Terry Lee
I have been most pleased with the Redwood drone reeds for myself and some players in the band. The tonal blend is excellent and I feel the bass drone reed has more vibrancy than other reeds on the market. The reeds, being very easy to tune, are also exceptionally steady.
Pipe Major Terry Lee is one of the most prominent and successful pipe band leaders in the world. Under his direction, the SFU Pipe Band captured the World Pipe Band Championship of 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2009. Terry is also one of only seven Pipe Majors to win the World Championship more than twice.
His ability to produce superb band performances in both the contemporary and traditional style, and to significantly enhance the musicality and technique of his players is respected worldwide. On September 10, 1999 P/M Terry Lee and P/S Jack Lee were each presented with the Meritorious Service Medal by Governor General Romeo LeBlanc in Quebec City, Quebec.
Robert Mathieson
These RedWood reeds provide a sweet and smooth tenor sound complimented by a deep bass that is normally associated with cane reeds. Great product Xav.
As a Grade 1 Pipe Major with the Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, Robert has won every championship prize there is several times over, including 5 World Championship titles and 9 Champion of Champions titles. He has also won the coveted Macallan trophy twice, once in a grand slam format, winning all events in Irish, Breton and Scottish music. He has 3 major solo recordings which include: Gracenotes, Ebbtide and The Big Birl, as well as 4 music books highlighting his own compositions played by many pipers and pipe bands. Robert has a Masters degree in Art and Design. His hobbies include painting and composing music for the highland bagpipe. Robert and his wife jointly own The Kilt Centre in Hamilton, Scotland.
Chris Armstrong
I find Redwood Reeds to be very rich sounding and they give off that cane like sound. Once set up correctly they greatly enhanced the sound of the chanter and were stable too. One really good attribute of the reeds is that they absorb quite a bit of moisture which means they stay dryer for longer.
Chris Armstrong's served as Pipe Sergeant of Torphicen and Bathgate Pipe Band, and in 2004 as Pipe Major of the David Urquhart Travel Pipes & Drums. Since 2005, Chris has been Pipe Major of the ScottishPower Pipe Band. Solo successes include the A Grade March at the 2000 Argyllshire Gathering, the A Grade March - Strathspey - Reel at the 2001 Northern Meeting, and the Former Winners MSR at the 2001 AG. In 2003 Chris won the Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting. A prolific and popular composer, he's published "Notes Frae Ma Heid" 1 & 2, and recorded several CDs. Chris is a full-time instructor at the National Piping Centre.
Hervé Le Floc'h
Since the apparition of synthetic drone reeds, there have been many products making an appearance on the market. Even if the synthetic reeds are easy to set up, the sound produced is often disappointing compared to cane reeds. Xavier has come up with a new product and indeed it has a surprising result! The concept of having a wooden body enables the production of a better sound but also creates a thermal inertia to avoid condensation. The padouk (RedWood) porosity allows for long periods of playing without any moisture problems. The tenors sound rich and warm while the bass resonates deeply. The RedWood reeds can suit any set of bagpipes from vintage sets to more recent instruments.
Hervé is a breton piper from the south west of Brittany. He was one of the firsts breton pipers to compete and win solo prizes in Scotland: first breton piper to win the Silver Medal (1995), he was also placed 3rd in the Gold Medal (2003) and 4th in the former winners MSR in London in 2000. He is also the pipe major of the Bagad Cap Caval and the Cap Caval pipe band (Grade 2 world champions in 2008, first breton pipe band to be promoted in Grade 1). Herve is also a bagpipes teacher in many bands in Brittany.
Alasdair Henderson
I was excited when asked by Xavier to test out his new drone reeds and immediately put them into my pipes. They are well-produced reeds that have a rich, stable sound and can also be easily manipulated. In terms of moisture control they are exceptional, with the reeds unique red wood body responding almost exactly like cane. I would therefore definitely recommend the reeds to any piper.
