European Scrape Oboe Reed

LOVE THEM

This is the second time I've bought this reed. It sounds amazing and the best thing is that you don't need any water at all. The one thing I would say is that the dynamic range is more diminished compared to a normal reed, but other than that it is very steady.

Good quality, as advertised, not my personal preference

Overall play quality amazing and as advertised. In some ways I think these play better than traditional reeds. Love that I don't have to worry about soaking my reed before playing or my reed being affected by temperature and humidity. I have played on both American and European scrapes and they definitely have noticeable differences. In my opinion the American scrape projects more, has more dynamic contrast, and an overall brighter tone at a cost of more resistance. The European scrape is easy to play on with a more mellow and stable tone at the cost of volume/projection. Overall I prefer the American scrape as it suites my playing needs (solo oboist , band setting) however I can see the European scrape being favorable in certain settings (quite pieces, multiple oboes needing blend together). The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is durability. You'd think plastic reeds would be more durable, and to a point they are, however they are still extremely delicate similar to wooden reeds, making it high stakes considering the price. On both my American and European reeds I noticed vertical cracks after a few weeks of playing. Mostly notice this affecting the volume and tuning.

Excellent reed

I love that this reed plays the second it is removed from the case. No soaking and no scraping. I can concentrate on my playing and not my reed.