Double Reed Ltd. will soon have new Heckel bassoon crooks in stock

At Double Reed Ltd. we are proud to announce that we will now be stocking new Heckel bassoon crooks. The first crook we will have in stock is the well known and much loved silver plated Heckel CC2 crook (awaiting delivery). Other types and lengths of new Heckel crook follow soon, including Heckel CD crooks.

The price of new Heckel bassoon crooks at Double Reed Ltd. will be £699 (British Pounds) including VAT.

A good quality Heckel bassoon crook can transform your sound. If you are interested in owning or trying a new Heckel CC2 bassoon crook then please get in touch and we would be glad to reserve one for you. Other types of Heckel crook are currently available to order.

A link to our contact details on our website can be found here:

http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Contact_Us.htm

We Now Sell Cors Anglais

The first of what will be many oboes and cors anglais we'll be offering for sale in the coming months is an immaculate Lorée Royal cor anglais. 

Made in 2008 this professional cor anglais is suitable for an advanced student (or aspiring advanced student), keen amateur or professional. 

This instrument has been very carefully looked after and is in mint condition. To find out more, look at our web site: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Cor_Anglais_Loree_Royal_For_Sale.htm

The Royal is a higher specification instrument than standard Lorée cors anglais, and it is regarded as one of the most finely-made, beautiful-sounding cors anglais available.

We make instruments available for you to try using our approval loan scheme. See here for more information on how to borrow this Lorée cor anglais: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/approval_loan.htm

Bassoon Clearance Sale now on

We have now got an area of our web site devoted to bassoon bargains - bassoons sold at a much lower price than our normal range.

We currently have five bassoons in the clearance section ranging in price from £250 to £595. Between them, they provide an interesting range of opportunities, from starter bassoons in full working order from £395 to a couple of French system high pitch bassoons for the person looking for something a little bit different.

All apart from one are in full playing order with extensive work carried out on them to the same standard as our normal-priced bassoons. The exception is a Buffet Crampon bassoon which we are selling in an unrefurbished state.

All of them are available to be borrowed under our Approval Loan scheme and, apart from the Buffet, come with our standard 6 month guarantee.

Have a look at our Clearance Bassoons now.

Following Your Ear - What to Look For When Choosing a Bassoon Crook

A good rule of thumb when choosing a bassoon crook is to follow your ear and choose one that helps you to play in tune and to produce a sound that you are happy with.

Here are some crook characteristics which an awareness of will help you choose a crook you like:

1.     It is best to buy a crook that is in good shape. A dent or bend in the crook due to damage can change the shape of the bore and affect the air flow through the instrument. This can have a strangling effect on your sound and may affect your tuning. It is worth getting a good quality crook repaired, especially an old Heckel, but it is often preferable to replace a crook if it gets damaged

2.     Different makers produce crooks that have different types of sound. It is sometimes said that Puchner crooks produce a dark sound, for example, and Heckel crooks are said to be some of the best all round crooks. Heckel crooks made pre-1945 are well known for making a beautiful sound and are consequently highly sought after. Crooks by other makers are also good – Puchner, Fox, Adler, Schreiber, Monnig, Yamaha, Leitzinger and so on

3.     The type of metal the crook is made from affects the overall sound, so you may wish to try different types. Crooks are usually made from a copper alloy, often referred to as German silver, which is made up of a mixture of copper, nickel and zinc. Crooks can also be made in brass, gold, sterling silver, palladium and even wood

4.     The length of the crook – most crooks use a number one, two or three. These numbers refer to the length of the crook, 1 being short and thus raising the pitch slightly, 3 being longer and lowering the pitch slightly. If you bassoon plays flat or sharp a shorter or longer crook may help

Heckel bassoon crook for sale at Double Reed Ltd.

Because at Double Reed Ltd. we recognise that choosing the right crook is important, we have launched a bassoon Crooks for Sale page on our web site. The selection of crooks will grow steadily over time, so keep an eye out. If you have a crook you would like to sell then please get in touch with us, as we buy crooks and also sell them on commission. You can view our Crooks for Sale page, and our current selection of crooks, here:

http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Crooks_For_Sale.htm

The Importance of the Bassoon Crook

http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Crooks_For_Sale.htm

One of the most distinctive looking features of a bassoon is the crook. The crook is the curved piece of metal that extends from the bassoon to the reed, which goes into the mouth. So far so good – this sounds like a simple piece of equipment!

In actual fact, though, which crook you use on your bassoon can have a dramatic effect on the overall sound and playability of your instrument. A good quality crook can make a poor quality bassoon sound good, and can make a good quality bassoon sound even better. A poor quality crook, or a wrongly matched crook to your particular instrument, can have the opposite effect.

The reason for this is that any air flowing through the instrument must first go through the crook, and because the crook has such a narrow bore diameter, even the slightest adjustment to crook shape or material can affect the rest of the instruments tuning, intonation, sound quality and projection.

For this reason bassoonists sometimes spend a lot of time in search of the right crook for their instrument.

Because we understand how important the right crook is in allowing you to get the most out of your bassoon, at Double Reed Ltd. we have just started a bassoon Crooks For Sale page. We will be listing more and more crooks on there in the near future. You can take a look here:

http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Crooks_For_Sale.htm

The Bassoon Band First Meeting

The first meeting of The Bassoon Band takes place in Newport on Wednesday 27th June 2012. Come along if you live reasonably locally.

For more information see: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/bassoonband/index.htm

We now sell crooks / bocals

As from today, we sell bassoon crooks (or bocals as they are also known). We have a selection on our web site of mostly secondhand, but some new, crooks. All are in very good condition.

If you buy one and return it in 14 days you get your money back - ensuring that your selected crook is the right one for you and your bassoon. Our initial selection includes crooks made by Fox, Heckel, Puchner and Yamaha.

See http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Crooks_For_Sale.htm for more information on the crooks we have for sale and how to buy them.