Meet Your (Bassoon) Maker

Considering buying a bassoon can be a daunting experience. However, with a bit of guidance it is possible to make a well informed decision and end up with a really nice bassoon that will bring you many happy years of bassoon playing. I thought it would be useful to set out some simple guidelines for you to consider when buying a bassoon. After all, buying a bassoon can and should be an enjoyable experience.

1. It is useful to think about where you wish your bassoon playing to take you in the long term. If you are aspiring to be a professional bassoon player it is best to buy a professional bassoon sooner rather than later, so you can obtain the benefit of a superior instrument as you progress.

2. The obvious advice is that you should aim to buy the best bassoon you can afford. You should consider your purchase of a bassoon as a long-term investment into your own life and as something that will bring you pleasure on an on-going basis. It is also a reliable financial investment. Bassoons are almost infinitely repairable, and with a minimum amount of care they should hold their value exceptionally well (in-case you ever decide to sell or upgrade)

3. Consider the state of repair of the bassoon before you buy - Unless you are an experienced bassoon repairer, it is often difficult to spot minor or major problems with a bassoon before you buy it. It can be possible to play a bassoon for many months with leaky pads or any number of minor (or major) faults and never even notice. It is much harder to play like that though! At Double Reed Ltd. we pride ourselves on having our bassoons professionally serviced or overhauled before we sell them. This may include sealing and levelling tone holes, oiling the bore, changing some or all of the pads where necessary, and so on. We don’t take risks - our professional repairer makes sure all our bassoons are in excellent working order before we offer them for sale. You also get a receipt and warranty from us!

4. Which make and model of bassoon to buy is also important. Since there are a number of bassoon makers out there I thought I would write a list, in alphabetical order, dividing them into student, intermediate and professional level instruments. This should give you an idea of where to start the search for your perfect bassoon. The bassoon maker’s list is as follows:

 Student bassoon makers

·         Oscar Adler/Sonora - Sonora bassoons are also made by Oscar Adler and they are identical bassoons.

·         Amati - These bassoons are made in the Czech Republic

·         Huller - The factory closed in 1991 and no more bassoons were made

·         Gebruder Monnig - In 1990 Monnig joined forces with Adler. Monnig currently concentrate on making professional bassoons and Adler make the student level. However, it hasn’t always been like this, and there are a lot of nice older Monnig student bassoons around which are similar to Adler student bassoons

·         Post-war Kohlert

·         Bernd Moosmann

·         Renard by Fox - Fox make a range of good quality bassoons for students, including plastic polypropylene bassoons and maple (Fox 222D for example). These instruments are extremely popular in the USA, where they are made, but are also well respected and widely played in the UK

·         Schreiber - They produce a student and professional range of bassoons

·         Guntram Wolf

Intermediate and professional level bassoon maker’s

·         Benson Bell - Canadian maker

·         Fox - Double Reed Ltd. have a 2008 Fox 201D professional bassoon, in fantastic condition, available to try now here: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Bassoon_Fox_201D_For_Sale_44531.htm

·         Heckel - professional level

·         Pre-war Kohlert -  Intermediate bassoons made out of fine quality wood with a rich sound. Double Reed Ltd. currently have one in excellent playing condition for sale here: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Bassoon_Kohlert_243503_For_Sale.htm

·         Leitzinger

·         Gebruder Monnig - their new bassoons are professional level

·         Bernd Moosmann - At Double Reed Ltd. we have a top of the range 2006 Moosmann 222 bassoon for sale here: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Bassoon_Moosmann_222_5738_For_Sale.htm

·         Josef Puchner - Specialise in professional level bassoons, but also make some intermediate bassoons

·         Schreiber - Specialise in student bassoons, but also make some professional level bassoons

·         Rudolf Walter - professional level

·         Yamaha

If you would like to give me some feedback on anything I've said I would be glad to hear from you. You can email me at enquiries@doublereed.co.uk