European Scrape Oboe Classic

I love how there is no soaking involved. So far, it is great!

It has been many years since I have played an oboe and a couple of years ago, I bought a new one. Thinking I could pick up where I left off, I quickly found that typical reeds I can purchase seem to be of poor quality even though I resume the soaking process as recommended. After obtaining the new Legere reeds, I can finally resume practicing without fussing with the quirks of a typical reed.

I took the reed out of the reed holder and blew on it after I could see if it would pop for suction. Reed did not pop and when blowing into it a response was only a high squeak. I inserted the reed into my Howarth XL Cocobola Wood and attempted to play. It only sqeaked and could not play anything.

Generally ok, but abit too small on the diameter, causing leak on oboe

The cork part is too small, leaving gap when inserting on the oboe, and it leaks.

This is the second time I've bought this reed. It sounds amazing and the best thing is that you don't need any water at all. The one thing I would say is that the dynamic range is more diminished compared to a normal reed, but other than that it is very steady.

I had tried out the American cut medium soft reed and liked it except for the high notes. They sounded a little tinny to me. So i tried the European cut and the high notes were better more clear and less tinny but the reed itself is harder to blow and takes a lot of breath to play.

I love that this reed plays the second it is removed from the case. No soaking and no scraping. I can concentrate on my playing and not my reed.

It is good!

Overall play quality amazing and as advertised. In some ways I think these play better than traditional reeds. Love that I don't have to worry about soaking my reed before playing or my reed being affected by temperature and humidity. I have played on both American and European scrapes and they definitely have noticeable differences. In my opinion the American scrape projects more, has more dynamic contrast, and an overall brighter tone at a cost of more resistance. The European scrape is easy to play on with a more mellow and stable tone at the cost of volume/projection. Overall I prefer the American scrape as it suites my playing needs (solo oboist , band setting) however I can see the European scrape being favorable in certain settings (quite pieces, multiple oboes needing blend together).

The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is durability. You'd think plastic reeds would be more durable, and to a point they are, however they are still extremely delicate similar to wooden reeds, making it high stakes considering the price. On both my American and European reeds I noticed vertical cracks after a few weeks of playing. Mostly notice this affecting the volume and tuning.

I purchased 3 of the Euro scrape in the soft. I did try all hardness at the studio and these seemed the best suited to my Yamaha custom. They are a bit less bright sounding than the american scrape which I also use. A good addition to the reed case to get a little bit of a mellower sound. I now have 9 (6 American, 3 Euro) in total. I seem to get about 40 hours out of one of these reeds before I find them getting harder to play. Given that I get about 9 playing hours out of a cane reed for me these reeds are about a break even purchase. In my oboe these tend to be a little flatter than the American scrape but nothing that would make me not want to play them. For me the euro scrape seem to be more affected by cold temp than the american scrape. Will be interesting to see how both play in a hot outdoor setting

I’m sure this scrape is perfect for those used to it, but I accidentally got the European scrape instead of the American. It leaked air requiring tape and the lower register wasn’t coming out at all - but I don’t think the reed was to blame. It was my embouchure. I still use it for pieces where I play II parts as it offers a softer tone that blends well with the first part.

Hola! Es mi 8° caña legere, y esta vez siento una notable reducción de la vibración de la caña, en comparación con las anteriores. Está bastante cerrada y vibra poco, estuve varios días comparándola con mis otras legere, incluso en un concierto, pero no termino de sentirme 100% cómoda. No entiendo que sucedió, si cambiaron alguna medida o que.
Ojalá se resuelva y la próxima vuelva a vibrar como las anteriores

Ahora puedo dedicar más tiempo a tocar sin preocuparme por las cañas

Es espectacular. Sonido maravilloso, estabilidad y durabilidad.

I love

See my reply.

I love how these reeds make me sound amazing and I don't have to fiddle around with reeds! I also love how I don't have to worry about soaking the reed or keeping it moist. I live in a very dry climate and that's always been an issue. However, I wish they lasted longer. Currently after ~6 weeks of use, each reed no longer functions as well as it did when I first started using it.

I have been very pleased with my oboe and Eng Horn reeds. Plus, I also have these reeds for my Alto and Soprano saxophone. Very responsive and in tune. I have various strengths in these reeds. I love the European scrape oboe reeds. These reeds are ideal when doubling and minimise the need to keep reeds wet, etc. I will be purchasing more reeds soon. Going to try clarinet possibly, too.

I really appreciate the consistency of this reed. Unlike cane reeds, it provides a reliable sound and response every time I play, which makes my practice sessions much more efficient. However, I’ve found that the lifespan is a bit disappointing—it only lasts about 3 months before the response starts to degrade. It's a great reed, but the durability could be improved.

While I do like this reed it could use some improvement. The lower register does not "speak" too easily but the upper register is good and well in tune. It is a bit easier to play than the medium American scrape reed. I feel like both the reeds are a bit "stuffy" but overall I like them better than the cane reeds. Also the medium soft European scrape does leak air between the blades. I have put some fishskin around the reed but it doesn't stay in place like it did on my cane reeds.

I began taking oboe lessons as an adult about four years ago. One of the challenges in playing for me has been the temperamental cane reeds, which require proper soaking and scraping to achieve playability. Sometimes, the reeds I use play inconsistently from one practice session to another.

And then, I learned that Legere makes synthetic oboe reeds. I had just started using the Legere reeds for saxophone in late fall and really like them. So, I decided to purchase a medium European Scrape Oboe Reed, which arrived just before Christmas. Wow - what a game changer! This reed requires no prep time and really seems to play more consistently than the cane reeds I had been using. I'm very pleased with this Legere reed and have doubts that I will return to cane reeds anytime soon.

Thanks, Legere, for a wonderful product!

Small aperture opening which I love, easy blowing and sounds great on my Yamaha 841LT, thank you Legere

I already own two clarinet reeds and one medium-hard oboe reed from Légère, and I’ve been very happy with all of them. Two months ago, I purchased a medium-medium oboe reed because I was looking for something slightly softer.

At first, the reed played OK, though not as well as the medium-hard one, but it quickly began to deteriorate and eventually became quite unstable. I asked my teacher to test it, and she confirmed that something was wrong - most likely an air leak that worsened with continued playing. We patched it with some cellophane, which improved the situation somewhat, but the reed is still far from ideal.

I had assumed that oboe reeds were also meant to last around two months, so this experience was disappointing. Given that exchanges are not possible, purchasing oboe reeds feels like a bit of a gamble. For my oboe, I will probably return to cane reeds or try other makers to see if they offer better consistency.

After several mediocre oboe and clarinet reeds, this one is a winner! Good range, tambour, depth!!