does anyone know of any decent brand of oboe reeds. I usually play on leshers but because of the shortage I have to switch brands. I`m currently in the process of learning to make my own reeds, so if anyone has any tips they would be appreciated.

Oxford reeds are very good. You can get them online at www.oxfordreeds.com/reedstore.shtml.
You can find reviews of some other brands at www.reedreviews.net.

Use hand made reeds! Not store bought ones!

yes! never store bought! they are cheaply made!

Yeah, you're probably not going to be able to find any good reeds in stores. You can find handmade ones (like Oxford reeds) that you can order online or over the phone, but the reeds in stores are scary.

thanks I will get some hand made ones then!

Ask your local orchestra's oboist or another oboist to make you some.

that would be awesome:D i want to learn to make reeds, too... my teacher said he would teach me sometime... i dont remember when though...

I feel so bad for you. My teacher is a great reed maker and has taught me, although I`m not that good at it yet. You don`t have any area orchestras where oboists could teach you? Even if you have a youth orchestra near by one of them may be able to teach you. The oboists in my youth orchestra are great reed makers but, I`m not sure if it would be the same case for you.

That is so sad! Reed making is like one of the best parts of the oboe (also the most frustrating).

My teacher at camp recommends Lesher and Dunkel if you can't make your own reeds... she likes Leshers for her students, but with a little touching up.

Mhm, buying store bought reeds and then touching them up is also an option.

Yes, that is what I do right now. I buy lesher and my teacher works on them but I`m still not getting the tone that I want. I still kinda sound like a sick cow, not an oboe. But I`ve only been playing oboe since October 2007 so I`m not exactly sure when you are supposed to loose the animal sound. And having a broken oboe doesn`t help the matter... But It`s getting fixed today.

i am so sorry music_girl... i hope that someday u will be able to make ur own reeds (or at least be able to buy a better brand than*gulp* rico...

yeah, i but store bought reeds and my teacher touches them up

ew. rico reeds are awful. that's terrible you have to play on them .