Handmade Bassoon and Oboe reeds

Welcome to Tiger Reeds. Here you can purchase beautifully playing handmade bassoon and oboe reeds for students and professionals.

Current processing time: ~1-2 weeks from time of order. Thank you for your patronage!

Hear Tiger Reeds in action and meet the reedmaker:

(A note: At this time, I only teach in the local Knoxville, TN area. Long-distance/Skype lessons have been discontinued. Thank you for your interest!)

Current processing time: ~2 weeks from when order is placed. Thank you for your patronage!

Audio samples (headphones recommended):

Bassoon:
Sorcerer’s Apprentice excerpt – Dukas
Andante – Weissenborn #15
Tansman Suite for Bassoon and Piano, mvt. 2 Sarabande
Oboe:
Scherzando – Ferling #24
Handel Sonata for Oboe in C Minor, mvt. 1 Adagio
View all testimonials

“Happiness is……..a new box of Tiger double reeds in your mailbox.” With a minimal break-in period and adjustment required, these carefully prepared reeds give me the confidence to sign on for a variety of ensemble opportunities. There’s sure to be one in the box for each type of ensemble. Remember – reed cane has a life cycle, so, to avoid a musician’s mood lapse,  I recommend putting in a new order while the current reeds are still performing well. Enjoy!

 -a new Tiger Reeds client

I have always been dissatisfied with factory-made reeds such as Jones and Emerald. Choosing between factory-made reeds was always a matter of picking which one was the least awful. Hand made reeds are DEFINITELY the way to go! I’m extremely picky about my reeds, and Tiger Reeds have met all my needs. Choosing between Zach‘s reeds is always a matter of trying not to buy every reed he has, narrowing it down from ten amazing reeds to five! I always recommend Tiger Reeds to all of my students and peers.

 Sarah Shackelford, bassoonist

Zach Millwood is an incredibly talented double reed instructor. My oboes and bassoons were excited to go to their lessons every week and showed consistent improvement under his direction. His reed making skills are fantastic and Zach’s dedication to the music profession and helping others is obvious! I would highly recommend Zach Millwood to anyone interested in double reed lessons.

 Melissa Danforth, head band director, Highland Middle School, Fort Worth, Texas

Zach Millwood was the best double reed instructor I have had in my 20 years of middle school band directing. Zach is not just a fantastic player but a very motivational teacher as well. My students always looked forward to their lessons and improved their musical skills consistently while working with him. Zach was always professional, reliable and a great people person. He was able to relate to and teach students of all ability levels. He also provided us with the best handmade reeds we could find!

 Melissa Danforth, head band director, Highland Middle School, Fort Worth, Texas

Our students really like Zach Millwood’s reeds.  They are able to produce good sound and have less problems with their reeds.

 David Rollins, Henderson State University, Director of Bands (Retired)

Tiger Reeds are the best handmade reeds I have ever tried!  The sound the instrument gets when playing on one of these reeds is amazing…so resonant and rich.  I will never buy a reed from anyone else but Tiger Reeds!

 M.O., music educator, Rio Grande City, TX

Tiger Reeds are stable and clearly well made — they really are perfect as a one-size-fits-all reed. I am in the unenviable position of being very picky but having absolutely no time to make reeds, so personalizing a quality reed made by someone else is the next best thing!

 Jen M

I love Tiger Reeds! They are always well made and sound great in all ranges. The customer service is outstanding and I am always recommending them to my friends.

 M.P., bassoon, Murfreesboro, TN

Zach Millwood displays determination, passion, and a desire to grow to the highest extent in every way possible.  Mr. Millwood was determined to inspire and educate my students to not only be fantastic musicians, but overall better individuals. His passion for music and seeing students learn is contagious.  The energy he brings to the classroom, paired with his vast knowledge is what any director searches for in a lesson teacher, but rarely finds.  He strives to be better in everything he does each day, and never settles for “good enough.”

 Hannah Harvey, Assistant Band Director, Chisholm Ridge High School, Fort Worth, Texas

I am happy to say that I have found Tiger Reeds to be a consistent and very workable source of bassoon reeds.  I have students from high school level through college level who are choosing Tiger Reeds ahead of other choices. They find the response, intonation, and projection fit their personal requirements very well.

