Frequently Asked Questions

At Reed Pros, each oboe reed is made as if I would play on it myself. They are hand made from start to finish by me so I can ensure you receive the best quality oboe reed. Each reed is made once you place your order. That's why if you need something a little different for your reeds, you can let me know and I'll make them to your specifications.

Just because you purchase something that is in the shape of an oboe reed doesn't make it a good reed! If you look at the image below, you will see a store bought oboe reed (red thread on left) and a Reed Pros oboe reed (blue/purple thread on right). The store bought reed has much more cane taken out of it. The only place you can see any change is between the very tip of the reed meeting the rest of the body of the reed. The Reed Pros oboe reed has darker sections and lighter sections. Those areas of shading are what makes the oboe reed sound great! Want to know more about how these shadings change the sound of the reed? Check out more information on the blog

Absolutely! If you have never tried hand made oboe reeds, you'll be surprised at the difference. First, take into consideration the store bought oboe reeds: More cane is taken off of the oboe reed overall and this causes changes in how the vibrations sound. As more of the cane is shaved off, the reed vibrates more freely and wildly. It causes a nasal tone quality, less stability and raucous, squawky noises. This does not have to be how an oboe player sounds! Changing to hand made oboe reeds with more shading dampens the shrill vibrations of the cane and sweetens as well as darkens the tone, leading to a more mature sound. Once you try Reed Pros oboe reeds, you'll wonder why you ever played any thing else.

It will certainly vary reed to reed, but one oboe reed lasts 20-25 hours of playing time. I recommend my students not play on the same reed for more than 1 month at the maximum. NEVER have ONLY ONE oboe reed. Reeds can crack or chip without warning. Don't be caught without extra reeds!

When purchasing oboe reeds, it is best to buy three at a time. Possibly more if you have a performance coming up in order to find the perfect reed. Most likely, you'll end up with a reed you have called your favorite. But unfortunately that relationship won't last. You must rotate them. Play reed "A" today, reed "B" tomorrow, reed "C" the day after and then come back to reed "A" on the fourth day. Keep going in that process and it wears the reeds evenly.

We want you to be happy with our reeds. We take great pride in our products. If you don't like the oboe reeds you receive from us, let us know. We want to make reeds you'll love to play. See our Reed Guarantee!

The No Wait Oboe Reeds are made by professional oboe reed makers, specifically selected by Reed Pros. We mark the cork with a unique reed identifier such as a number, letter, or combination of numbers and letters. So even if the reed maker changes the thread color they are using, you can know if the reed you've received is from the same craftsman. Because these reeds are not made in house by Reed Pros, there is no wait time for the reeds. Quantities of the No Wait Reeds are limited and we may not always have a particular reed maker's style in stock.

Our "Satisfaction Guarantee" i.e. Reed Return for replacement applies only to Superior Oboe Reeds. No refunds or partial refunds are given on reed orders. No Wait Oboe Reeds are a non-returnable item.

Please see the current wait time on the oboe reed order page. Wait times are approximate and fluctuate depending on time of year and amount of orders. We want to make sure we send out fantastic reeds and that does take time. If you have a performance, ordering items as a present, or need to have the reeds by a certain date - please let us know at the time of your order. Send us an email or give us a call to make sure we can get the reeds to you when you need them. *Please note: If you are placing an order of 10 or more oboe reeds, the wait time will be longer. Whenever we are able to send reeds out early we do at no extra charge!

General merchandise orders without oboe reeds are sent out 1-2 days. If you place an oboe reed order with other merchandise, all items will be sent together once the oboe reeds are complete.

Orders of Superior oboe reeds and No Wait Time oboe reeds are shipped together once the Superior oboe reeds are complete. If you wish to receive the No Wait Time reeds as soon as possible, please place two separate orders.

All orders are sent Priority Mail. Priority Mail deliveries in the US arrive in approximately 2 or 3 days.

Absolutely! Placing your order on our website will automatically charge shipping so call us at 818-850-0581 with your order instead. We can let you know what day your order will be ready and make an appointment time for pick up.

No, this can sometimes happen when tying on the cane and does not cause problems with the performance of the reed.

We sanitize our reeds before they leave the shop.

We value your privacy and do not sell your information to anyone. The information we collect is only used by us and is for the sole purpose of filling your order. If you would like to stop receiving email or mailings from us, please contact us by phone or email to be removed from future mailings.

We accept PayPal and all major credit cards as means of payment. If you wish to pay with your credit card over the phone, give us a call at 818-850-0581.

You do not need to set up a PayPal account in order to purchase from us.

General Merchandise:

We want you to be happy with everything you purchase from us! General merchandise can be returned for a credit, exchange, or refund within 14 days, provided it has not been used, altered, or damaged. Knives that have been sharpened, sharpening stones that have been used, swabs that have been run through instruments, and tube cane are some examples of things that cannot be returned. Please email us prior to ordering if you have questions regarding returns or exchanges. Every return must by accompanied by the original invoice and packaging. The above return policy includes all accessory items except tube cane, shaper tips, processed cane (GSF, Gouged, Pregouged, reed blanks, partial-scrape reed blanks), special order items, and reeds.

Oboe Reeds:

If you are unhappy with your non-damaged Superior oboe reeds, please contact us within 7 days of receipt by e-mail or phone before returning the reeds for further instructions. For damaged oboe reeds, contact us immediately upon receipt of the reeds. Every return must by accompanied by a copy of the original invoice and packaging.

No Wait Oboe Reeds are a non-returnable item.

We are not responsible if your returned merchandise is lost or damaged in shipping to us.

If you have received an e-mail from Reed Pros stating your order has shipped but it has been 7 days from receipt of a shipping confirmation, please notify us at reedpros@gmail.com. We will provide you with the USPS (United States Postal Service) tracking number. If USPS tracking confirms that your order was delivered, and you are not in receipt of it, we recommend that you contact your local Post Office where it is possibly being held for you.

Reed Pros is not responsible for damaged, missing, or stolen shipments.

Mail theft and mail fraud (i.e.: the false reporting of stolen or unreceived mail) are federal crimes. We are happy to assist our customers and USPS authorities by providing any documentation that may be helpful in reporting and/or recovering a lost shipment.

Misaddressed shipments
Our shipping labels reflect the "ship to" address as entered by the customer through PayPal at the time of ordering. In the event that an incorrect address has been entered by the customer, Reed Pros assumes no responsibility for the delivery of the order. In the event that a misaddressed shipment is returned, customer will be charged any fees incurred for return postage due. Upon return of any misaddressed shipment, customer will have the option of having the order reshipped to the correct address (new shipping charges apply), or cancelling their order, whereupon a charge-back will be applied to their credit card or PayPal account for the cost of goods only (we cannot credit for shipping charges on goods shipped).