Well, i'm having an audition after Winter break and my reeds are complete crap *cough* (Jones). So I asked my family if they could buy me 2 to 3 Handmade reeds and I told them the situation. I orded them yesterday and can't wait to try them out as soon as I get them! I'm sick of having to play on reeds that sound decent and playable in the beginning then just crap out on me the next week. I am doing well and know how to play my etudes and scales I just need to speed the etude up. Can someone tell me how long it takes for them to make them and is it worth getting them? Sorry for the stupid question i'm trying not to sound like a beginner oboe player (played for 4 years now). But i'm so fed up with these crappy reeds.

what handmade reads??? (like who makes them)
depending on who you order them from it can take anywhere from a week to ummmm, well a really long time.

good luck at ur audition

Well I ordered them from this reed store.http://www.oboereedstore.com/html/reeds.html Hopefully they will be good reeds because i'm tired of being held back from good practicing. Bleh I really want to make the top band for next year. I want to play hard music and get into my competition marching band/color guard(they only allow players from Sym1+2).

If you are in heavy need of a reed, why don't you phone local oboe teachers/professionals and ask them if they could make you some reeds? I'm sure it'd be a lot cheap, they could adjust them and you can actually hear what it sounds like before buying it....

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Should be cheaper* opps.

I would suggest Rebecca Collins' reeds from Oxford Reeds (http://www.oxfordreeds.com/reedstore.shtml). The quality is great, they only take a week to come in, they're a little cheaper than those, and the service is phenomenal. The first time I ordered those reeds, Ms. Collins sent me an e-mail asking about my playing experience so that she could make sure her reeds fit my experience level.

Anyway, North Texas Reeds looks reliable. The website says the owner makes all the pro reeds by hand himself, and he certainly has a reputable educational background. As long as the name of the reedmaker is available, I would feel pretty secure about the quality of the reeds.

I have a great source of reeds! They are handmade, always playable and guaranteed. You can get them at goodtoneguild.com. Meg is pleasure to deal with. In the few years that I have used her reeds, I would not consider getting them anywhere else except from Meg or my teacher. I recommend that you try one. I would start with her pro reeds; her signiture reeds are good for a student playing for a few years or less. Her pro reeds are AWESOME!

Good luck in your search!

Try ReedDaddy.com.

Buying professionally made reeds is almost always worth it. However, if you're really serious about your reeds, then you might consider learning to make them. This is what I did, and even though at first they sounded really bad, eventually I had reeds that sounded professional and could last for months! I learned to make reeds from my oboe teacher and from going to an oboe camp. Rebecca Collins teaches reed-making over there, the same one from Oxford Reeds as well as Lisa Sayre and Dr. Mark Ostich. The website of the camp is www.hoboemusic.com.

That sounds like it would be fun to go to an oboe camp! I am learning to make reeds right now, but so far I'm still trying to get the tying part down. I think it is going to be a long process, but it will be worth it!

probably too late but here you go:

www.forrestmusic.com OR www.rdgwoodwinds.com

Ive been playing for 15 years but still dont make my own. HAHA.

www.mcoboereeds.com

I've gotten reeds from this company. Very nice reeds at a very good price!

Goodtoneguild is great (so I've heard). I got some from David Weber (2) and they were both great. One was absolutely the best, but it died on me after a hard day of playing. The other one is still going and playing great! They take like...5 weeks to make though

go to advantage-usa.com and see which reeds they have in stock. Some of the better commercial reeds, such as Marlin Lesher, are really good, and WAY cheaper than hand made.

If you buy cheap reeds, you are wasting your money. Cheap reeds are only acceptable for total beginners. Once you've taken lessons for 6-12 months, you should have reeds made by a professional player. The difference is obvious; they will last longer, give more stable sound and pitch, and allow you to develop good playing habits faster. Try my reeds at ReedDaddy.com, go to the site and listen to the sound clips for an example of what is possible on them. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask with no purchase necessary as I am happy to help!

I agree with www.forrestmusic.com they've got a good selection, and it only usually takes them 1-3 days to actually ship them (as long as they're not back-ordered during solo and ensemble season).
I recommend trying to make your own, but be sure to learn at a camp or from a teacher, or both. It pays off in the long run, but is a pain.
A teacher once said that you have to fill a laundry basket with bad ones before you can make one good one. I've found that if you learn to alter ones too hard or out of tune, it is fairly good practice for making them from scratch.