Ugh, I need to find someone to teach me how to make oboe reeds! It's the biggest hole in my education - I had three instructors in four years of undergrad and none of them taught me reed making. (I couldn't afford private lessons in HS.)
I went to buy new reeds from Woodwind Brasswind today and the price has jumped to nearly $30 each! Last time I was able to get *two* for under $40.
I found the same reeds on Amazon for $15, but I feel like a jerk for using them instead of a specialty store.
@JGeorge There actually is a quite good orchestra here. But I'm not sure how to contact its oboists. I haven't ever tried to contact them before, though. It's not at all a bad idea.
I'd never considered the possibility that there would be advances to reed making technology!
@reedsandstrings Back in the Ancient Days, I was taught that art; but it has advanced enormously since then. The last oboist I spoke to who made reeds the modern way used some sort of digital micrometer to gauge the thickness of the reed from tip to heart.
My old teacher used clear nail polish and a thin tissue-like substance called "fishskin" (which wasn't what it really was) to seal the edges around the base. But:
To get back to your problem: any good orchestras where you are?