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Comment by jessaustin | Hacker News Reader

How much does a good reed cost? They aren't very big, are they? If quality depends on skilled handwork, why can't they be ordered cheaply from e.g. the Philippines?

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I used to pay $20 for a reed that my tutor made (about the same price as a box of nice clarinet reeds). It's possible they could be produced more cheaply in another part of the world, but you need a bassoon to test on (again, not cheap) and the manufacturer should themselves be a skilled bassoonist to capably test the reed across the instrument's significant range. A reed's musical qualities are influenced by local conditions (humidity, etc.) so a reed that works well in one place may sound terrible in another. The current model, where accomplished bassoonists and teachers make reeds to meet the small, local demand, seems to at least be workable.

I pointed out reeds as only a secondary issue because there seem to be more oboists than bassoonists. Oboists have the same challenge of finding a good reed-maker, or acquiring reed-making tools and canes, and learning the craft themselves. Oboes are much cheaper than bassoons and sometimes can even be rented (good luck finding a place willing to rent a bassoon -- the vast majority of bassoonists get their instrument from their school system).

I'm slightly squicked by the idea that someone would test your reeds on their bassoon before you get them. Did I read that wrong?

If it's mass produced, you can test every 100th, throw them away and assume that other 99 are ok. If you're producing small quantity for friends/students, they can always return the bad ones to you. You don't have to test the exact one you're selling.

Due to the variability of cane, every reed must be tested.

At the woodwind shop I buy reeds from, it's pretty standard practice to try before you buy when looking for something new. You take a batch down to the basement and try them out on your bassoon. If you don't like them, they go back in the box and someone else may buy them. It's just the same as donating a reed to another player etc - all part of the job.

I can't even imagine what my friend is going through now trying to keep his instrument sounding decent. He plays bassoon in one of the U.S. navy bands that is deployed with a hospital ship doing community relations type work in Southeast Asia. He's constantly posting pictures of the band hauling instruments up and down mountain sides, through rain forests, etc. The humidity must be wreaking havoc on the instrument.

That's incredible! The good news is that it's already warm and humid (woodwinds have a much harder time with being warmed up after very cold storage).

Here's a video showing how a $22 reed is produced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smanwe3_hY8&feature=youtu.be

If that's all there is to it, ISTM most adult bassoon players could just make their own reeds.

There's quite a few tools used in that video, including a custom jig and some forms. You'd be looking at a moderate upfront investment, plus have a reasonable feel for working with the material to get it to the appropriate tolerances.

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