Reeds for the Baroque Bassoon

1) Vendors

2) Bibliographical Sources

3) Dimensions

4) Links to advice on how to make your own reeds

Vendors:

Bibliographical Sources:

Dimensions

The dimensions for reeds for the baroque bassoon vary according to make/type and pitch. In general, they are larger than reeds for modern bassoons, and are closer to reeds for the contrabassoon. Below is a list of dimensions for different kinds of reeds made by some experienced players for various types/makes of instrument.　Many thanks to everyone for their cooperation.

Scott Cassada for Stanseby & Son (Phil Levin replica) at a=415 (approx)
Questionnaire: 
Part I The measurement for your finished reeds 
1 Length of the reed from top to base 73.5mm
2 Length of the tube part 38mm
3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire 3mm
4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire 25mm
5 Length from the 2nd to 3rd wire 10mm
6 Width at the tip 17-18mm
7 Diameter of the 1st wire relatively flat

Part II Dimensions of the cane when shaping 
8 Base of reed 10mm
9 At the 1st wire 10.75mm (+or-)
10 At the tip 18mm
11 If you use a shaper, what number etc. Rieger B2 
12 What instrument do you play, Levin copy of Thomas Stanesby (and son)
at what pitch app. A=415
13 Any other relevant comments Profile starts 45mm up from the base of the reed. The second wire is optional, although at the present time, my more successful reeds do have a second wire. I use Bonazza 150mm contrabassoon cane, purchased from Ann Hodge Double Reeds. The rails of the reed are scraped very thin. In fact, they are just as thin as the tip. The same basic principles that apply to finishing a French-style bassoon reed can be used to finish my baroque bassoon reeds.

Information supplied by:
Scott Cassada, bassoonist and baroque bassoonist
Maryland Symphony
Millbrook Orchestra
Roanoke Symphony
Appalachian Wind Quintet
Winchester Baroque

Eduardo Adrian Rodriguez
I have measurements for 3 kinds of Baroque Bassoon reeds.

1) Larry Alpert's reed for Verjat baroque bassoon
2) James Kopp's reed for Eichentopf (Leslie Ross replica) at a=415
3) Michael McCraw's reed.

Larry Alpert's reed:
Questionnaire:
Part I The measurement for your finished reeds
1 Length of the reed from top to base: 67 mm
2 Length of the tube part: 33.5 mm
3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire: ?
4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: ?
5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 9 mm
6 Width at the tip: 17.5 mm
7 Diameter of the 1st wire: ?



James Kopp's reed (I measured one of his reeds):
Questionnaire:
Part I The measurement for your finished reeds
1 Length of the reed from top to base: 67 mm
2 Length of the tube part: 31 mm
3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire: 7 mm
4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: 14 mm
5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 10 mm
6 Width at the tip: 18 mm
7 Diameter of the 1st wire: Not very round


Michael McCraw's reed (I measured one of his reeds):
Questionnaire:
Part I The measurement for your finished reeds
1 Length of the reed from top to base: 70 mm
2 Length of the tube part: 35 mm
3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire: 7 or 8 mm
4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: 14.5 mm
5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 9 mm
6 Width at the tip: 20 mm
7 Diameter of the 1st wire: Flat

Part II Dimensions of the cane when shaping

I bought Rieger cane profiled without shaping.
8 Base of reed
9 At the 1st wire
10 At the tip

11 If you use a shaper, what number etc.
I use a Leslie Ross shaper.

12 What instrument do you play, at what pitch
I have an Eichentopf copy made by Leslie Ross at 415.

Information supplied by:
Eduardo Adrian Rodriguez 
Calle 37 n 1569
Phone (0221)4-79-5545
1900 - La Plata
Argentina
<earodri@isis.unlp.edu.ar>

Rachel Bristley-Rubin

Hello baroque bassoon lovers,

Finally, here are my measurements. I also have some measurements from
Lorenzo Alpert and Michael McCraw, slightly different from those mentioned
by Eduardo R., as well as by Claude Wassmer. They were all teachers of mine
so I took the measurements directly from their reeds in my collection.
Please note that I used the 1st wire as the wire closest to the butt and 3rd
wire as that closest to the blade:

