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The original Rocket Reed by Mark Lee
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Fifteen years after the synthetic reed revolution started, Mark Lee rocked the establishment and the
industry by introducing his revolutionary Rocket Reed. These reeds are the epidome of Plug 'n Play.
Simply stated, Rocket Reeds are the steadiest drone reed that I have ever played. They are virtually
impossible to blow out of tune! Mark manufactures the Rocket against exacting standards and specifications
and pre-sets each tongue for optimal performance based on the strength of chanter reed that you blow.
Adjustments are minimal at best and mostly unnecessary.
Mark has stopped custom-making reeds
for all makes of bagpipes. Rockets with either glass or carbon fiber tongues are available for Dunbar,
Kron, MacLellan, and Bowen Classic bagpipes. Rockets are also available for some classic bagpipes (Henderson,
Lawrie, MacDougall, etc.) made prior to WWII.
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Ringo's rating:
1) Tenor sound - "8" very clean and warm - relatively quiet
2) Bass sound
- "8" Mark will build to order - I like the deeper sounding bass and Mark delivered!
3) Steadiness
- "10" Rockets set the standard
4) Performance - "10" Rockets set the standard
5) Air efficiency
- "10" Rockets set the standard
6) Plug 'n Play - "10" Rockets set the standard
Other - limited
availability - made to order - expensive...and worth it!
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Adjusting your Rockets - Don't try adjusting the bridle on your Rocket. These materials are very
rigid and are pre-set to your particular strength of set-up. They should come is and settle very quickly.
You should also be able to pop them off as you would any other reed. If they won't keep going or they
won't pop off, they should be sent back to Mark for adjustment.
If you need to adjust the pitch
of the reed, remore the black nose-cone. You'll find a tubular cavity in the nose-cone. To raise the
pitch of the reed, simply pack this cavity with the putty provided. Because the Rocket is so completely
stable, you'll never have to do this again unless you change the pitch of your chanter dramatically.
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