One of the issues with making oboe reeds for other people is that they are not necessarily optimum for another embouchure. I try my best to make something rather generic. There is a very fine oboe player in my area that, when I looked at her oboe reeds, I realized that she could never sell something like that because they were so non-standard. She is not trying to sell oboe reeds, but she is a wonderful player with a gorgeous sound.
So how do I make my oboe reeds work better for me? There are a few things that you can do that you do not have to use a knife with. Sandpaper is a wonderful thing, and if you purchase 220 grit sandpaper, can use a small section of that to sand down your oboe reed. Now a word of warning, do not mess with the tip! Even oboe reeds that are medium hard and hard have very thin tips. The hardness of an oboe reed is not found in the tip. That is a fact that many people do not understand. The hardness of the oboe reed is found in the balance between the back and front of the oboe reed and especially the hunp of the oboe reed. So you want to make your reed more playable, and take a small section of sandpaper and sand down the hump of the oboe reed. That is the part that looks like a moon or V when you hold it up to the light.
An easy thing to do is to take an oboe staple and cut off the metal part so you just have the cork. Take that same 220 grit sandpaper and some crazy glue and apply crazy glue to the cork and wrap the cork with the 220 grit sandpaper. Then let it dry thoroughly and you can use this as a little tool that you can keep in your oboe case to modify your own oboe reeds. Remember to always work on wet reeds. If you have any questions of this or any other thing about oboe reeds, not hesitate to call or email me. Really enjoy helping customers, and don’t just sell oboe reeds, I sell the service that goes with it at no cost.
Play pretty.
Kerry