Alasdair Henderson, 20, from Dunoon is another rising talented young piper. Taking influence from his Argyll roots his enthusiastic, exciting style of playing has earned him many solo piping prizes not to mention great respect from his peers - some of his more notable prizes include the B grade Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey & Reel events at the 2007 Scottish Piping Society of London's annual competition. He is currently a member of Bagad Cap Caval as well as the ScottishPower Pipe Band, where he has been an influential member of the band in recent years.
Ronan Latry
Congratulations Xavier and Jakez! The RedWood reeds are first class! Precise tuning, efficient air consumption- the overall response being close to the sound of cane reeds with that sweet first tone. The reeds sound rich and warm, with vibrant tenors and a deep sounding bass!
Ronan Latry was born in 1979 and is playing pipes since 1991. He was taught by Xavier Fleurent (Bagad Er Melinerion) and by Jakez Le Dran. He was the pipe major of Bagad Lokoal Mendon from 1997 to 2001 and played with the Bagad Brieg from 2001 to 2008. He is playing in duet with André Le Meut and Steven Madec and is collaborating with René François (pipe making). He is the webmaster of www.pipingup.com, a well-known piping related website in Brittany.
Brett Tidswell
Redwood reeds are indeed first class, I found the reeds to be stable and even responded well after being left and re-played after a period of time. They have good volume and brightness. They worked well in a variety of bagpipes when tested. The tonal quality of the reeds was excellent, producing a vibrant tone with very good tonal balance and depth. These reeds are easy to set up and will produce a sound that pipers of any level will be well satisfied with.
Pipe Major Brett Tidswell is the Principal of Piping of the Australian Pipe Band College. He is also a qualified examiner with the Piping and Drumming Qualification Board - Scotland. He has a long and respected history as an educator of pipers at the highest of levels.
Brett is a soloist of International renown with many competition successes and a demand to perform at recitals around the world (which has included duet performances in Scotland with the legendary Jimmy Shand). His students also have a history of such success, with many solo prizes and even Pipe Band World Championships to their credit. His technical articles have been published in some of the World's most recognised piping publications including; Pipe Bands Australia Magazine, New Zealand Pipe Band Magazine, The Voice - USA, Pipes/Drums - Canada and the Piping Times Magazine - Scotland.
Brett is a soloist of International renown with many competition successes and a demand to perform at recitals around the world (which has included duet performances in Scotland with the legendary Jimmy Shand). His students also have a history of such success, with many solo prizes and even Pipe Band World Championships to their credit. His technical articles have been published in some of the World's most recognised piping publications including; Pipe Bands Australia Magazine, New Zealand Pipe Band Magazine, The Voice - USA, Pipes/Drums - Canada and the Piping Times Magazine - Scotland.
Adam Quinn
After 4 months of playing Redwood Drones, I couldn't be happier with them. Living in Florida where it is hot and humid, I have had a hard time finding synthetic drones that can be consistent and easily maintained. I first used them for a solo piping competition, and all judges commented on the full sound and steadiness of the drones. My band, Lucid Druid, was recording in a studio for several days in a row - and they held up magically. We also played a 4 hour gig outside in June (not an easy feat with the heat and moisture), and with a few set breaks I did not even need to dry them out during the show. From a moisture, maintenance and sound perspective, these are the best overall drones I've worked with to date.
Adam began his musical career with the clarinet at age 9, which he performed through early college years and still features occasionally in Lucid Druid shows. At age 10 he took up the piano, and at age 12 he began to learn the bagpipes.
In 1996 Quinn joined the ranks of the World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, with whom he won two World Championship titles in 1996 & 1999. For several years Quinn was not only a member of this band, but also a composer, arranger and concert soloist. Much of his work has been featured on SFUPB albums, most notably Live at Carnegie Hall and Down Under: Live at the Sydney Opera House.
In 1996 Quinn joined the ranks of the World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, with whom he won two World Championship titles in 1996 & 1999. For several years Quinn was not only a member of this band, but also a composer, arranger and concert soloist. Much of his work has been featured on SFUPB albums, most notably Live at Carnegie Hall and Down Under: Live at the Sydney Opera House.
