On vacation I like to play and experiment with reed making. By trying new things I keep full of fresh ideas and the time it takes to make reeds allows my mind time to wander and relax.
Over break, I had a student return from university who requested advanced reed finishing. This covers knife scraping, micrometer dimensions, scraping for intonation- all the finishing details. The student had profiled cane but it wasn't shaped. He checked with his university teacher if he could use my Reiger 1A (as I didn't have a Fox2 shaper at the time). We decided it best to use pieces of Danzi Gouged, Shaped and Profiled (GSP to fellow reed makers) to create good consistency.
But it got me thinking: What is the difference between Fox2 and Reiger 1A. I have heard from well respected bassoonists they are similar in shape but HOW DO THEY DIFFER?
Of course the Fox2 is a straight shaper and the Reiger 1A is a fold over shaper. But I was curious, were there enough differences to warrant a noticeable alteration in sound? So I bought a used Fox2 to test for similarities and differences in the two shapes. Also, I could see if I preferred one over the other and why.
What I learned: The Basic Rules for Shaping Still Apply
1. Always use a sharp blade.
2. As the blade dulls switch to a sharper blade, especially when doing finishing work.
3. Take small slivers of cane. If taking large chunks, the cane can easily tear past the shape. Giving distorted non-symmetrical cane. See the photo below- I got a little punchy with a dull blade. I always say I am a good teacher because I make all the same mistakes as my students.
What I like about the Fox2 Shaper:
1. There was no folding over and hoping that I measured the center correctly. And consequently, no worries about altering the tube to compensate if the measurements were slightly off.
2. There is no tugging on the cane. This can happen in the process in using a fold over shaper.
What I didn't like about the Fox2 Shaper:
1. Once I tightened the screws a little too much and cracked the cane right down the spine. A Tragic loss.
2. It was hard to gauge if the spine was directly centered. On the fold over shaper I can hold the cane up to the light and center the spine in the center of the shaper. Once I put the cane in the straight shaper, there was no adequate way to tell if the spine was centered.
And to the Question of differences in Shape:
I placed both pieces of cane directly atop one another and looked for portions of cane that hung over the edges. I didn't find any. I checked the Fox2 against the Reiger 1A. And then the Fox2 against a piece of Danzi GSP, again no extra cane hung over.
For shape purposes, this fabulous bassoonists were right- the shapes are almost identical. The difference is: fold over vs. straight shaper. And does the fold over stretch the cane? Check back for an update on this question- as I go in search of the answer.
1. Always use a sharp blade.
2. As the blade dulls switch to a sharper blade, especially when doing finishing work.
3. Take small slivers of cane. If taking large chunks, the cane can easily tear past the shape. Giving distorted non-symmetrical cane. See the photo below- I got a little punchy with a dull blade. I always say I am a good teacher because I make all the same mistakes as my students.
What I like about the Fox2 Shaper:
1. There was no folding over and hoping that I measured the center correctly. And consequently, no worries about altering the tube to compensate if the measurements were slightly off.
2. There is no tugging on the cane. This can happen in the process in using a fold over shaper.
What I didn't like about the Fox2 Shaper:
1. Once I tightened the screws a little too much and cracked the cane right down the spine. A Tragic loss.
2. It was hard to gauge if the spine was directly centered. On the fold over shaper I can hold the cane up to the light and center the spine in the center of the shaper. Once I put the cane in the straight shaper, there was no adequate way to tell if the spine was centered.
And to the Question of differences in Shape:
I placed both pieces of cane directly atop one another and looked for portions of cane that hung over the edges. I didn't find any. I checked the Fox2 against the Reiger 1A. And then the Fox2 against a piece of Danzi GSP, again no extra cane hung over.For shape purposes, this fabulous bassoonists were right- the shapes are almost identical. The difference is: fold over vs. straight shaper. And does the fold over stretch the cane? Check back for an update on this question- as I go in search of the answer.
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