Density Tester for Basson Cane

Product number: F41 Manufacturer:
Jean-Marie Heinrich developed the density tester in collaboration with the Georg Rieger company. The machine was designed to not only measure the tube cane in its entirety, but also with the wish to get more complete and reproducible results than with a hardness tester.

The density tester is now regarded as a standard procedure for progressive bassoon reed makers.

The individual components of the density tester are made from high quality stainless steel.

There is actually a correlation between hard and dense cane, but a hard piece of cane is not always dense!
We recommend the following density values for German bassoon:
  • Low density: 55-61
  • Medium density: 62-65
  • High density: 66-70
  • Very high density: 71-76
  • Extremely high density: 77+
The values recorded by testing the canes density vary greatly depending on the origin, harvest year, diameter and humidity of the cane. It is important for you as the reed maker to know that the different densities measured require different processing methods and dimensions when gouging and shaping. This will help reduce cane wastage.
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