Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds

20 comments

1 Jade_Sixx { 12.08.11 at 1:40 pm }

Advanced--Plays Most days--Used 2-5 reedmakers--Reedmaking: Buy but adjust

I ordered three reeds from Nielsen online: a green, a purple, and a student blue. Overall, the blue was the best, though it was not tied properly. The purple reed was salvagable, though the sides were open. The green one was completely unplayable and looked like a piece of bark. For the price, I am never purchasing these reeds again.

2 oboehobo { 09.20.10 at 10:33 am }

Advanced--Plays Most days--Used 2-5 reedmakers--Reedmaking: Usually make my own reeds

This is a good website to use for begining intermediate. Before I made my own reeds I used edmund neilson.

3 xxkid123 { 04.24.10 at 2:08 pm }

Advanced--Plays Most days--Used More than 10 reedmakers--Reedmaking: Buy but adjust

i have gotten two medium soft reeds in the black style. i found some problems with it, but mainly because i needed a harder and stronger reed. i could use mine immediantly, and have been using one from October(2009) to now ( April/2010). one thing i found was that i could not get it very loud, forte being the most. they are also very cheap, the student and intermediate going up to around 15 dollars handmade. these are my favorite reeds.

4 floboe { 10.28.09 at 12:53 pm }

Advanced--Plays Most days--Used 1 reedmakers--Reedmaking: Buy but adjust

I have recieved quite impresive reeds but some reeds that take a long time to break in are very flat and have a very wide opening

5 Jonathan { 07.29.09 at 9:14 am }

Advanced--Used 2-5 reedmakers--Plays most days--Buys but adjusts

I have been using the blue student and professional reeds for about six months now and both reeds are excellent. The reeds are definately worth the wait! I tend to buy the student reeds because they dont take that long to break in, have a very full sound, and are extremely resonant. The professional reeds tend to be sharp and take a long time to break in, maybe im not ready for professional strength reeds yet… I dont know. But anyway, these reeds are very very good and I constantly get compliments on my sound from teachers and other musicians alike.

6 Keira { 07.09.09 at 9:59 am }

Advanced--Used 6-10 reedmakers--Plays every month--Buys but adjusts

I have often relied on Nielsen for reeds, and like the variety they carry, which is sufficient but not overwhelming. Here is why I like their reeds: I have a degree in oboe but only play occasionally, so my reed needs are for: A) pretty good out of the box but B) adjustable C)not too much resistance but D) versatile in terms of tone and timbre.
If I need a reed ASAP I get student purple, med or med-hard. But they usually only sound good for a few rehearsals and a concert – after that they are dull and limited.
When I want a really good reed that will last and mature nicely over time with a full balanced sound, I usually get blue professional. I have to break these in over time, though – they’re too strong for me at first. Never really had a reed I couldn’t work with from Nielsen.

7 Jacqueline { 06.26.09 at 3:26 pm }

The purple reeds I purchased were not durable. They close up or crack pretty quickly.

8 Colin { 03.25.09 at 11:57 am }

Intermediate--Used 6 to 10 reedmakers--Plays most days--Buys and does not adjust

I have used both the Gold and the Purple reeds with better success than any others I have tried. Now that I know this site exists, I will be trying a few more of the top rated reeds.

9 Melanie { 03.24.09 at 9:13 am }

I’ve tried most of their intermediate and advanced reeds on several occasions. For me, it’s been hit or miss whether they work right out of the mail or need some adjusting, but none have needed anything over minimal scraping.
I’ve had terrific luck with their blue professional reeds; good projection with minimal adjustments (had to clip the tip periodically but that’s about it). They blue prof’s last me months of bi-weekly rehearsal and performances, and I play them pretty hard. They have been very responsive to dynamic range and articulations, and have a full and rich sound.
I’ve also had good luck with the new gray professionals, but they don’t last nearly as long as the blues. Sometimes they work great out of the package, and other times they need a reasonable amount of adjustment before they’re performance ready. They’re a bit sweeter (at least with my embouchure), but still full and rich. I’ve been happy with the golds I’ve purchased as well as the whites (now discontinued, sadly, as the reedmaker has retired).
Overall, I’ve been quite happy with the reeds I’ve gotten from them at the professional quality level, and the softer, student level reeds have been great for long practice sessions (and to save $ on prof reeds). The purples in particular were wonderful for community theater productions where you’re playing for long durations and need to maintain a good sound. The service is wonderful; they’re very responsive to communication and ship quickly.

10 Katie { 03.12.09 at 6:02 pm }

DO NOT GET RED REEDS!!!! THEY ARE HORRIBLE

11 KC { 02.28.09 at 12:20 pm }

Intermediate--Used 2 to 5 reedmakers--Plays most days

I purchased a purple, black and white oboe reed. The white one was AWFUL, the black one leaked and the purple one was salvageable but was never really a good reed. I have had success with the blue english horn reeds.

12 Tim Haworth { 01.31.09 at 5:12 pm }

Personally, I like these reeds. The blue reeds work quite well as a backup reed. They tend to be out of tune, but not so much that a moderate to advanced player shouldn’t be able to lip it up or down depending. Unfortunately, they have an irritating tendency to close up over time, killing the tone in the upper registers and killing the low notes (Bb-D mainly) altogether.

13 Minnn { 12.13.08 at 12:44 am }

The gray professional reeds are scraped so that they have really heavy spines and hearts that have a lot taken off them. However, they produce a pretty good sound straight from the container if they’re soaked properly. At $21.75, they’re kind of pricey. The good side is that they deliver fast, but emergency oboe reed-wise, I’d personally go with Forrest’s Duste reeds. Duste reeds project better and ship fast.

14 DN { 02.14.08 at 6:26 pm }

Nielsen reeds are all made by different reed makers. Nielsen’s gives a pretty good description of the reeds. For a beginner who has a few months under their belt, the black reeds are great. They are very consistent.
The green string reeds seem to be variable.
The blue stringed reed has a narrower tip than the gold string. The tone outcomes are different. I prefer the blue strings.
If you are an advanced player try the gray or silver string reeds, flexible, dark tone, good pitch.

15 Cheyenne { 01.28.08 at 6:21 pm }

I ordered a Green oboe reed and a Purple oboe reed. Neither one was great right out of the package, but with a little basic scraping, I was able to get a decent sound. However, within a couple weeks, the green reed, which was the better of the two, began to develop a crack. Sure enough, by the end of the week, the crack spread from a thin, dark line to a full crack and I had to destroy the reed. I’m going to do some more scraping on the purple reed to see if I can get it to work. I may try the more professional reeds in the future, when funds allow.

16 Anonymous { 12.26.07 at 12:13 pm }

The black reeds are great. They have a decent tone and the shipping time is with minimal wait.

17 Heather { 04.16.07 at 6:11 pm }

I use the blue student professional and professional consistantly. THey need little adjustment and have a great sound and amazing projection.

18 Anonymous { 03.01.07 at 3:31 pm }

Had success with their Red and Black beginner reeds. They have been consistently decent performers. Terrible luck with their white ones. Bought four whites, only one was serviceable.

19 anonymous { 04.19.06 at 5:29 pm }

The yellow reeds are pretty consistent and good, not the loudest reed but not reedy either.

20 Anonymous { 04.11.06 at 4:06 pm }

The tone and response you get from these reeds is minimal.