Schreiber S10 Bassoon Review

The Schreiber S10 bassoon can best be described as a more affordable Schreiber S16 bassoon but without compromise on quality. It is a Schreiber full size bassoon, identical in every way to the Schreiber S16 bassoon for sale currently, but sold with one crook instead of two, and with some lesser used keys removed to reduce cost. It still has a high D key, and all of the other keys that most people use regularly.

Schreiber S10 bassoon

• Key-work included on this bassoon are: high D key, four rollers, extra low C key, extra RH little finger F sharp key, E-F sharp trill key
• Keys included in the S16 bassoon but left off this bassoon are the whisper key lock, C sharp trill, extra B flat for RH third finger, extra G sharp for RH thumb

If you are looking for a second hand Schreiber 5016 bassoon, take a look at the used Schreiber S10 bassoon we have for sale as well.

 So what's the build quality of this Schreiber S10 bassoon like?

We have completely disassembled this bassoon in our workshops (during its pre-sale service) and inspected it very closely. As far as we can tell, the bore and tone hole dimensions are identical to the Schreiber S16 bassoon, the S10's more expensive brother. We felt that the Schreiber S10 has a lovely build quality about it. The silver plate is thick and durable, with a bright shine. The key work feels solid and fits on the instrument well. We especially love the matt varnish, which Schreiber has started using recently, instead of the high gloss varnish they have traditionally been using. The matt finish gives it much more natural look, and it reminds us of the old oil based varnish that Heckel used to use which ages beautifully. We are also told by bassoon manufacturers we have spoken to that the matt varnish has a positive effect on the sound of the bassoon. The matt varnish is slightly softer than the traditional, brittle acrylic varnish used on bassoons, and it is slightly less inhibiting on the resonances of the wood when the bassoon is played.

How does it play?

Our first impression when playing the Schreiber S10 bassoon is of a surprisingly powerful sound. It is pleasantly free blowing. Then, listening more closely, the intonation is accurate and the tone quality is smooth, with plenty of resonance. The key work feels the same as the S16 - comfortable to the touch. The lesser keys that have been removed to reduce cost aren't really missed, but that depends on your personal preference. This is certainly a super bassoon for the money, and we highly recommend it.

Double Reed Ltd. are bassoon specialists and we love to talk about bassoons. If you have a question or query, leave a comment on this blog or contact at us at our Website

Top 5 Rock Song Covers (Played On The Bassoon)

The bassoon may not be in the same category as the electric guitar or drumkit when it comes to the genre of rock music, but that hasn't stopped numerous musicians from covering their favourite rock songs on the bassoon and uploading the results onto YouTube.

Here are our Top 5 rock songs covered using bassoons...

1) Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Four bassoonists from University of Wisconsin-Madison - Brian Ellingboe, Dave Wells, Theresa Koenig and Marc Vallon - play a cracking rendition of arguably Freddie Mercury's band's finest musical moment.

2) The Who's "Baba O'Riley"

Jeff Burke is a Canadian bassoonist who busks in Toronto's subway stations. In addition to playing a number of unusual covers on the bassoon, including songs by Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against The Machine, he's been filmed playing a wonderful rendition of The Who's "Baba O'Riley" (famous these days for its appearance as the theme music for the TV show CSI: New York), which seems to work really well on the bassoon.

3) Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"

At only 13-years-old at the time that this video was recorded (in 2011), YouTube user jmurphy1719's only contribution to the video sharing site is this cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," which the infamous Ozzy recorded and performed after he left Black Sabbath.

4) Coldplay's "The Scientist"

YouTuber bassoonarama recorded a number of bassoon covers a couple of years ago - mostly pop songs including songs by Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. While Coldplay are not quite pop music (but about as close to pop as you can get), we really like this cover of "The Scientist." There's a bit of a long intro, so if you want to jump straight to the music, you'll want to fast-forward to around the 1:25 mark.

5) Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"

Last but not least is the only video in our Top 5 to include other instruments beside the bassoon. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar and a keyboard being used as a drum machine, these guys rock the Journey classic, which achieved a revived fame a few years ago when it was covered on the TV show Glee.

And that's it! What's the best rock song that you've heard covered on a bassoon? Please let us know in the comments below.

Old Moennig Bassoons - Best Buy or Best Avoided?

Wowzers! The Gebrüder Mönnig 208 bassoon. What can we say? It is one of the most well known bassoons ever made. It has become a classic, and with its accurate intonation and free blowing sound it is easy to see why.

The original Moennig Brothers! Hans and Fritz Mönnig

The makers of these bassoons really knew what they were doing. Did you know, instrument making in the Mönnig family goes back to Johann Karl Friedrich Mönnig, born in 1789? Gebrüder Mönnig (In English - The Moennig Brothers) took over the firm in 1906, but their father Heinrich had been making bassoons since 1875!

Incidentally, Hans Mönnig Jr., the son of Hans Mönnig of The Moennig Brothers (photographed here - smile!), moved to America in 1923 and set up business as a repairer. He soon became one of the most respected bassoon technicians in the world, described by Marvin Roth, who knew him, as a legend.

Moennig Model 208 bassoons were originally made as 'student' bassoons. This means that they are at least suitable for an aspiring bassoon student in need a bassoon he/she can rely on. Actually, it may be a surprise, but these bassoons have been, and still are, played professionally by some British players. 

The old model 208 Moennig bassoons are no longer made but they can be exceptional instruments. If you are considering buying one, be sure to choose a nice example, as some of these bassoons were bought by schools and were not well looked after. Here is a picture of a near perfect condition Moennig bassoon we have in stock currently, which sounds quite exceptional for a bassoon that is usually classed as a 'student' instrument. 

Best Buy? I should think so!

Used Moennig Model 208 Bassoon - Double Reed Ltd.

Double Reed Ltd. are bassoon experts. For advice on anything bassoon related, find us at  www.DoubleReed.co.uk

New or Second-Hand Bassoon? A Guide On How to Buy a Bassoon for your Child - Part Three

Once you have decided which size bassoon your child needs, your next step will be to consider whether you want to invest in a new or second-hand bassoon. New bassoons look shiny and new and they are generally guaranteed to be in excellent playing order. Buying a second hand bassoon can cost you significantly less but you need to know what you are doing when you are buying one. In this next instalment of this series (Part Three) we will discuss the 'dos and don'ts' of buying both new and second hand bassoons. Follow our advice and you won't go wrong!

Good quality new bassoons start from £3800 - £5500, depending on the make and key-work specification of the bassoon. For many people this causes a sharp in-take of breath! 

Bassoons are expensive instruments to make. They are made on a relatively small scale, and while most makers use as much modern technology as possible to make their bassoons, much of the work still has to be carried out by hand by highly skilled craftsmen and women. The maple body of the bassoon alone has to be aged and matured for a significant number of years before the manufacturing process can begin.

If the price of a new bassoon is beyond your budget then the next option is to consider buying a used or second-hand bassoon. Some parents on a budget consider eBay and other second hand musical instrument websites such as Gumtree as a source for their child's bassoon. There can be some 'cheap' bassoons on these websites. 

The problem is that if you do not have a good amount of knowledge about bassoons, what to look for and what to avoid, then you are taking a significant risk. There are a great deal of things that can be wrong with a bassoon, some of them repairable (often at significant cost), others are not easily repairable. It is not possible to assess a bassoon merely from a photograph. The fundamental scale, intonation, condition of the wood and so on must all be checked by handling and playing the bassoon. Most of the bassoons on these websites are sold 'as-is' and will be non-returnable. The average cost of a bassoon overhaul including full re-pad is many hundreds of pounds. Anything extra that needs doing, such as repairing cracks to tenons, making and fitting new bell rings etc. is extra.

