Cane production
We use the most stringent cane selection and production procedures using the most advanced equipment available.
- All tube cane is personally selected. We choose it. We don't wait to be sent what others have chosen not to take.
- Cane sorts and vintages are not mixed.
- Although we do our best to deliver you great looking cane, we differ from other producers in the fact that we do not wash our cane. Many manufacturers wash tube cane to look good, but many of the vital fibres in the cane are lost, drastically reducing the life length of your reed.
- Cane is split and sorted by diameter.
- Cane is pre gouged with the Hörtnagl gouging machine and a final gouge is made with the Kunibert Michel machine.
- All machines are regularly adjusted and tested to ensure an even gouge from tip to tip of the cane.
- All gouge thickness are categorised in groups with differences of no more than 0.2mm, giving you maximum consistency with your gouge. All our dial micrometers are by the Japanese firm Mitutoyo.
Cane is shaped using a Hörtnagl shaping machine. See chart below for current shapes available.
The Hörtnagl machine is superior in quality to hand shaper tips in the fact that the gouged cane sits flat, not folded, and the angle of the blade is set ensuring perfectly even sides.
- The shaped cane is marked at the centre to enable easy folding before binding.
- Cane is separated by hardness/density. Very hard, hard, medium, soft. (See Cane page for further information).
- We use hardness testers supplied by Reeds 'n Stuff.
The Following Shapes are Currently Available:
| Shape No. | Instrument | Tip | 10mm | 20mm | 30mm | End (40mm for EH) | 50 mm | overall length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| --- | Musette | 6.50 | 6.40 | 6.00 | 4.45 | 3.00 | - | 74mm |
| H9 | Oboe | 6.80 | 6.70 | 6.00 | 4.45 | 3.00 | - | 77mm |
| H37 | Oboe | 6.80 | 6.75 | 6.20 | 4.40 | 3.10 | - | 75mm |
| H57 | Oboe | 6.90 | 6.70 | 5.90 | 4.50 | 3.30 | - | 76mm |
| H95 | Oboe | 6.90 | 6.80 | 6.20 | 4.70 | 3.20 | - | 76mm |
| H112 | Oboe | 6.95 | 6.80 | 6.00 | 4.60 | 3.40 | - | 76mm |
| H99 | Oboe | 7.00 | 6.90 | 6.10 | 4.50 | 3.60 | - | 76mm |
| H5 | Oboe | 7.00 | 6.90 | 6.20 | 4.70 | 3.20 | - | 76mm |
| H26 | Oboe | 7.00 | 7.00 | 6.30 | 4.80 | 3.20 | - | 77mm |
| H70 | Oboe | 7.00 | 6.90 | 6.10 | 4.60 | 3.00 | - | 76mm |
| H17(0) Albrecht Mayer | Oboe | 7.05 | 6.96 | 6.30 | 4.80 | 3.30 | - | 76mm |
| H40 | Oboe | 7.10 | 7.05 | 6.20 | 4.65 | 3.30 | - | 75mm |
| H79 | Oboe | 7.20 | 7.10 | 6.30 | 4.70 | 3.20 | 76mm | |
| H56 | Oboe | 7.30 | 7.20 | 6.40 | 4.80 | 3.10 | - | 75mm |
| H17 | Oboe | 7.30 | 7.20 | 6.50 | 4.90 | 3.40 | - | 76mm |
| H93 | Oboe | 6.85 | 6.75 | 6.15 | 5 | - | - | 76mm |
| H124 | Baroque Oboe | 8.60 | 8.10 | 6.80 | 5.20 | 4.00 | - | 74mm |
| H77 | Baroque Oboe | 8.80 | 8.50 | 7.50 | 5.30 | 5.00 | - | 75mm |
| H82 | Baroque Oboe | 8.60 | 8.40 | 7.40 | 4.60 | 3.40 | - | 81mm |
| H13 | Classical Oboe | 7.90 | 7.80 | 7.70 | 6.20 | 4.30 | 3.40 | 93mm |
| H116 | Classical Oboe | 8.10 | 8.00 | 7.60 | 6.70 | 4.90 | 3.60 | 92mm |
| H80+ | Classical Oboe | 8.25 | 8.10 | 7.80 | 6.80 | 5.00 | 3.90 | 93mm |
| H59 | Classical Oboe | 8.35 | 8.30 | 7.60 | 6.60 | 5.00 | 3.90 | 93mm |
| H122 | Classical Oboe | 8.50 | 8.35 | 7.70 | 6.50 | 4.75 | 3.70 | 93mm |
| HW121 | Vienna Oboe | 7.10 | 6.85 | 6.20 | 5.40 | 4.60 | 4.00 | 93mm |
| HW57 | Vienna Oboe | 7.50 | 7.50 | 7.15 | 6.40 | 5.50 | 5.00 | 93mm |
| H33 | Ob d'Amore | 7.30 | 7.20 | 6.20 | 5.00 | 3.20 | - | 75mm |
| H32 | Ob d'Amore | 7.40 | 7.30 | 6.80 | 5.30 | 3.60 | - | 75mm |
| H31 | Ob d'Amore | 7.50 | 7.20 | 6.50 | 4.70 | 3.40 | - | 78mm |
| H97 | Ob d'Amore | 7.55 | 7.50 | 6.95 | 5.50 | 3.70 | - | 75mm |
| H13 | E.Horn | 7.90 | 7.80 | 7.70 | 6.20 | 4.30 | 3.40 | 93mm |
| H116 | E.Horn | 8.10 | 8.00 | 7.60 | 6.70 | 4.90 | 3.60 | 92mm |
| H59 | E.Horn | 8.35 | 8.30 | 7.60 | 6.60 | 5.00 | 3.90 | 93mm |
| H122 | E.Horn | 8.50 | 8.35 | 7.70 | 6.50 | 4.75 | 3.70 | 93mm |
| H29 | E.Horn | 7.80 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 5.30 | 3.20 | - | 85mm |
| H23 | E.Horn | 7.90 | 7.80 | 7.20 | 5.60 | 3.60 | - | 82mm |
| H54 | E.Horn | 7.80 | 7.80 | 7.30 | 5.90 | 4.10 | - | 87mm |
| HW59 | Vienna E. Horn | 7.90 | 7.80 | 7.10 | 6.10 | 5.00 | 4.30 | 93mm |
| HW4 | Vienna E. Horn | 8.10 | 7.60 | 7.00 | 6.05 | 5.00 | 4.70 | 93mm |
| HFBO | Baritone Oboe | 9.00 | 8.80 | 8.40 | 7.40 | 5.40 | 4.50 | 94mm |
