by Francis Wood » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:29 pm
The direct-venting drones (which I prefer to call John Dunn style) do indeed give a very different tone and it's one I like more. The Reid style with 'plungers', whilst being very much more convenient, does seem to be liable to cause that breathiness. I don't think this has much to do with turning corners since it doesn't seem to bother musette drones. It may have much more to do with the chamber behind the stopper and possibly, reflective interference from the stopper itself.
Does this affect natural cane reeds more than composite ones, perhaps?
Francis