Beginner's Guide to Bassoon Reed Making

Congratulations! So you decided to make your own reeds? Great! First you’ll need to get some tools and supplies. The easiest place to get these is one of the large double reed companies. My two favorites are (on the West coast) Forrests Double Reed (www.forrestsmusic.com) and (on the East coast) Charles Double Reed (www.charlesmusic.com). Charles Double Reed also has great starter reed making kits that contain most, if not all, of what you need.

Some of the tools such as the needle-nose pliers, brass wire, Duco cement, sandpaper, ruler, and twine you can usually get at your local hardware or craft supply store.

The basic tools are listed below. As you advance in your reed making you may want to get upgraded tools. Those shown below are mostly the basic (aka cheapest) of each tool option.

mandrel

sharpening stone

cutting block

reed knife

reamer

needle-nose plierswith wire cutter

plaque

tip cutter

Dutch rush

pencil

fine grit sandpaper

fine metal file

Duco Cement

cotton twine

ruler with 1/16th

inch markings

21/22 G soft brass wire

reed thread

You’ll also need to get some cane. For beginning purposes it is best to get cane that is three things:

- gouged- profiled- shaped

A pack of 10 pieces of cane will run between $25.00-$130.00. Start cheap. Your first few sets of 5 reeds will perhaps produce 2 or 3 good ones, but most will not come out to be good playable reeds. As you improve your technique and skill you can advance the reed quality and will have fewer duds. It will make a difference in sound quality and ease of vibration.

Another thing that you’ll want to purchase is a carrying case to keep all your reed tools in. I recommend either a tackle box or a makeup kit (shown right).

A smaller leather case (shown above) is also nice so you can take some of your frequently used tools with you when you’re practicing and performing without taking the whole box.

You’ll also need a mandrel tip holder shown here with a removable mandrel tip.

To begin, you need to soak the cane. This is to prevent splitting and cracking when you handle the cane. You should allow at least 4 hours, preferably more like 12 hours. I usually try to put my cane to soak the night before I plan to use it.

Now, pull out your ruler and pencil. You’re going to mark where your future wires will go. Measure from the middle ridge of the reed (where the shaping begins) down for the first two wires and from the bottom butt of the cane up for the third wire. The measurements to mark are:

-Wire #1: down 1/8” -Wire #2: down another 2/8” -Wire #3: up 3/16”

Next, pull out your ruler and carefully carve in grooves at the same level as the marks you just made. This will give you a “stability groove” to put your wires into.

Now, very carefully fold the reed so that the thinnest part of the middle buckles and the two ends come together. Watch carefully as you bend for major cracks around the middle (future tip of the reed). If it begins to crack severely, stop! You need to soak your cane for a few more hours.

Now use the wire cutter part of your pliers and cut three 3” wires.

***Note, if your cane does not have indentations running up the bottom of the cane (termed “pre-scored”) please see slide 16 prior to the next step.

Using your thumb place and hold the end of one wire approximately 1” from the end (of the wire). Put this first wire around the base of the reed.

Wrap the wire around the bottom of the reed once so that it passes by the other end (sorry for the blurred picture).

Pinch the two ends of the wire together and twist in the middle of the reed to secure. Once the wires stay together you can use your needle-nose pliers to grip and twist the ends to secure the wire even more.

Repeat the steps above for the second wire (the third doesn’t go on until the next session) . This time start the wire such that the end will be on the opposite side of the reed (see picture). Do not tighten the wires 100%, just about 75%.

Next, very carefully use your reed knife to score the bottom of the reed. This means pressing the blade into the cane approximately 1/8”. This should be repeated to have 3-4 slices per side.

***Note: some cane will come pre-scored up further and will only require the scoring mentioned above. For cane that does not come pre-scored you should drag the tip of your knife from approx. 1/2” up the reed to the bottom pressing only lightly to puncture slightly into the cane. Do this 3-4 times per side.

Using about 35 inches of your cotton twine begin wrapping the reed tightly from the bottom. Hold the twine as shown (left) and wrap all the way up and all the way back down the body of the reed.

Make sure to wrap this very tightly- it will prevent cracking later. Unwind the twine from the ball for the first five reeds and then you can re-use these sections of twine for each subsequent batch of reeds.

When you reach the bottom of the reed again tie the twine twice in a simple knot to secure the end.

Next, place a tip in your mandrel (secure tightly!) and very carefully insert the tip into the bottom of the reed. This is when you hope you wrapped tightly! wedge it all the way in to the middle of the three bands on the mandrel tip base. To make this easier you can rub the mandrel tip on a candle or wax.

