I’m familiar with the merits of synthetic reeds. My drones have 'em and they are very convenient and well-behaved! They sound fine to me, however, I wondered if cane reeds (or at least cane bodies) have any advantages to offer tonally or balance-wise, or whatever over synthetic. I’ve heard some say there are no tonal differences but wondered all the same. I figured someone MUST have an opinion on cane reeds here…any who prefer cane?
I definitely prefer cane. I have played various synthetic and composite drone reeds in the past but in the end cane has always won for tone.
My own experience has been that composite and synthetic reeds are not more stable than “good” cane reeds. Cane reeds can be a bit more hit-and-miss but once you get good ones, properly adjusted, they seem to require almost no maintenance at all. You may go through a few bits of cane before you find those ideal reeds though.
Some makers have reported tone of comparable richness to cane, using composite drone reeds with wooden tongues. So far my efforts in that direction have been disappointing, but perhaps that’s due to lack of experience making them.
It seems to me that of all the reeds I think the tenor’s tone is most notably affected by plastic vs cane.
Bill
Hmm, it would be interesting then to hear sound files of the same set of drones but with the different reed configurations…in reality, my reeds are probably just fine…
Would cane reeds have to be made custom for the specific set of drones as they require a bit more adjustment? I know with synthetics that doesn’t seem to be a big deal, all three of my reeds are of different synthetic configurations (the pipes came with a hodgepodge of drone reeds), but all were easy to adjust to my drones.
Also, do cane reeds require more air? and does any potential advantage of cane reeds depend on the degree of engineering/quality of the drones themselves?
Finally, what are your thoughts on Elder? Anyone making drone reeds with Elder?
Sorry for all the questions!
i would have to agree with billh on the tenor drone reed in particular. i have two synth drone reeds in bari and bass, and a cane reed in the tenor… the synth reed in tenor was just not right. the drones i play are more harleyesque and good for the loud venues within which i tend to play… but in an ideal setting without drunk punters yelling, cane all round would be my choice…
but the cane reeds in the bass drone (at least mine) were not as steady and dependable as the synth (childress)… but that is just my experience.
After trying all sort of synthetic variations, hybrids, arundo, and, phragmites reeds in my Roberts drones over the last 3 years I would emphatically vote for…it depends.
All can be made steady and dependable. All have good sound, dependent on the drone. My tenor A and D drones are too loud with all but phragmites or brass on brass. The rest sound good with whatever. Right now, I am using 3 phragmites, 1 arundo, 1 brass/brass. That’s really the only drones I have experience with and I am always in relatively low humidity so your mileage may vary.
For a little controversy, in some of the drones I can’t tell the difference between a cane drone and a brass body/styrene tongue. Let the surliness begin.
What aboot the atmospheric factor?
Humidity, etc
Though I’ve only owned drones for like 2 weeks, I’m wondering what effect
the dreaded & wildly varying 15 - 90% humidity here would have on those who have cane?
Mine are synthetic. (B.C. Childress)
Rich
I have brass reg reeds + cane in the drones:
usually a great situation, (if I can guess how my cane reeds react to changes, ) but;
when it gets too wet/dry/cold/hot for comfort, the aggrivating thing is that the chanter + drones will move up/down/in/out in a (more or less)corresponding manner, but the reg reeds will follow their own track.
Cane reeds, all the way. Synthetic drone reeds have a very flat sound (to my ear), and lack the overtones and natural harmonics that you find in cane or elder reeds. The reeds in my set have been running perfectly for over a year without adjustment (granted, it took a while to get them that way). Honestly, I don’t see any benefits synthetic reeds have over a set of well made and well set up cane reeds. People cite stability as the major decider in using synthetic reeds, but as long as your reeds are good, there’s no reason why cane shouldn’t be just as stable as anything made out of plastic. And besides, synthetic reeds sound like shite.
I haven’t had much luck if any with the stability of cane reeds. Soundwise, when I play quill drones, I can hear a “buzzing” in my lap, but when I hear others playing them, I can’t hear that buzz and I can’t hear it in my recordings, but I have 67 year old years but my 37 year old son hears it not himself.