Larry Alpert's reed:
Questionnaire:
Part I The measurement for your finished reeds
 1 Length of the reed from top to base: 67 mm
 2 Length of the tube part: 33 mm
 3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire: 31
 4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: 8
 5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 25 mm
 6 Width at the tip: 18 mm
 7 Diameter of the 3rd wire: 11

11 Shaper: Rieger B1 (designed by Walter Stiftner)
12 Instrument: Verjat Prudent with Savary Bocal by Egger of Basel,
Switz., A415

13 Source of cane: last I heard, he was using some Italian cane, gets
material mostly from one of the 2 dozen students he has in Geneva/Cologne

Michael McCraw
Questionnaire:
Part I The measurement for your finished reeds
 1 Length of the reed from top to base: 72 mm
 2 Length of the tube part: 34 mm
 3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire: 35 mm
 4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: 11 mm
 5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 19 mm
 6 Width at the tip: 12 mm
 7 Diameter of the 3rd wire: 11

11 Shaper:Michael shapes each reed by hand and is the great experimenter which
accounts for my measurements (reed from 1992) being different from those
given by Eduardo
12 Instrument: early de Konighe Eichentopf A415

13 last I heard, Michael was using Rieger contra cane

Claude Wassmer (2 reeds):

1 Length of the reed from top to base: 66 / 63
2 Length of the tube part: 29 / 29
3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire:4 / 30
4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: 7.5 / 8
5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 20 / 16
6 Width at the tip: 11 / 18
7 Diameter of the 3rd wire: 10 / 11

11 Shaper: Rieger B2 (Wassmer design)
12 Instrument: Verjat Prudent with original bocal / A415

13: Claude uses Glotin cane, gouged only, length 135mm (called
Extra-Lange), and profiles it from the inside which is historical practice
(used to make my reeds like that too, but you can't change them much once
they're finished!)

My own reeds:

1 Length of the reed from top to base: 68
2 Length of the tube part: 33
3 Length from bottom to the 3rd wire: 32
4 Length from the 3rd to the 2nd wire: 7
5 Length from the 2nd to 1 wire: 20
6 Width at the tip: 18
7 Diameter of the 3rd wire: 11

11 Shaper: More or less shape of Rieger B1 (I use a modified contra shaper)
12 Instrument: Verjat Prudent with Savary bocal from Egger, Basel / A415

13 : My reeds are a hybrid of Wassmer/Alpert. I formerly used Glotin 135
gouged only and now have gouged/profiled cane from Walter Bassetto,
Switzerland.

Happy reed-making!
Rachel

Links　

Beginners: for what's important to know when starting with reeds, see Steve Hanna's page. This page deals with the modern (German) bassoon, but the comments on reeds apply equally to historical instruments:
http://www.uidaho.edu/~hanna/tips.html#reed

Advanced: Ms Uchida Yuka has a baroque bassoon home page, most of which is in Japanese, but she has provided an English translation for her page on reed dimensions, which contains some more examples than above, and she also has a page on how to make a reed that works on a Verjat/Eichentopf replica, although the reed she describes is actually just an enlarged version of a reed for a German bassoon (but, what the heck, it works!).
This is the link to her page (English version)
http://plaza.harmonix.ne.jp/~yuka-u/hrj_e/bf/
This is the link to her chart of reed sizes:
http://plaza.harmonix.ne.jp/~yuka-u/hrj_e/bf/size.htm

For those who looking for guidance on how to make a genuine baroque style reed, and how it should differ from modern reeds, the following page by Professor David Rachor, University of Northern Iowa School of Music, offers invaluable advice. 
http://www.uni.edu/~rachor/art_baroque_links.html

The International Double Reed Society now has a comprehensive page on reed making, which covers both modern and baroque bassoons. Moreover, it has online a copy of Dr Paul White's important article on reed-making for the baroque bassoon.
http://idrs2.colorado.edu/reed/Bassoon.Reed/#anchor15146

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