Kinnaird Edge Drone Reeds

For over 15 years, Kinnaird Bagpipes has been manufacturing carbon fibre drone reeds that have been played successfully by pipers and pipe bands of all levels all over the world. The Kinnaird Edge Drone Reeds will continue this tradition but in a radically new way.  The Edge reeds are the first drone reed to incorporate a patented bendable tongue into the design.  This unique feature allows the piper to adjust the strength of the drone reed without the use of the bridle. This provides a complete range of strength adjustment while maintaining optimal bridle position for sound production.  Many of the great features of the original designs are still present - the carbon fibre tongue, waterproof glass fibre body, poly nose cone with threaded pitch adjuster, world class air efficiency and moisture resistance.  The new tongue design provides optimal coupling with the bagpipe bore producing a rich, vibrant, brilliant sound.  The bass and tenors have been designed to blend perfectly with one another to give you a truly cane-like experience with a minimal amount of effort.  I hope you enjoy your new reeds!

-Rob Kinnaird, Reedmaker


Getting the Most Out of Your Reeds

Check the condition of the bagpipe

Before installing the reeds, check that all joints including the stocks are tightly hemped and that no air is leaking from the joints. Check for cracks in the drones or a loose drone bush. Take each section of the drone and plug one end with your finger and blow on the other end. No air should escape. Check the bores of the drones for obstructions. If you use a canister system, check to ensure the hose connections to the stocks are tight and not cracked. When the instrument is in good shape, proceed with installation.

Installation

See Reed Component Drawing for Part Details
Insert the hemped reed taper into the reed seat on the bagpipe. Ensure that the reeds are seated tightly and securely. If air leaks past the reed through the reed seat, the reeds will squeal and not function correctly. If needed, add or remove some black waxed hemp from the reed until they seat solidly in the bottom of the drone.

Ensure that the reeds are seated straight in the bottom of the drones and that they are not in contact with the sides of the stocks.

Adjusting Reed Strength (Air Consumption)

DO NOT MOVE THE O-RING BRIDLE- The location of the bridle is critical to reed adjustment.  Leave between set-up lines on side of reed body.

Increasing the Strength (Reeds will be harder to shut off and require more air to operate)
Using the supplied tongue adjustment tool, turn the tongue adjustment screw clockwise a very small amount and test the strength of the reed as you go.  Very small screw adjustments will result in large changes in air flow. 

Decreasing the Strength (Reeds will be easier to shut off and require less air to operate)
Same procedure as Increasing the Strength except rotate the tongue adjustment screw counterclockwise. 


Adjusting the Pitch (Drone Tuning Height)

Raising the Pitch (Drone will tune higher on the tuning pin).
Remove the nose cone from the end of the reed by bending the nose cone to the side.  The nose cone will pull out from the body, and you can wiggle it side to side to remove.  Using the supplied tongue adjustment tool, unscrew the tuning screw counterclockwise. 

Seating the reed further into the drone reed seat can also increase the pitch. Remove some hemp and re-install the reed further into the reed seat.

Lowering the Pitch (Drone will tune lower on the tuning pin).
Same procedure as Raising the Pitch except screw the tuning screw clockwise into the nose cone. 

The pitch can also be lowered by seating the reed further out of the reed seat. Add some hemp and re-install the reed in the reed seat.

Troubleshooting

Reed Double Tones: The reed is too strong for your blowing set up. See Decreasing the Strength.

Reed Squeals: Reed not seated airtight in drone. Add or remove hemp until reed is seated securely.
OR
Not enough bend in the reed tongue.  See Increasing the Strength and slightly increase the strength until the squeal stops.

Reed Squeals During Strike In: Check your strike-in technique. Try striking the bag in different locations. Try striking the bag more gently. 

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