1 star = Will not use again, 2: Not so hot, 3: OK, 4: Pretty good, 5: Great! Note: You must be logged in to submit a rating.
Rating: 3.4/5 (18 votes cast)
Vote Total Breakdown by Player Level
Will not use again
Not so hot
OK
Pretty good
Great!
TOTALS
5
2
1
1
9
Advanced
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1
Uncategorized
5
2
1
1
8
VN:R_U [1.7.2_963]
Please Rate Reed Properties
Please rate specific attributes of this reedmaker, on average, compared to others. In this section, more stars are not necessarily better; some of these are matters of taste. Ratings in this section are not linked to overall rating, above. You must rate all the categories in order to submit a vote ; average scores so far are displayed.
RESISTANCE (1 star = easy blowing, 5 = resistant)
TIMBRE (1 star = covered/dark, 5 = brilliant/bright)
MAX DYNAMIC (1 star = pp, 5 = ff)
PITCH LEVEL (1 star = flat, 5 = sharp)
STABILITY (1 star = stable/rigid, 5 = flexible/wild)
CRACKS, LEAKS, DEFECTS (1 star = rare, 5 = common)
Advanced--Plays Most days--Used 2-5 reedmakers--Reedmaking: Buy but adjust
I used to make my own reeds but time is of the essence and I needed to find a reliable reedmaker. Sadly I didn’t find Nick Winfield immediately and I wasted precious time “playing the field” so to speak with disappointing results! I have played the oboe for about 25 years and have a particular “voice” I want to produce ie:- a flexible, sensitive but “dark”, mellow sound which I used to achieve with very hard cane. However as I’ve got older and after a dislocated jaw and consequent neurological damage creating a hemi-facial spasm (all beginning to improve) I needed to find an alternative medium to be able to continue playing! Nick has worked with me very carefully and has created my “perfect” bespoke reed consistently. The reeds are immediately playable with hardly any adjustments needed. Of course, as we’re all aware, demand sometimes outweighs supply and cane can be a little green, but one just puts these few reeds aside until they’ve had time to mature. The majority of reeds I receive from Nick are workable immediately and the timbre is the mellow, rich, deep, golden “voice” I have always tried to achieve! As an oboist, I have very specific aims and needs which are more than met in the Winfield reeds. I have no doubt whatsoever that Nick would be able to meet every oboist’s personal and unique aims and I highly recommend this reedmaker if you are still searching for those rarely achieved best results! Thankyou , Nick for your consistent expertise and your, friendly, helpful and efficient service.
I noticed that my website is not on your message board….so here it is http://www.winfieldreeds.co.uk give it and my reeds a try
staisfaction guaranteed….if you are not happy then simply send them back for replacements until you are happy!
Best wishes to all double reeders
Nick W
apologies to Claire who posted the above comment,
I indeed moved my po box and telehone number for the simple reason I have moved to Somerset, I realise this caused a bit of a delay, but things are definately back on track and the sevice is quicker than ever with my usual cosistency and quality. Best wishes to all double reeders out there
Nick W
PO Box 104
Chard
Somerset
TA20 9AT
These are great reeds for students, although personally I don’t play on them myself because they don’t suit me. I don’t know what is going on in Nick Winfield’s life, though, but in the last couple of months (since Xmas 06) his service has plummetted. One student ordered reeds and apparently the order never got through (he’d just changed address to a PO box, maybe that was a bad idea); I ordered reeds a month ago, and although the cheque has been cashed there is no sign of any reeds yet – bad form, in my opinion. He needs to sort this out PDQ or he’s going to lose customers….
Having tried a number of reeds, Winfield Reeds were by far the most consistantly playable, Nick also offers a recaning service and is happy to adjust a reed if it does not suit. Brilliant!!
cokomo January 31, 2012: Lyn Davies I don’t know if the reed stock is different or what, but I have just purchased three reeds from Rush’s and the next day two of them were cracked.
geekygeek January 28, 2012: Jones Double Reed Products Good for beginners, and the medium soft is quite easily to blow on. Pretty durable and consistent. They’re good beginner reeds but the sound quality isn’t so fantastic. I use just a regular knife (even though you should buy a...
