard case, and wondered how I should carry the reed, as I’ll be taking the windcap off the chanter in order to fit it into the case.
I’d like to know your thoughts on this please.
Thanks
Hi Halal,
How are things in our Nations’s Capital? (I’m in Montreal)
I’m very new at this as well, but I would suggest, if at all possible, that you do not remove the windcap. The more you expose the reed the greater the odds of damaging it.
Hey there Halal;
I got my two new reeds expertly wrapped in paper towel and lain side-by-side in a tape cassette case.
Depending on the size of your reed, that should work fine; the tape case is strong enough to protect the reeds and the paper towel, surprisingly enough, is more than good enough cushioning to keep the reeds from bounding around.
As well, the little nipples that normally go into the holes of the tapes are great for separating your reeds so that they don’t bump into each other, messing each other’s bridles about.
Cheap, easy to maintain and highly replaceable. Oh, one more thing, if you’re going to be removing the reed, run a pencil around the base of it, where it fits into the chanter and you’ll have a clear guideline for putting it back in when the time comes.
I found it incredibly frustrating to have to fiddle about getting the tuning right every time, until I did this, and now hey presto! a well-tuned pipe every time.
Yours, Mark
Wow, I really used the term ‘hey presto’ in real life. Now I’m afraid.
A couple of suggestions (I’ve done all):
Tape case - Works, but unless it’s made of high-impact plastic it’s likely to get broken or crushed in a bad situation (good in a gig box).
Fishing Lure Case - Flambeau makes a perfect case for reeds. Just the size you need. If I needed to (and I don’t, thankfully) I could fit a few chanter reeds, and all the drone reeds in it safely. Very, very tough plastic.
Old Cigar Case - Similar to an old cigarette case, only thicker. You can find them on ebay or in antique shops. They’re usualy metal covered with leather. Looks very nice, very well constructed ones are near indestructable.
Pvc pipe capped at both ends with foam padding. Excellent, cheap, sturdy method of carrying your reed.
Plastic spice bottle - Some of these are the perfect size if you add a little padding.
Dionys
Reed cases…
I use two kinds, one is a metal “Ogden’s St. Bruno -hand rubbed tobacco case (1x3x4”) with lid that snaps on tight, and the other is a hinged case for a pair of glasses (1x6x2&1/2") with self closing hinges so it stays shut…it’s very resistant to impacts and the handiest in that you can roll your reeds up in TP and keep other little repair tools in it too.
Is the case too small for you to just pull the windcap out of the stock so you can store it assembled with the chanter? The windcap is a built-in reed protector. You don’t have to re-adjust the reed in its seat every time you get ready to play either: just plug-n-play (well, as much as you can with pipes).
Cheers,
Aaron
Hi, Halal,
as an alternative: why don’t you buy a case your chanter fits into without removing the windcap? Then you could leave the reed in the chanter forever. At least this is what I do 
At the moment I’m using a “briefcase” that came filled with very expensive cutlery, until I can get something big enough to carry the bellows, bag and chanter without taking the windcap off the chanter.
I have also used a softcase tripod case, but it’s a very tight fit for the bellows, no problem for the bag (which fits in when rolled up) and the chanter.
I only have the one reed at the moment, it would be good to know how to carry extras.
Thanks very much for all your suggestions.
Altoid tins with tissue paper padding work well, depending on the length of your reed.