About Dynamic Reeds

Reed-Maker

Dynamic Reeds was founded by Peter Prim, a bassoonist and an engineer. Mr. Prim studied bassoon performance and reed-making with Mark Popkin at the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has received a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master's degree in Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering, both from North Carolina State University. After graduated with his bachelor's degree, he worked as a Field Engineer and soon diverted his efforts to bassoon reeds. Mr. Prim is currently working towards a doctorate in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a concentration in manufacturing at North Carolina State University.

As a reed-maker, Mr. Prim relies not only on his experience in playing bassoon but also on his education in engineering. In doing so he has combined and augmented his understanding of reeds with his engineering training. Owing to his educational background in music and engineering, he designed and built Dynamic Reeds' custom gouger and profiler as well as an assortment of tools to assist in the reed making process.

Reed-Making Mission

Dynamic Reeds is a small manufacturer of bassoon reeds. The business started as an idea in 2003, striving to produce reeds with performance characteristics capable of producing a wide note range, an extensive dynamic range, and the subtleties in varying articulations. These performance characteristics were found to be under-represented in the current commercial bassoon reed market, after the owner assessed the quality of nearly 40 different reed models available commercially.

Besides the goal to meet bassoonists' unfulfilled needs, Dynamic Reeds also recognizes the great irony with reeds: one bassoonist's terrible reed may be another's perfect reed, and vice versa. This phenomenon is not only true with bassoonists and their reeds but also with all reed players and their reeds, including oboists, clarinetists, and saxophonists. The strong connection between a player's preference and the overall performance of a reed demonstrates that the mechanical response of a reed does not solely determine the reed's quality.

Having stated the significance of individual's preferences, Dynamic Reeds does not claim to offer the "best" reeds, as no reed can work for everyone. However, the reeds offered here will be capable of meeting the fundamental needs of music making such as note range, dynamics, and various articulations. So if you are not satisfied with what you are finding from other sources, these reeds may be what you are looking for. Try one and see.

Happy Bassooning!