Hello to the forum. This is my first post to this group, but I have been lurking for several months. I am trying to construct some brass (body and tongue) drone reeds for my Simack pipes. The humidity here in the High Desert of the South Plains is so low that cane reeds do not do very well.
I have the “Pipers’ Despair” book, but there are still some blank spots in the design instructions. It would really be beneficial to speak with someone who has some experience in this area. Have any of you successfully made synthetic drone reeds? Is there an instruction design that outlines the complete process? Is there a forum specifically for reed construction?
Howdy, Tex. There is no separate reed forum, but this issue has come up many times on this forum. You can use the Search feature to look for “synthetic and reed and drones” on this forum to see the many times it has come up.
Did you buy your synthetic reeds from a maker or did you make them yourself? If I could find a maker who supplies synthetic reeds, I would be happy to purchase them. I would rather be playing than making reeds.
I have never seen a synthetic UP drone reed, so it is hard for me to visualize the seal between the tongue and the body on the vibrating end of the tongue. The diagrams for construction that I have neither show nor describe the fitting of the tongue into the body at the free end. My examination of my synthetic Highland pipe reeds has not been much help yet.
Thanks for the information about the playability of the reeds. It tells me that I am going down the right road. …now to find a maker.
Rolf Knüsel might be your man. I’d heard that he does brass drone reeds, know someone who has 1 or 2, and it could be that Peter Laban would know how to get hold of him.
Or the NPU … he’s written for AN PÍOBAIRE:
Vol 3. no. 13 January 1993: page 22-23, “The other method- of making drone reeds” wood or brass staple with a tied on cane blade, by Rolf Knüsel
Vol. 4. no. 7 Deire Fómhair 2000: page 16-18, “A technical column: reedmaking for idiots!” Rolf Knüsel describes in detail how to make plastic drone reeds, staple manufacture & plastic regulator reeds
Hey Tex, making your own composite drone reeds really isn’t time consuming or thought taxing, they’re actully pretty easy to manufacture using materials you can purchase in a hobby or craft shop.
I belive that there are plans available online at Song of the Sea…I think they are around five dollars or so.
Wally Charm from the Seattle Pipers’ Club sent me the plans to make reeds that I currently use. Materials are plastic strip and brass tubing, all available from a good hobby store. Works well here in southern California.
