Strange reed in this month’s batch: every note in tune (no… really … it’s really sweet) BUT the A in both octaves is sharp.
Everything is fine when I tape A about half way. This is true for both octaves (although 1ve requires a wee bit more pressure…)
I know this sounds strange: the notes around it should be to some degree too. Maybe they are beyond my humble auditory ken?
Anyway, oh reedmaking gurus, what did I do with this reed to get A sharp and to the same degree in both octaves ?
DJones
You must have angered the Arundo Gods. When was the last time you sacrificed a virgin to the all-seeing staple eye?
sigh 
The necessary sacrifices have been made, guru…
I can understand why you think that notes are relative to each other, but this is seldom the case with pipes. There are typical notes that are out in a particular direction (slightly sharp/flat), such as F# being flat in the first octave, but A isn’t one of them.
I’ve always found that if A is sharp in the first octave, that the reed is too closed. A sharp 2nd octave A however, is quite typical of many chanters (i.e. A and B are slightly sharp). Since you are lucky that the chanter is great and both A’s are out, you really should just stick with slightly covering the tonehole. If you don’t like the appearance of tape on your chanter, you coould try some beeswax inside the top edge of the hole, which barely shows up and can’t be felt under the fingers like tape.
All the best.