Hiniker English horn bocals are produced by the famous instrument maker Thomas Hiniker. These silver bocals are rolled from sterling silver sheets. Hiniker bocals are developed for Loree instruments but may also work well for other brands.
All Hiniker bocals are assigned three numbers, for example 2 B12 12. What does each number mean?
- The first number is the overall length. These bocals are available in length 1, 2, and 3, with 3 being the longest. There are different lengths to accommodate everyone. Most people play easily in tune on a 2, but some need a 3 to get low enough while others need a 1 to get high enough.
- The second number is the bore size. Hiniker bocals are available in a variety of sizes ranging from 11-13. The smaller the number, the smaller the bore. Sometimes there is a B in front of the second number, which denotes a different bore style: "brilliant", for improved projection.
- The last number is the distance from the tip of the bocal to a scored line farther down the bocal, typically 11 or 12 mm below the tip. This is the tip length. This line shows how far down the bottom of the reed should reach. A smaller bore is generally coupled with a shorter tip.
Every bocal is engraved with the letters "TH" for Thomas Hiniker. Under the letters are the first two numbers that designate the overall length and the bore size, as explained above. The final number, tip length, is not stamped on the bocal.
What's the best way to test a new bocal? Start by playing some slow scales or excerpts with the bocal you're trying. Note the sound characteristics and intonation of the bocal and instrument together. Next, you can do a simple compatibility test: play the middle C and diminuendo on that note. Assuming the reed is working well, if the middle C drops abruptly during diminuendo, the bocal is not a good match. If this is the case, go down in bore size and/or up in tip length. It's a good idea to test several bocals at a time, checking for compatibility and then ultimately choosing the one that has the best intonation and sound.
Hiniker bocals are also available for oboe d'amour and bass oboe. English horn and oboe d'amour bocals are available for trials at RDG Woodwinds, Inc. Give us a call to set up a trial!
One question we get asked a lot is how the different brands of bassoon cane compare to each other. Of course a big part of that is up to personal preference, location, altitude, etc., but we do have at least one quantifiable aspect we can measure: hardness. Hardness can be measured using a hardness tester. The lower the number, the harder the cane. Hardness numbers are only one part of the equation, but these numbers can provide us with some confidence when trying a new brand of cane.
To collect my data I selected a small sample size at random of each brand and measured the hardness levels on a Reeds ‘n Stuff analog hardness tester. Because hardness testers can measure differently from each other, I was most interested in showing the range of each brand in comparison with the others. The length of each bar shows the variance within the brand; the beginning of the bar is the lowest number of the sample and the end is the highest. Hardnesses are measured in hundredths of a millimeter.
The Superieure and Danzi cane are gouged in-house with our RDG USA gouging machine. Rieger, Medir, RDG France, Glotin, and Cote D’Azur are all gouged by their respective manufacturers. The Pisoni and Lavoro cane I gouged on an RDG gouging machine from our stock of tube cane. The Pisoni cane is only available for purchase as tube cane.
These measurements were taken in February 2020, and it's important to note that cane densities can vary over time. For those interested in trying out new cane I always suggest buying a few pieces of several different types to do their own comparison and discover whether harder or softer cane works best for them.
P.S. If you’re into the numbers like me, I highly recommend the Reeds ‘n Stuff hardness tester! You can check it out here.
So you have some time on your hands, and want to finally get around to gouging that bag of cane you bought four years ago. I hear you. I did exactly that yesterday.
Hello! My name is Sarah Beck and I am the “Gouging Machine Specialist” at RDG Woodwinds, Inc. Today I’ll be discussing the RDG “USA” gouging machine and how to adjust the thickness of a gouged piece of cane.
