I am currently playing plastic drone reeds that stop when they get moisture on them, probably after about 45 mins. I have 'flicked' these in the past only to break the tongue. Will I have similar moisture problems with your reeds affecting their performance?

Balance Tone has been developed over several years looking at the problems of other synthetic reeds and creating solutions to these problems. One of the main factors with other synthetic reeds is that the tongue has to be bent or broken to make it sit up. When the tongue gets moisture on it it can cause the reed to become unsteady and eventually stop. The Balance Tone reed has a thin fibre glass tongue which gives it more stability than plastic and this tongue lies straight and is not bent in anyway. The tongue seat has a bevel on it to allow the reed to function. All the tests so far have proved that the reed stays rock steady and is not affected by moisture or climatic conditions.

How are Balance Tone reeds different from the other synthetic reeds on the market?

Balance Tone has a straight fibre glass tongue with a unique chamfered tongue seat. There are also small grooves in the tongue seat which, combined with a straight tongue, prevents the build up of moisture. This allows the reed to remain steady even when wet. This unique design means the reeds require minimal air to function. The reed is also telescopic which allows you to set the pitch by lengthening or shortening the body of the reed. There is also a plug in the bottom of the reed that allows you to adjust the size of the aperture and even shut the reed off.

I have had several sets of synthetic reeds and have never managed to get a good bass drone sound - are Balance Tone any better in this area?

A lot of time was spent on the bass drone during the development of Balance Tone reeds. The Balance Tone bass has a depth of sound but still gives you a modern pitch. More importantly it blends in with the tenor reeds giving you one drone sound.

I have never been good at setting up reeds. Can you give more detail on how to set up Balance Tone?

All Balance Tone reeds are pre-set for a medium to hard chanter reed so there could be a need to make adjustments to suit your chanter reed and pipes. First of all you must ensure that you have a good tight fit in the reed seat using waxed hemp. Then you will have to adjust the bridles to suit the strength of your chanter reed i.e. if the drones sound loud move the bridle down the tongue towards the white plug. Beware that if you move this too far the reed will stop. If the reed does stop you need to move the bridle away from the white plug a fraction. The bridles are like any other synthetic reed in that the smallest of adjustment will make a big difference to the tonal quality. It is important that time is spent getting the bridles set to ensure you get the best tonal quality out of the reeds. Once you have the bridles set you can then adjust for pitch i.e if you extend the body of the reed the drone will tune lower or shorten the reed and the drone will tune higher. You should do all this with the white plug at the open position. The last thing you can do is close the white plug a wee bit which will make the reed slightly quieter but the best sound will be achieved with the aperture fully open.

I am playing a set of your earlier black reeds.  Can you tell me what the difference is between this set and your new 'grey reeds'.

I increased the inside diameter of the tenor drones to give them a more mellow sound but this unfortunately made them slightly flatter. I had the injection moulding tool modified to accommodate the higher pitch that the bands are playing these days.  All this was done in consultation with many of the top solo players and top pipe majors.