 Keith McClelland, professor of bassoon, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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Five finish levels: Soft, Regular, and Hard (finished), Mostly-Finished, and Blanks (see below for explanation)

Bassoon Reeds

Tiger Reeds handmade bassoon reed

Product Options
Combination of product variants is not available
Quantity

Price: from $12.00

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Oboe Reeds

Tiger Reeds handmade oboe reed

Product Options
Combination of product variants is not available
Quantity

Price: from $12.00

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Shipping:

  • USA:
    • Ground: $5.00 – orders up to $75.00. $75.00 and up – FREE. (~2-5 business days once shipped)
    • Expedited: $10.00 flat (~2-3 business days once shipped)
  • Canada:
    • Ground: $10.00 – orders up to $100.00. $100.00 and up – FREE. (~5-7 business days once shipped)
    • Expedited: $30.00 flat (~3-5 business days once shipped)
  • Australia, New Zealand, and UK:
    • Ground: $20.00 – orders up to $124.00. $125.00 and up – FREE. (~7 business days once shipped)
    • Expedited: coming soon!
  • Elsewhere: contact me for a quote.

Available finishes:

  • Soft finished:
    • Beginners, weaker muscles, lower-octave playing (2nd bsn/2nd oboe). Most flexible, least resistant.
  • Regular finished:
    • “The perfect one-size-fits-all reed”, most players; flexible, wide dynamic range, resonant. Most popular strength. Flexible and comfortably resistant.
  • Hard finished:
    • Exceptionally strong players, very flexible/bright instruments. (Don’t use this to fix a biting problem – this will make it worse! Change your embouchure instead! I can easily help you with this.) Most stable, most resistant.
  • Mostly-finished:
    • Blank with cut tip and first scrape, featuring Tiger Reeds long-lasting cane and fine blank assembly process. Finish to your specs.
  • Blank:
    • Tied/wired reed blank, uncut tip. Economic and efficient.

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Why are Tiger Reeds better than other “handmade” reeds?

  • High quality cane – tested with a Reeds n’ Stuff hardness tester to verify strength
  • Hand-assembled and hand-tuned to fit the individual piece of cane
  • “Calibration and care card” (FREE) helps you quickly adjust your reed to your preferences. This is unique among reedmakers.
  • Rich tone with excellent response and tuning control
  • You will spend vastly less time adjusting and more time playing.
Your Tiger Reed will last longer, play easier, sound better, and ultimately cost less. Read our Testimonials.

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Reed-making process:

Bassoon

  • Start with consistently-gouged, high-quality cane.
  • Each slip is profiled on a custom-modified machine.
  • Cane is shaped.
    • Shape 1:  Fox #2 shaper is standard and complements most brand/bore/bocal setups — medium-wide at tip and throat.
    • Shape 2:  Rieger #1A is available on request — it is narrower at tip and throat.
    • Shape 3:  Winstead #1 is available on request — it is wide in throat and much of blade, then ‘tulips’ slightly towards the tip.
  • Each blank rests for a period of time.
  • A Rieger tip profiler ensures a consistent tip, then reed is hand-finished according to highest standards.
  • Each reed is play-tested and finished, then sterilized before packaging.

Oboe

  • Start with consistently-gouged, high-quality cane.
  • All cane is hardness-tested.  Soft cane is discarded.
  • Cane is shaped.
    • Shape: Mack/Pfeiffer shape is standard — it is a relatively narrow shape to balance octaves and enhance richness across registers.
  • Slips are tied onto 47mm staples.
  • Each tied blank rests for a period of time.
  • Reed is hand-finished according to the highest standards.
  • Each reed is play-tested and finished, then sterilized before packaging.

4 Replies to “Handmade Bassoon and Oboe reeds”

  1. Hi, Zach – I’m trying Tiger on the advice of a fellow oboe-player, David Fram, who just discovered you and raved about your reeds.

    1. Excellent news!
      Your reeds are on the way. I would be quite happy to hear your impressions once you’ve played them a bit.
      Thank you for your interest and for remaining in touch.

      In harmony,
      Zach Millwood
      Tiger Reeds

    1. Thank you for contacting me, Mrs. Hirschman.
      At this time, I do not produce handmade English horn reeds. Many great reedmakers specialize in EH reeds, and I am quite satisfied with my work in oboe and bassoon reeds. You might consider viewing Forrests Music’s website for a listing of excellent handmade EH reeds, and you’ll be greeted with a plethora of options.

      Happy reeding!
      In harmony,
      Zach Millwood
      Tiger Reeds

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