Use your needle-nose pliers to gently massage the reed body to help it ease onto the mandrel tip. Once the reed is on the tip far enough (to the second from bottom line on the mandrel tip) use the pliers to tighten the wires. Do this by gripping with pliers and gently pull and twist the wires until they feel tight.

Remove the mandrel tip from the handle and place in your tip holder. Place this in a safe place and allow your batch of reeds to “cure” for at least a week. The longer, the better. Then proceed to session 2!

Session 2-First, unwrap the cotton twine. Depending on how tightly you tied it you may need your needle-nose pliers to pull the end loose.

Second, carefully clip, unwind, and remove the wires.

Take your piece of fine grit sandpaper and roll it up into a tight tube.

Carefully open up the reed and use the tube of sandpaper to sand the inside of the neck where the mandrel has left a mark. Next, use your file to gently and lightly sand the edges of the reed down flat and even so that when put back together they make a tight seal.

Cut three wires approximately 3” in length. Put your reed back on the mandrel and wrap the top wire using the same technique as before.

Put the middle wire into that third groove that you made but didn’t use last time. This wire will face the opposite direction from the top wire.

Finally, put a third bottom wire on. Carefully tighten each wire a little bit at a time until all three are tight.

Unwind approximately two arms length of your thread and loop the entire length back on itself so you have a looped end and an open end. Hook the looped end onto the bottom wire.

While keeping as much tension in the thread as possible wrap it around the bottom wire.

As you wrap, alternate whether the thread is above or below the wire. Try to cross it at regular intervals so that it makes a traditional “turban” design.

Wrap the thread at least a couple of times around the very bottom of the reed. Cross the turban and wrap up to the second wire and back down.

Leave yourself enough thread loose to tie several knots. Tighten them as tight as you can. Cut off the excess thread but leave yourself a half inch or so at the end. You will glue this loose end on so don’t worry about it sticking out.

Get out your Duco cement (or comparable glue) and thoroughly coat all the thread with a good layer. The glue will shrink inwards as it dries so don’t worry about big globs. Place your reed in the drying rack and wait at least 24 hours for session 3.

Session 3This last session involves many steps such as cutting the tip of the reed and shaving the reed to make fine adjustments that are very reed specific. Every reed is different, even if they are in the same batch. If you can, consult with a professional bassoonist the first few times when making these fine adjustments and they can guide you on what each specific reed needs. There are also many fine-tuning reed guides available on the internet if you don’t have a bassoonist in your area.

First soak your reeds on the mandrel tips for at least a few hours. Then start by tightening all three wires. Do this by pulling and turning as you did before. The wires are essentially the bassoon equivalent of a ligature (clarinet/sax etc) so you want them nice and tight!

Use your wire cutters to cut the bottom wire very close to the dried glue and carefully push it in with the pliers so it doesn’t catch on things. Bend the top two wires so they point towards each other flat against the reed.

Use your tip cutters to carefully cut the tip of your reed. Take enough off to make the whole reed length close to 2 1/8th”. Remember- you can always take more off but you can’t put it back on! This is one of those reed specific steps I warned you about where every reed will require something different.

Next, use your reed knifeand your cutting block to take just the very slightest bit off of each of the top corners. They should appear just barely barely rounded when you’re done.

Use your reamer to gently hollow out the inside of your reed until it fits comfortably and stably on the end of your bocal. (note that the amount required is reed specific)

Now comes the trickiest part- the refining process. Always useyour plaque when working on your reed. It helps prevent accidents. You also want to use your thumb as a stabilizing ledge and use short, gentle upward twisting strokes to remove a little pulp/fiber at a time. The first few times it is really best to have a professional help you with this part as it’s so reed specific.

A few general rules for reed refining:- Always test your reed after each adjustment to help avoid taking more off than you need (remember you can’t put it back!)-Start by gently shaving off along the base of the reed anywhere you can still seen cross graining. Try and get it nice and smooth to where the visible fibers all run in the long direction.- For the low register: take small and light shavings off the upper ¼” of the reed tip along the edge.

General tips cont.-For the upper register: on either side of the middle of the reed (the spine) there are channels or grooves which you can very delicately shave.-Follow each session with the knife by a light sanding with your sand paper and finish by soaking a small

section of dutch rush (aka horsetail) in water and gently rubbing in one direction towards the tip. This is essentially very fine grit sand paper and will make your reed silky smooth.

For further refining detail it is highly recommended that you seek out professional opinion or specific reed refining guide.

Good luck and happy bassooning!