Testimonials

Thank you to all my customers. Please add your own review.

I was recommended to try your reeds by my oboe instructor last year, and ever since, I have fallen in love with how rich and dark my tone has been! I have been playing the oboe for over eight years, and I finally have the incredible opportunity to play on reeds that compliment my sound. Mr. Willingham has also been excellent in customer service as every reed I have received has been of great quality. Although I will be attending college next year, I will still be keeping in touch!

Sahithi

 Good morning Kerry! My last concert of the season was this past Sunday – Beethoven’s 9th. Went very well – the orchestra did well and the choral group was wonderful. It was a showcase work for me. Though I had performed it several years ago, this time was different – while the 9th isn’t my favorite work, I felt one with the music. Your reeds allow that – I am free to be the oboist I have desired to be. I want to thank you again for the wonderful reeds you send my way. I have my music in hand for next season and have my work cut out for me this summer. I am sure I will be in touch with you!

Claudia

 Thanks for supplying me the best reeds a guy like me could ask for. Your cane is explosively responsive. Your scrapes and hardness are consistent and balanced. Only a small amount of adjustment has been required. Plus the reeds last a long time, with the proper rotation…… Your reeds and my magical and recently adjusted Laubin (and maybe a little of my musicianship too) were responsible for some nice noise coming from the first oboe — I got lots of compliments, even from Maestro (very rare) “you must be loving that reed.”

Jim

Hi Kerry, WOW!!! Your reeds are unbelievable!!! I ordered two reeds about a month ago. I’ve been playing on one so far, and I cannot believe its range. I can actually tackle low notes again; I started wondering if it was my being SO out of practice or the instrument! I’m really excited about playing again; thanks so much!!! My husband has really noticed the difference as well.

Valerie

 Kerry’s Reeds suit my playing needs for English Horn very well with a big, open, dark, ringing sound. Only very minute adjustments are made on them, as I am making my own oboe reeds now. My students only order Kerry’s reeds as well. They come in tune, ready to be played, responsive, needing only the tiniest adjustments for the drastic climate change, and with a very warm sound. Also, the customer service is unmatched by any other reedmaker: satisfaction is guaranteed, as well as achieved. I thank Kerry for ending the tireless headache that you get from some reedmakers, and for the superb customer service as well as very nice, reliable reeds.

An Educator, Rodney

Dear Kerry, My name is S…. and I came across your website today. I have had a lifetime struggle with reed-making and was using reeds I purchased from a woodwind store online. Recently when I went to place an order with them, I found out that they were backordered until October! Needless to say, I took a big gulp when faced with the prospect of playing on my OWN reeds. Actualy, I was sickened and was online looking for alternatives when I came across your website. I saw that you had reed-making tutorials and watched them, all the while shocked by how easy it seemed. I had literally prayed for help, and when I sat down to tie a reed while watching your tutorial I was successful! I then went on to watch your lessons on scraping the reed. You will imagine my shock and delight when I was able to go on to make TWO great rough reeds! I was almost moved to tears by the success I achieved after watching your videos. I’ve studied oboe with James Caldwell, Alex Klein and other amazing professionals, but I have never had success in this area. I just thought I was a bad reed-maker because I was not smart enough or graceful enough, and it has impacted my life very negatively for years, resulting in me dropping out of …… Conservatory and giving up oboe for almost 4 years. While I have returned to playing in the last three or four years, I have been hindered by the bad reeds I’ve been forced to play on. You have showed me how to make reeds in a way that I can understand, and I thank you for giving me the most amazing gift of my life. I count this as a miracle, and the answer to my prayers. Please accept my sincere thanks and gratitude. Were it not for you, I would be pretty hopeless right now! You are an amazing teacher and I will be sharing your site with every oboist I know. You may well deserve the Nobel Peace Prize!

Take care and best wishes, (Anonymous)

Hi Kerry, The new English Horn reeds you sent me had their public try-outs this week — New World 2nd movemt at rehearsal on Thursday & the Bach Christmasmas Oratorio yesterday (especially the long solo in the aria Schlafe men Liebster). The reed sounded wonderful & drew praise from people in the orchestra and choir. Thanks so much! you are now my #1 reed supplier

Semi-Professional Oboist, Kevin

Wow Kerry! – I must say, I was elated when I saw a package waiting at my doorstep this afternoon! I have tested all your reeds and each and every single one plays with such a dark, rich tone that I cannot possibly describe my gratitude for your reeds. The sound is pure, without that “reedy” quality that so many other suppliers seem to give their reeds. Your reed style is of the utmost perfection; even my instructor commented that they were five times better than her own. I love your reeds, and I certainly will never hold anyone else’s reeds in higher respect. I will be ordering again soon, Kerry! Thank you so, so much! The wait was worth every anticipation-laden second! Thank you for spending your time and skill on these reeds; the quality is the cream of the crop.

