Things that I make
Mutes
Oboe Mute
I make mutes for both oboe and bassoon.
Rainer Gibbons (former CBSO Oboe Section Leader) wrote: ‘The big advantage of these mutes is that they dampen the sound without changing the resistance of the oboe too much. Also being able to play to low Bb is very helpful. Intonation is compromised from E in the second octave upwards, but this occurs to a greater or lesser degree with all mutes.’
The bassoon mute is useful for playing quietly at the bottom of the instrument as it removes some of the brightness of the tone and gives a little extra resistance. You can still play bottom Bb. Bottom B is much easier to play and I always use it for the end of the 1st movement of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony.
Bassoon dial gauge
Oboe dial gauge
I used to make dial gauge with stands for measuring reeds but I have stopped selling them due to lack of demand. (August 2016)