Yesterday I made a few reeds, trying once more to get my Angus Bb set going. And as usual the reeds ended up muffled, dull and hard to blow. I have made a lot of reeds for my Williams D, and have experienced the same problems - though only about 50% of my wide-bore reeds have this problem.
The strange thing is - the reeds I make are the same size, thickness and sometimes from the same piece of cane… sometimes an easy blown and responsive reed, sometimes the opposite.
Perhaps it is in how far (or not far enough) the staple is positioned in the reed head head. Try untying a reed and experiment with staple position… pushin it in or pulling it out. It also suggests to me that perhaps you are binding the head of the reed a little too far up. Would you object to sending me one of the non working reeds for me to have a look at? I’ll send it back.
I have tried this, but as a means of tuning a sharp back D - with some success. I didn’t register any change in responsiveness though, but Ill try again with that in mind. Making the head a little wider should cure the back D I think?
I can send you an example - but it might behave very different in Floridas wet air - Just PM your address.
Maybe (especially if your reed thickness and scrape are similar in the ‘good’ and ‘not so good’ reeds) this is a case of the reed blades being too “constricted”, either by being pressed together too tightly by the tails and wrap, or by a bridle that is having too apply too much closing pressure?
Thinning the tails a bit may help, if the reed elevation seems OK before the bridle goes on. In the case of a too-tight bridle, you may need to experiment with the head shape and inner diameter of gouged slips, to get the elevation closer to the target without the bridle.
- Just PM your address.