A very, very happy customer, – Jackie

 Hi Kerry – I ordered an English horn reed from you a while back. We received it just a few days after you shipped it, and I am finally writing to thank you. It’s comfortable to play with, and even the band instructor was impressed by the sound quality. They say it sounds really beautiful. I will be using your reed this weekend in the pit orchestra for the school’s musical, and I only wish I had ordered an oboe reed as well! I just wanted to let you know that you did a wonderful job with this particular reed, and I will be ordering some oboe reeds from you very soon. I am glad to have found your website at long last, as the reeds we’ve been buying locally or from other online dealers just can’t compare. Thank you so much!

Emily

Hi Kerry- I have just recieved my reeds … just got back from battling through the final Christmas show rehearsal … and there your reeds are. I just tried them out and they are excellent!!! But I knew they would be, and not a moment too soon–saved by the bell!!! When I play on your reeds, my oboe playing instantly goes to a different level every time.. they are just beautiful, Kerry… I then tried your English horn reed…Oh my goodness it is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!!!!! I can hardly believe my ears .. I have a totally new tone and this is amazing (to me!) — a reverberent depth and true EH. I have never been able to produce as yet to my own satisfaction… but here it is!!..on your EH reed!! I can not even recognize myself!!! I have loads of English Horn pieces coming up for dinner theatre next week, and I can not wait to play my EH now!!!! This is so exciting!! Thank you so very very much!!!

My very best wishes, Allison

Hello Kerry – My name is Melissa, and I am 15 years old, and have recently been using your reeds. I love playing the oboe and I would like to pursue music in my life, and I have found your reeds to be perfect for what I need. Before I discovered your reeds, my teachers’ reeds were the ones that played perfectly for me. She does not usually make them for people other than herself though. So I had to use the ones my school provided, which were not by any means what I would have liked. My mother was the one that did a lot of the research to find a better reed provider and she found your website. And I am very glad she did! I have received four (professional, medium hardness) oboe reeds from you and one (medium) english horn reed. They were all playable from the moment I took them out of the case. All I needed to do was soak them for a minute, and it sounded great! In fact, the last few reeds were ones I received when I arrived home from school one day, and I had a concert that night. I was playing the 1st oboe part in L’Italiana in Alegri: Overture composed by Rossini. The solos in this song are beautiful! It is now one of my favorite songs. Thanks to your reeds, I was able to sound my best on the solos. I have been very satisfied with all of them! So I want to thank you very much for making reeds that are so great, and having a very informative website! I look to more experienced musicians like yourself and my teacher for inspiration, and to remind myself that I can make my dream a reality. Thanks again, and I will be sure to order more reeds soon!

An aspiring musician, Melissa

These are the ABSOLUTE BEST English horn reeds I have EVER USED.  I will only buy English horn reeds from him.  I also buy oboe reeds when I can’t make them myself, and I have to say they are equal to or better then I can make myself (but I get better every time!!)  It takes a LOT of time to make reeds as consistent as he does; and in addition he plays them before he sends them out, so you know how they sound and that they do not come off a reed making device!! Thanks for a FANTASTIC PRODUCT!!  Both for Oboe and English horn reeds!!. 

A Grateful Customer, Nancy

Our Orchestra just performed Scheherazade last weekend. The performance went extremely well, given all of the challenges of this charming piece. The Reed I chose for the Rimsky from your last shipment was one of the best reeds I have ever played on in my more than fifty years of oboe work. It was responsive (with a slight amount of adjustment), sturdy, and with a beautifully vibrant sound, which fit perfectly with my magical vintage Lauben. I beat that reed like a drum for 50 minutes, and milked the solos for all they were worth (e.g. start of the second movement). The reed remained in tune and strong for the entire time. Our Maestro, …… …… steps out of the way and lets me do essestially whatever I want with those solo passages. So, thank you for your skills and craftmanship!

A Grateful Customer, Jim