Jones Double Reed Products, LLC (JDRP) has produced oboe and bassoon reeds for over forty-five years. The company literally started on the kitchen table, one reed at a time, by Dr. Wendal S. Jones, who in the ‘60s made reeds for his students at the University of Arizona. Jones also taught his students how to make reeds, and to his delight several of those students are now principal players in major orchestras. During those days other professional double reed players, and also school music directors, began requesting that he make reeds for them. Jones soon became interested in finding machinery that would make this process possible. However, he soon realized that he would have to create the devices himself since only the most simple machines were readily available in those days.

The first machine to be created ended up being one of the most complex --- a profiling machine which was capable of running continuously, and it was also capable of producing four different patterns of “the scrape”. An extremely talented local tool maker in Arizona was of great help in the design and construction of that machine and it is still in use today. Starting at that level was certainly the inspiration that has led to the creation of many machines, devices and techniques that are the backbone of the JDRP effort. Several automated machines that use CNC technology now profile oboe and bassoon cane, and they can be programmed to any desired pattern. With this technology, JDRP is currently producing over 120,000 oboe reeds, 65,000 bassoon reeds and 1,000 English Horn reeds annually.

Also of great importance along the way was the search for reliable sources of cane. All of JDRP’s cane comes from southern France where undeniably the best cane is grown. Both single reeds (clarinet & saxophone) and double reeds (oboe and bassoon) are made from the same natural product, Arundo Donax. This cane is a tall perennial plant, not really a bamboo, so it grows year round.

Over the years the company has grown rapidly and now has over twenty employees. Some current employees have been with JDRP for as long as twenty five years. The group is comprised of former artists, professional musicians, machinists, photographers, bankers, printers, students, professors, housewives, and other backgrounds just as diverse. They are all eager to discuss why it has been interesting to be part of the company over the years. High on the list of what they like about being part of the company is that it is rewarding to make products of high quality. The employees seem to see no problem with knowing that all the various processes are constantly reviewed and even modified jointly sometimes by management and employees. There is ongoing diplomatic communication, which consistently makes it possible to work out differences and improvements, and also to come up with new ideas to make the manufacturing process work even better. As one employee put it, “We’re like aged cheese --- We just keep getting better all the time”.