The Stradella English horn reed is hand-crafted by Larry Allen who hs been making English horn reeds for over 40 years. He was a professional English horn performer in Connecticut for 20 years including 14 years with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The quality cane he uses gives the English horn performer a deep chocolate-like sound with a very relaxed ease of response in all registers and at all dynamic levels. The window-like design in the back of the reed creates the stability and focus every performer is looking for.