Murray Blair
I ordered a set of Redwood reeds online arriving only a few days later- a great quick service! Now, having used them now for several months I've been extremely impressed with their performance and stability.
The first impression was the packaging. A classy well designed box with slick graphics highlighting the attention to fine detail Xaiver and Jackez commit to their product. In my mind, I'd received a quality product.
Setting up the reeds was simple with minimal adjustment required. Tonally, the Bass drone was my preference as it's a long bodied, long tongued reed which offered greater stability and harmonics. Over the last few years I'd spent many hours in the studio testing bass drones to find that short bodied bass reeds didn't generate the deep fundamental frequencies or hold their stability like long bodied. In the case of Redwood reeds, they delivered what I was after. I wish many other pipers were using these when recording!
Redwood reeds are a well made and equally supported by passionate pipers. These reeds simply work and sound good.
The first impression was the packaging. A classy well designed box with slick graphics highlighting the attention to fine detail Xaiver and Jackez commit to their product. In my mind, I'd received a quality product.
Setting up the reeds was simple with minimal adjustment required. Tonally, the Bass drone was my preference as it's a long bodied, long tongued reed which offered greater stability and harmonics. Over the last few years I'd spent many hours in the studio testing bass drones to find that short bodied bass reeds didn't generate the deep fundamental frequencies or hold their stability like long bodied. In the case of Redwood reeds, they delivered what I was after. I wish many other pipers were using these when recording!
Redwood reeds are a well made and equally supported by passionate pipers. These reeds simply work and sound good.
Piping Background: Victoria Police 1991-1999; Music Book - Philharmonic - 1998; RU Brown Silver Medal Piobarieachd 2003
Major Recording Credits (Piping) Pipe Band: FMM, SFU, Shotts & Dykhead, Victoria Police, Scottish Power, Vale of Athol, Manawatu Scottish, Strathclyde Police, NYPBS Scotland; BBC: Northern Meeting; Solo: Roddy MacDonald, Roddy MacLeod, Gordon Walker, Angus MacColl, Gordon Duncan, Jack Lee, Chris Armstrong, Mark Saul, Bruce Gandy, Murray Henderson, Iain Speirs, Alasdair Gillies, Stuart Liddell, Ronan McGuire, Brian Lamond...
Major Recording Credits (Mainstream) BBC, ABC, SBS, BBC World, FOX8, Fremantle, Southern Star Endemol...
Piping tutored: Australia, New Zealand, USA, Holland, South Africa, Germany,
Major Recording Credits (Piping) Pipe Band: FMM, SFU, Shotts & Dykhead, Victoria Police, Scottish Power, Vale of Athol, Manawatu Scottish, Strathclyde Police, NYPBS Scotland; BBC: Northern Meeting; Solo: Roddy MacDonald, Roddy MacLeod, Gordon Walker, Angus MacColl, Gordon Duncan, Jack Lee, Chris Armstrong, Mark Saul, Bruce Gandy, Murray Henderson, Iain Speirs, Alasdair Gillies, Stuart Liddell, Ronan McGuire, Brian Lamond...
Major Recording Credits (Mainstream) BBC, ABC, SBS, BBC World, FOX8, Fremantle, Southern Star Endemol...
Piping tutored: Australia, New Zealand, USA, Holland, South Africa, Germany,
Patrick Molard
I've been playing only cane drone reeds since a while but I must say that I've been very impressed with the quality of the RedWood reeds. I played them for the first time for a Piobaireachd recital in Cancale and I was delighted with their stability and sound. I guess that nobody knew I was playing synthetic reeds instead of my usual cane drone reeds.
Patrick was born in 1951 in St Malo and started learning bagpipes at the age of 14. Two years later, he joined the An Ere Pipe Band in Rennes, leaded by Jakez Pincet. In 1971, he left to Aberdeen, to teach French and became a student of Robert U Brown ans Robert B Nicol. In 1972, he came back to Brittany to play with many bands included Alan Stivell. He won the Duet Breton Championships 3 times with Youenn le Bihan and Yves Berthou. He recorded 6 albums and teaches in the Carhaix School of Music.