Anonymous January 14, 2012: SUGGESTION BOX Thank you so much for this site. I have a limited # of manufacturers where I lived, and they all sound bad( Jones, Emerald, Richards). Anyway, you could improve the collected ratings page by sepeating them by area(USA, Asia, Australia, Canada,...
Anonymous January 14, 2012: The Reedmaker For me, these reeds are the best. I ordered three reeds from him and two of them were too hard, so I sent them back, and he scraped more and threw another one in! Every one of them were the best sounding reeds I have played so far, not that I have...
Peter VandeBurgt January 14, 2012: SUGGESTION BOX The link to my eBay site has changed; here’s the new link. Thanks for good work! http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2807606 26694?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:I T&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l264 9
Klezmer January 4, 2012: Reed Expression Normall have made my own for years, but do not have the time. I purchased 5 medium-soft German scrape reeds. I just adjusted them to my own chops and all five play very well. They respond easy and have very good intonation. I am trying a couple EH...
8 comments
I used to make my own reeds but time is of the essence and I needed to find a reliable reedmaker. Sadly I didn’t find Nick Winfield immediately and I wasted precious time “playing the field” so to speak with disappointing results! I have played the oboe for about 25 years and have a particular “voice” I want to produce ie:- a flexible, sensitive but “dark”, mellow sound which I used to achieve with very hard cane. However as I’ve got older and after a dislocated jaw and consequent neurological damage creating a hemi-facial spasm (all beginning to improve) I needed to find an alternative medium to be able to continue playing! Nick has worked with me very carefully and has created my “perfect” bespoke reed consistently. The reeds are immediately playable with hardly any adjustments needed. Of course, as we’re all aware, demand sometimes outweighs supply and cane can be a little green, but one just puts these few reeds aside until they’ve had time to mature. The majority of reeds I receive from Nick are workable immediately and the timbre is the mellow, rich, deep, golden “voice” I have always tried to achieve! As an oboist, I have very specific aims and needs which are more than met in the Winfield reeds. I have no doubt whatsoever that Nick would be able to meet every oboist’s personal and unique aims and I highly recommend this reedmaker if you are still searching for those rarely achieved best results! Thankyou , Nick for your consistent expertise and your, friendly, helpful and efficient service.
Beautifully crafted reeds and a very efficient, personalised service. I’d recommend him.
Beautifully made reeds, very consistant. It’s fantastic to be able to have my reeds made to my specific preferences, nothing is too much trouble!
I noticed that my website is not on your message board….so here it is
http://www.winfieldreeds.co.uk give it and my reeds a try
staisfaction guaranteed….if you are not happy then simply send them back for replacements until you are happy!
Best wishes to all double reeders
Nick W
apologies to Claire who posted the above comment,
I indeed moved my po box and telehone number for the simple reason I have moved to Somerset, I realise this caused a bit of a delay, but things are definately back on track and the sevice is quicker than ever with my usual cosistency and quality. Best wishes to all double reeders out there
Nick W
PO Box 104
Chard
Somerset
TA20 9AT
These are great reeds for students, although personally I don’t play on them myself because they don’t suit me. I don’t know what is going on in Nick Winfield’s life, though, but in the last couple of months (since Xmas 06) his service has plummetted. One student ordered reeds and apparently the order never got through (he’d just changed address to a PO box, maybe that was a bad idea); I ordered reeds a month ago, and although the cheque has been cashed there is no sign of any reeds yet – bad form, in my opinion. He needs to sort this out PDQ or he’s going to lose customers….
Consistent, wide range to choose from.
Gouged & shaped cane – well cut & of qulaity.
Having tried a number of reeds, Winfield Reeds were by far the most consistantly playable, Nick also offers a recaning service and is happy to adjust a reed if it does not suit. Brilliant!!