Reed making

[Seamie]

Hi....I have a question to which I should, as a somewhat capable piper, know the answer.
But being no reed-smith, if I asked someone like like Alan Burton or Andreas Rogge to make me a reed, would he require the chanter?
Kind of a piping 101 question, I know. Just wondering
thanks

[dyersituations]

Typically, yes, the maker would need the chanter. I've heard of people buying reeds and having them just work, but I think that's more luck than anything. And I guess the luck would be higher if the maker was sending you a reed for a chanter they've either made or were familiar with. Whenever I've had a maker reed a chanter, they've needed me to provide them the chanter.

[PJ]

In my experience, pipemakers are often able to reed their own chanters without having the actual chanter in their workshop. With pipemakers or reedmakers reeding someone else's work, I would prefer that they have the chanter.

That said, I have found that Coyne-based flat chanters can be a little easier to reed than concert pitch chanters. While not suggesting that there is a "generic" Coyne reed, I've been able to swap reeds between two Coyne-based flat chanters in different pitches by different makers, with respectable results.

[Seamie]

Thanks guys.....
I guess I sorta knew that, but always glad to heed good advice.

[an seanduine]

Having been to this rodeo a coupla times:
If at all possible, overinsure your chanter when you ship it. You want to be compensated for the PITA of replacement, should disaster strike. Use some form of insurance outside the carrier if available. Use great caution when shipping to foreign locations (to your own, i.e. outside your known and accessable legal framework). Ask around, and do research. There have been several tales of epic disasters through the years.

But, other than that, you should be 'Golden', and 'good to go'.

Bob

[awildman]

Martin Gallen claims he can make reeds without the chanter. Or at least his website used to state this.

[an seanduine]

Martin is a good reed-maker. However, when I dealt with him, which was some time ago, it was more of an approval-service, as I was presented with three different reeds, and was to choose the best and return the other two. My chanter, by Kevin Thompson, was unknown to him at the time, and they are both a bit scarce on the ground and variable. He was accumulating a 'library' of successful reedings, and was confident in his ability reproduce various combinations of staples and reed-heads.

Bob

[WireHarp]

I purchased two reeds, chanter unseen, from Hendrik Morgenbrodt http://www.morgenbrodt-pipes.de/index.php/de/ Because he had worked with Andreas Rogge, there was no need to send my Rogge chanter. Both reeds worked perfectly out of the box. I know its an unusual circumstance, but it is possible to get good reeds without sending the chanter.