There are some things that will be helpful to have around and ready for the adjustment. They are:
Allen wrench (7/64” for oboe and 5/32” for bassoon)
Some pre-gouged cane that is not your best stuff
Micrometer
Small brush to brush cane off the machine
Small amount of oil - needle oiler with watch oil
If you’ve read my instructions for the RDG machine adjustments, you’ll know that I recommend soaking cane that has been pre-gouged with an RDG pre-gouger for about 2-4 hours. The reason I recommend this is because if the cane is not soaked long enough, the blade can dig into the cane and cause little half circle shaped marks. This may affect the sound of your reeds. Also, it’s important not to over-soak it either, because the cane can get waterlogged, and then shrink up after it dries. The cane you thought you gouged at .60 will now be .57. Yikes! You simply want to make sure that it's soaked all the way through. Our RDG pre-gougers are very easy to use, and you can find them here on our website. We offer them for oboe, oboe d'amore, English horn and bassoon.
I use a Reeds 'n Stuff crank-style pre-gouging machine to pre-gouge. I love these machines. They are beautifully made, with a simple function and smart design. Not only will they save you on soaking time, but they will also save wear and tear on your gouging machine blade. The longer you can use a blade set up that you like without making changes, the more consistent and better your reed making will get. When using this Reeds 'n Stuff pre-gouging machine, I find that I only have to soak the cane about an hour.
Before you start, it’s important to understand the names of the screws. There are two types of screws that you will work with when you make adjustments to the gouge. The screw that holds the carriage bar in place is called an “anchor screw”. The other one is an “adjustment” screw. These are the only screws you will need to use to do this adjustment.
There are four steps involved in adjusting the gouge.
Move adjustment screw to the edge of the slot
Loosen the anchor screw
Move adjustment screw slightly
Tighten anchor screw
Let me explain the “slot”. On the side of the carriage bar there is a slot the adjustment screw head fits in. The adjustment screw should move a little in this slot. NEVER FORCE THE SCREW TO MOVE. YOU CAN STRIP THE BRASS PORTION OF THE CARRIAGE BAR!!!
So let’s say you want to make the gouge thicker. You will need to first move the adjustment screw in the direction you want to go in the slot. Gently screw the adjustment screw in clockwise to the edge of the slot until it stops turning easily. DO NOT FORCE IT AT ALL!
The next step is to loosen the anchor screw. To do that, turn it counter-clockwise. It is important to note that you should not loosen the screw too much or too little. If it's loosened too much, the carriage bar will move too freely and could possibly go too far in the adjustment. If you don't loosen it enough, then you could end up forcing the adjustment screw and possibly stripping the carriage bar. There should be a little tension between the screw and the bar to hold it in place but still allow it to move. (You may notice a little lock washer under the anchor screw that helps keep the tension). An oboist could think of keeping the right tension like trying to make sure your cane is straight on the staple when you are tying a reed. If you try to move the cane in that first part of tying and the thread is really loose, your cane will move too much or the thread and the cane will come undone. By keeping a little tension on it, it's much easier to do slight movements.
Now turn the adjustment screw very slightly in a clockwise direction. (Think minutes on a clock.)
Lastly, re-tighten the anchor screw.
Gouge about 5 pieces, checking each one as you go. If you get a majority of pieces with the final thickness that you want, then you can stop. If the gouge isn't as thick as you'd like, then repeat the above steps.
To make the gouge thinner, you would use the same steps listed above, but move the adjustment screw counter clockwise.
Summarized steps:
To make the piece of gouged cane thicker:
1. Move adjustment screw clockwise in the slot. DO NOT FORCE IT! You can strip the brass part.
2. Gently loosen the anchor screw under the carriage by moving the screw to the left.
3. Turn the adjustment screw in clockwise very gently. This should make the results thicker.
4. Tighten the anchor screw to hold it in place.
To make the piece of cane thinner:
1. Move the adjustment screw counterclockwise to the outer edge of the slot.
2. Gently loosen the anchor screw by turning it to the left.
3. Move the adjustment screw out by turning counterclockwise. This should make the gouge thinner.
4. Tighten the anchor screw up to hold it in place.
When you’ve reached your desired thickness, clean the cane off the machine with a small nylon bristle brush. Take a q-tip or a small piece of cotton and oil the blade, bearing, runner bar and bed to remove build-up.
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