Making a Bassoon Reed - from raw cane to finished reed

A new edition of my very popular bassoon reed making video, now with steps including selecting and splitting tube cane, gouging, and new methods of forming the tube with faster techniques including using a power drill and orbital sander!
After 4 1/2 years my original "The Making of a Bassoon Reed" video has over 37k views, and is one of the most watched bassoon reed making videos on KZbin. I've grown as a reed maker since then, and purchase new equipment to make reeds from the tube cane stage, as well as make my process more efficient. So with those changes I thought it might be worth making an updated reed making video. I started filming the process last summer but got interrupted before it was done by my cancer diagnosis and treatment. But I finally had an opportunity to finish filming the final pieces and do a narration of the process as before. Again, this isn't a tutorial video and if you don't know anything about reed making I'll probably talk about things that won't make any sense, but that's not a big deal I don't think.

[@hotdogkiller3905]

Bassoon player: I can’t play today my reed broke :( This dude: hold my cane

[@Ech0TheCerva]

Ba dum SSSS

[@homeofcreation]

I completely understand why this is the most watched Bassoon reed making video on the internet.

[@alyseceleste]

And this is why I am HAPPY to pay a skilled artisan to make my reeds :)

[@jamesb7290]

I had no idea this is what went into making reeds. Someone on Reddit mentioned bassoonists often make their own reed's and found your video and watched the whole process. So fascinating.

[@lucyf9034]

Fascinating. I watched the whole thing and I cannot play any instrument to save my life. Lol

[@Permaglo]

Thanks for this video. I play the bagpipe, and as the reeds are similar this helped me to understand just how much time and expertise goes into making a reed, and it got rid of any desire I had to try and make them myself. :)

[@HuskReeds]

Bagpipe reeds are a lot easier to make, I can assure you! LOL

[@carolsmith9478]

On the last adjustment you can hear the difference. Cool, I played a bassoon in high school symphonic band.

[@johnpawlicki1184]

I played the bassoon 50+ years ago. They were making some plastic reeds back then. I never liked them. They were always too stiff. Thanks for the video.

[@tsukuyomikagemaxey367]

Weird I listen to this for when I go to sleep for me it’s like ASMR

[@bubblehead78]

I don't know why I'm watching this, but I'm enjoying it. Thanks!

[@michelbt]

I really like your video ! .... I see you have high quality machines, and a few neat tricks !!!

[@christiansharpe5420]

Clever bevel trick, thanks!

[@giedriussodonis4396]

Thank that helped!

[@MAXIMBOARD]

Спасибо, очень интересно!)

[@youjustreadthis3546]

Why am I even here. I'm not a bassoonist.

[@lubiezniczek666]

same watched the whole thing 😅

[@marcturner8469]

Out of curiosity, are you using a custom MD profiler template? It could just be an optical illusion of the video, but it looks like the point at which your template changes angle is set further back than what's on my MD profiler. I ask, because I've been trying to get a profile that's thin enough to easily fold, like you do in this video, without thinning the eventual heart too much. With the experimentation I've done so far, the thinnest I've managed to get the center fold is between 45-50mm thick, which requires supporting it with a metal ruler when folding, which for me usually means my collars don't line up. There's a video Ariel Detwiler has where she shows a method for correcting that, and that's worked for me so far, but that adds an extra step to my process, and I'm lazy.

[@TrentJacobs]

Nothing custom. What I do is set the barrel pins to be on the rounded side, so it doesn't profile a spine. Additionally, you can move the template laterally, which puts the point where the slope begins farther back on the reed, and makes for a thinner tip compared to the collar.

[@bassoonman211]

Very informative reed making video. What are your wire spacing measurements?

[@TrentJacobs]

32mm and 40mm from the fold, and about 5mm from the end. I use 116mm cane with 30mm profiled length.