I can’t stand the sound of plastic tongues with any kind of body, even on arundo donax quills. Plastic just doesn’t hack it IMHO.
I use a brass hobby tubing arundo donax tongues.
I soak the tongue slip in neetsfoot oil for two weeks or longer before I shape them to fit the drone tube. That apparently makes them more happy in rapid humidity changes, as I had very little problems with my drones in my Mark Hillmann D set, until my 7 year chanter reed died. 
I have been using that reed and the other I made for my C set, trying to make it happier in air conditioning (a rapid temperature and humidity change as I don’t use air conditioning and usually run a humidifier when I need heating in my apartment).
I think my tenor and baritone have learned to behave, but my bass still messes up. I need to drag out a couple more drone slips and get to work, but tempus fugit from me.. 
Hi there,
I’ve got a Preshaw HS and I need a new set of drone reeds.
Anyone have experience with Preshaw’s artifitial drone reeds? 
Thanks
BTW Ive recently installed synthe drone reeds;
Not drawing parallels, but
when these things first came out for GHB, I heard a lot of the same commentary. To be honest, the first generation of composite drone reeds for GHB sucked. Worse than the 1st gen of UP reeds.
I predict, probably in 4-5 years, the next generation mass produced UP drone reeds will be clearly superior to what’s out there now.
My main suggestion for improvement is (and Im not complaining, NOR am I an engineer with any idea how to effect this)
1.) Ditch the O rings, and rubber sleeve bridles. Find a way to make an adjustable ligature (a la clarinet + sax) that not only moves along the reed, but also can be set tighter or looser via a set screw.
2just musing…
While I generally prefer the sound of cane drones over synthetic or composite drone reeds, I was blown away by the sound of the drones of Debbie Quigley’s K&Q concert set. I understand that the drones reeds were composite. The bass is noticeably dominant and has a lovely buzz to it.
I don’t know what vintage Debbie’s set is, but I believe David is currently using mahogany tongues on his composite drones.
I made one attempt at making a set of these with boxwood bodies, but they seemed to turn out decidedly inferior to David’s 
so I went back to cane. I wouldn’t rule out trying again…
Bill
I’ve had good luck with making sets of drone guills with ebony and cocobola bodies and cane tongues ala the Tim Britton method http://www.skep.com/britton/articles.htm#Drone Reeds
Mind you, I still have a cane guill in my tenor drone. I didn’t feel the need to replace it.
I like my drones set up in a way that the tenor is very bright and the bass has a bit of a growl and then there is just enough of a hint of baritone to balance the other 2 out. I may do a bit more experimenting with Tims bass drone guill measurements to see what I come up with.
Tommy
Its elder drone reeds all the way for me. 
all the best.
Anybody have a clip comparing artificial and cane drone reeds? Being new to this whole pipering thing, it would be helpful to hear the difference.
I’m realizing that a lot of good makers are making synthetics drone reeds nowadays, instead of cane reeds (which was more usual untill the date). Are the synthetics drone reeds wining the battle vs. cane ones?
I suppose that the design of artifitial drone reeds has already reached a high level, and now some of the best UP makers are happy with its benefits versus cane reeds.
Anyway, a lot of pipers (we have too, here in Galicia, the never-ending discussion among gaita’s cane-reeds supporters vs. plastic ones) prefer cane-reeds due its harmonics…
I’m thinking that I’m going to test both of them and then I’ll tell you…
Another thing: don’t you believe that more than 100 $ is a bit expensive for an artifitial easy-to-make drone reed set (tenor+baritone+bass)? 
Anybody have a clip comparing artificial and cane drone reeds? Being new to this whole pipering thing, it would be helpful to hear the difference.
It goes back to the whole recording thing.
It’s difficult to compare reeds via recordings when you have to consider microphone quality, recording software, mixing and the quality of your speakers.
Another thing: don’t you believe that more than 100 $ is a bit expensive for an artifitial easy-to-make drone reed set (tenor+baritone+bass)?
Well, you’re paying for something that you can’t do yourself.
If you want some one else to do your work, well then you have to pay them.
Tommy
Ah yes this is definitely an issue. Mics don’t exactly lend themselves to capturing subtleties easily.