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has anyone tried sticking GHB drone reeds in their pipes to see if they play?
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has anyone tried to modify GHB drone reeds to work with UP? if so, what did you have to do?
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What notes should UP drone reeds sound when sucked (outside of the drone)? I would imagine they don’t play “d” without all the extra plumbing… this question is particularly important because i’m doing an experiment that might just make everybody’s life a wholehelluvalot easier…
Hi Antaine, the problem with using GHB Drone reeds is the different bore sizes. For a Drone reed to be stable it must have an internal bore no larger than the bore of the Drone, so GHB reeds will be unstable.
Why not have a go at making your Drone reeds from Phragmites australis (Common Reed) which produces pieces with all the right diameters for UP.
Below is a post I made on the Bellowspipes yahoo Group which should help.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bellowspipes/message/3657
TTFN
John S
Phragmites Australis grows plentiful in the States. I have found groves of it growing not too far from my home. If you are interested, I could harvest a bunch of stuff in appropiate sizes for UP drone reeds and ship it to you. It may take a week or two as my time is limited due to school, but I certainly can take an hour or two one of these upcoming weekends.
Here in the UK the best bits to use are the lower sections, because as you move up the plant the wall thickness drops and the material becomes too fragile.
Now is a good time to harvest. Cut the whole stem as far down as possible and only use this year’s growth (they will still have there seed heads on). Cut off the top 1/3 and discard.
When you get them home strip off the outer leaves that grow from the knots and let them dry for a few days.
Now your ready to start making your own reeds.
Good luck
John S
well, here’s what im thinking - in the name of nice, stable synthetic reeds…
could the tongue from one of those fancy GHB reeds be put on a brass body? would it need to be clipped at all?
second…and this is why I ask about reed pitch sans drone…I’ve got two el cheapo harmonicas coming from ebay, and I’m going to rape them like a viking for reeds:twisted:…it would just be handy to know with which reeds to start…
This would give a nice brass tongue, tuned and conditioned for stability and a particular pitch. button accordians might work better, but I don’t currently have one of them to take apart.
John,
What part of the drone bore? My drones have different inner diametres as you travel down the drone. Do you mean the top bore?
John
Given the thickness and diameter of the GHB drone reeds I have used in the past (I have since gone back to cane), I’d say they would need to be thinned, clipped and have their width reduced… alot of work, really, when there are great UP synthetic drone reed designs out there. But, for the sake of discovery and adventure, I am curious to see what you do and what the results are. 
well, my goal is to do this cheaply…if I had the money I’d order a set from bruce today. I’m going to experiment with harmonica reeds. i have a regular one, and I just ordered two 7" ones for a penny each from ebay…i figure if i find i need extra low reeds i can get them there…
My guess is that the reed diam. shouldn’t be any larger than the smallest ID on the drone itself, to answer an above question.
Anyway…I’ll let you guys know how the harmonica thing works out…who knows, we may all be soon making synthetic reeds for the cost of the $3 cane ones…
Antaine, While I do appreciate all the experimentation you do, I think there’s really a limit to how cheaply some things can be done. The Brass and styrene drone reed plans from Song of the Sea cost $5 and the materials come in at under $20, with enough material to make several full sets, and enough styrene to keep you in tongues for life.
Or are you trying to make chanter reeds from GHB drone reeds or something wacky like that?
Hey, what ever happened to that brass chanter design, anyway?
I can’t move any further with my brass chanter design until i get a good design for plastic reeds for both the chanter and drones. I am practicing away. I can make a chanter reed that plays in tune in the brass chanter, but for some reason in the design of my reed, it deteriorates over time until it no longer plays at all. I have the same problem with the drone reeds.
I’m not trying to modify GHB drone reeds, as they cost the same as uilleann drone reeds, so there is no point. nothing would be accomplished by doing so. I am currently trying to determine whether or not reeds from an inexpensive harmonica with tubing bodies would be suitable. Then you don’t have to worry about the materials for the moving part - you know the reed works and you know it is specifically tuned, thus simplifying the process…
I have to test my cane reeds, to see what pitch each is when sounded outside of the drone. I haven’t done this yet, but for argument’s sake, say it sounds a “d”…well I should be able to take that same “d” reed out of a harmonica, put it in a brass tubing body à la the design posted here not long ago, and have a reed that reliably plays that pitch, which would then be appropriately modified and deepend by the drone itself…
so we’ll see…and I’ll keep you posted. (and on the brass chanter as well…)
Well, I’d love to see what you come up with, in any case. Your next assignment: Develop a cheap penny-chanter in C. 
well, I’ve got plans for a cheap (under $20 in materials) chanter in D…I have neither plans nor desire to deviate from concert pitch.
One person here has actually heard the thing over the phone, and compared that to my childress and britton chanters during the same call…if he’d be so kind as to just jump in again and reaffirm that I am not crazy…
I’ll tell you tho…my reed problems are in getting the plastic to stay bound…philly cream cheeze tubs have remarkable plastic that, when worked with coarse sandpaper, mimic the consistency and grain of cane…it ain’t too shabby at all…
It’s the diameter of the Drone section into which the reed fits that should not be exceeded.
My work with Elder in drone diameters (the elders bore is very slightly tapered) has shown me that if the narrow end of the bore is used to insert the reed, the chances of it over-blowing are greatly increased.
John S