[@AntonMoiseyenko]

Great video! I’m clarinetist, trying to make reeds. What kind of guilliotine are you using to cut the cane to length? I’m looking for a similar one, but commercial guillotines are quite expensive for me, I wonder if it’s possible to find a cheaper one. Could you help me with that? Thank you!

[@TrentJacobs]

My guillotine is specifically made for bassoon and contrabassoon reeds. I doubt it could be set short enough for even bass clarinet reeds. It's definitely not set for the correct diameter, you probably couldn't even fit a piece of clarinet cane in my guillotine. I know nothing about clarinet reed making equipment.

[@AntonMoiseyenko]

Trent Jacobs Thanks for the reply! Have you made it by yourself? If no is it a custom built specially for you or is it a commercial item that you can simply buy somewhere?

[@TrentJacobs]

@@AntonMoiseyenko it is made by Rimpl.

[@AntonMoiseyenko]

Trent Jacobs oh great! Thank you!

[@charlieshoemaker4327]

I've been making bassoon reeds for nearly 60 years and I learned a few things today! Your beveling the back end of the cane, for the tube, with a sander is a great idea. I think I'll try it out with hand sanding first, though. A question: why butchers twine to wrap as you form the tube? I've been using just my reed thread (from an odd-colored spool I don't want to use any more) forever. Are there advantages to using the butchers twine?

[@TrentJacobs]

The butchers twine is considerably thicker, stronger, and a heck of a lot cheaper than reed thread. And just so you know, I have reverted back to using a large file for beveling instead of the orbital sander.

[@charlieshoemaker4327]

@@TrentJacobs thanks, I’ll try the twine. I’ll play with both sanding and filing on the bevels-that’s something where I’m not super happy with what I’m doing now.

[@hansfronberg4369]

What type of electric water boiler are you using? I have had trouble trying to find one that has the open top

[@TrentJacobs]

Something like this www.walmart.com/ip/Maxi-Matic-32-oz-Electric-Hot-Pot/21608860

[@hansfronberg4369]

Trent Jacobs awesome thank you!

[@BlakleyBassoon]

I swear a recall you using the reeds n stuff tip profiler before. Have you always used the Rimpl? Do you have a strong preference for it or is it just what you ended up buying 10 years ago?

[@TrentJacobs]

I have never owned a Reeds 'n' Stuff tip profiler. My university owns one. I've had the RImpl for about 12 years or so. I do prefer the Rimpl, just because of the open nature of how it operates, how the blade area is set up. The RnS and Rimpl both have curved blades and ball style template followers, and can have custom templates, so there's not that much achievable difference between the two if you find a template you like. The Rimpl does move farther down the blade though, and does some more blending with the back as a result.

[@amunarjoh]

To me, the second reed sounded a bit "dry" at the end. Just loved the sound of it before the last adjustments. (Having no musical ear, according to my wife; tone deaf) But I know when I enjoy a tone, especially a bass note.... ;-)

[@llewxam-ul7vm]

I’ve been playing bassoon for two and a bit years and I feel like it would be really fun to try and make a reed, is there a good starting kit that i can buy online that already has the shaped cane that you would recommend?

[@AncientRe]

Without a tip profiling machine, you will have to do a lot of the hard part by hand, but making reeds without all the fancy machines is definitely a way of making them. Find a bassoon teacher who makes reeds (all bassoon teachers should be able to make reeds!) They can give you more direction. And probably let you practice on their tools (I always let my students use my tools, not every teacher will, but most understand they are specialized and expensive tools).

[@davidm1922]

Great video! How much time would you estimate you spend per reed? What's the failure rate, ignoring the pieces you toss after splitting the cane?

[@TrentJacobs]

Well, you are seeing the entire process, so the length of the video until I'm done play testing the first one is the time it takes. For me, roughly 15 minutes. Probably a bit less. Failure rate is really low. Less than 1/50 I would say unless I run into a particularly fragile batch when they're just all splitting, but that's really uncommon. I'm pretty high yield though, most people are either pickier than me or I'm just able to make them work. I'm not sure which is more accurate.

[@naexuis1]

how much do these reeds cost?

[@iwantmy2dollars662]

hey, i was wondering if you have a video that goes more in depth as to what taking off wood here or there does, because you often site past experience as to why you know to take cane off, but that doesn't help for people without past experience. other than that though, great video!

[@TrentJacobs]

I totally understand this issue. The video wasn't really intended as a how-to guide, but more of a showcase of how my process flows when I'm making reeds commercially. The other problem with this is that I know what I need to scrape based on my own profiler setup and my tip profiler and how that all works together with my blank forming process. I know how much I need to scrape from where. But if I told you exactly what I do, it wouldn't matter because the cane you get and use won't be the same shape and profile to start off with, so you'll need to scrape it differently. I hope that at least explains why I don't go into detail about this in this particular video.

[@iwantmy2dollars662]

Trent Jacobs It does, thanks for replying and explaining!

[@ericehramjian8702]

By profiling after shaping it, don't you take the risk of taking off the top sides of the reed?

[@TrentJacobs]

I've never had it happen. If it does, your profiler just needs to be set up differently.

[@Frith2010]

Boiling water has changed my life

[@bhuvaneshsenthil9453]

Do you have a link to the reamer bit that you own?

[@TrentJacobs]

It's Rieger, very common. I just removed it from the handle. Google for "Rieger spiral reamer"

[@bhuvaneshsenthil9453]

I see, thank you! Do you have any recommendations for hand tip cutters?

[@user-dn6fh7oo2q]

Почему звук "Е" не строит? Переточена пружина!!!

[@cretustefan-matei989]

That’s so hard

[@Sean-ov4yo]

I’m 14 and trying to cut down on reed cost is this a good investment

[@TrentJacobs]

Making your own reeds can ultimately be a money saver. To make a reed from Gouged, Shaped, and Profiled cane you will probably need to spend about $400 to get quality tools. You will likely need to make quite a few reeds before you start to make halfway decent ones.

[@elizabethsalazar2022]

If you plan on playing for years then yes.

[@siulrelos52]

I need to buy reeds for my granddaughter, do you sell them to the public or can you tell me where can I buy good one. The ones sold in Amazon aren’t good. She is in her third studying year. Thanks, Luis.

[@TrentJacobs]

Tjbassoon.com/reeds !

[@Xm123.]

I just watched this whole video. I play the oboe.

[@hyeonjujang3005]

2:31 Where can I buy this machine?

[@TrentJacobs]

It's made by Rimpl. You should search for them online and find a local dealer.

[@hyeonjujang3005]

Thank you!!

[@williamjohns9322]

My god, man, I am hoping this bassoon thingy plays itself after you install the reed because I don’t see you having time to practice.

[@williamjohns9322]

And I complain because I have to soak my reed. Sheesh

[@bedgemanagadgen1028]

17:35 OK YOU CAN N O T PROVE ME WRONG EVERY BASSOONIST WHEN THEY GET A NEW REED JUST PLAYS F SCALE, TO RANDOM CHROMATIC TO F, A, C, F, THEN BACK TO F SCALE WITH A RANDOM Eb I SWEAR I'M NOT WRONG!!!! 💀💀

[@metroidfoosion73]

There’s a reason for this. F major is one of the most comfortable and stable scales on the bassoon, so it gives a overall good sense of how the reed feels. The Eb and E natural are very unstable notes, and attacking them on a new reed gives you a sense of the reeds overall stability. Basically good testers to see where your reed is at

[@kateelliott8228]

I play saxophone and guitar. I have never seen a real bassoon in real life, why am I watching this?

[@TioValvoline]

Instructions not clear enough. Accidentally sanded the tip of my umm yeah

[@dianawolf894]

Students making their own reeds, cut costs, especially when beginners double reeds are so thin and break easily.