Double Reed Ltd Second-hand Bassoons

There is also a chance that the bassoon you are looking at on eBay or another general second-hand website has been listed there fraudulently. At Double Reed Ltd. we are well aware of this problem because the photographs and description of our bassoons have on a number of occasions been listed on another website, without our permission, usually at a significantly lower price. These fraudulent 'sellers' do not own or have the bassoon in their possession and their intention is to steal your money. How successful they are is unknown, but they are continually trying this scam so beware.

The best and safest option, in our view, is to buy your bassoon from a well established and reputable dealer, such as Double Reed Ltd. Here are the reasons why:

- The bassoons that belong to us are carefully hand-picked by Oliver Ludlow, bassoonist and bassoon expert, for their quality of build, excellent condition and quality of sound. All the bassoons owned by Double Reed Ltd. are sold with a one year warranty. These bassoons have been carefully selected by us and as a dealer we do turn a lot of bassoons down that do not meet our high standards 

- All our bassoons go through our bassoon repair workshop for a service or overhaul as necessary. This means that we can guarantee your bassoon will be in perfect working order when you purchase it from us. It is not uncommon for us to replace all the pads, for example. There is a large amount of time and money (on average £400-500) spent on each of our bassoons before we offer them for sale. This is not a level of service that you would get when you buy a bassoon privately 

- Many parents have been worried their son or daughter will lose interest or change their mind about playing bassoon after having bought a bassoon from us. In response to hearing this concern from a number of different parents we decided to introduce our popular Buy Back Scheme. This special scheme gives parents peace of mind when purchasing a bassoon from us; it is a pledge that within two years we will buy your child's bassoon back off you for a significant amount of what you paid for it. The quality and popularity of the bassoons we sell are so good that we are always glad to buy them back and re-sell them if your child has a change of heart. Not only this, if you have bought your child's bassoon from us we will be here in the future when it is time for him or her to upgrade. We will be happy to part exchange any bassoon that was bought from us (subject to it having been reasonably looked after!)

- Approval Loan Scheme - we are confident enough in the quality of the bassoons we offer that we always recommend you take the bassoon to your child's teacher for a second opinion. You don't just have to take our word for it - our bassoons really are that good. And if it isn't suitable just let us know and we will have it collected from you by courier. The trial period also allows your child to get used to the instrument in his/her own time during the week without any pressure. Taking it to weekly orchestra rehearsal to try out in-situ is also recommended!

To find out more about us have a look at our website About Us page or get in touch with questions and we'll be happy to help

www.DoubleReed.co.uk

Double Reed Ltd. at the Big Double Reed Day 2013

The Big Double Reed Day has evidently become one of the most important events in the British double reed calendar. The exhibition hall in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama is large, but the Big Double Reed Day could hardly be contained!

Double Reed Ltd. bassoon stand BDRD 2013

The number of people in attendance was phenomenal (can anyone provide the exact number?) During peak times the entire hall was so packed it was difficult to move. However, thanks to excellent planning this wasn't a problem as events were staggered throughout the day so that oboe and bassoon recitals, master-classes and so on usually commenced half an hour apart.

Managing the Double Reed Ltd. stand were Martin and Oliver Ludlow. We had barely set up our stand when people began filing in and coming to chat with us. Martin is pictured here during a rare break when there was no one at our stand. Throughout the day there were people at the Double Reed Ltd. stand trying bassoons, browsing our bassoon accessories and asking some good questions.

The reputation of Double Reed Ltd. as a place to go to for good advice on bassoon related matters has really blossomed and it was particularly nice to talk to so many parents who are in the position of needing to purchase a bassoon for their child. Through this blog we have dedicated a whole series to parents in A Guide on How to Buy a Bassoon for Your Child for precisely this reason.

Oliver - bassoon specialist Double Reed Ltd.

A particular popular item was the Ludlow Mini-Bassoon. This was the first time we have exhibited our mini-bassoon and, perhaps not surprisingly, a number of people fell in love with it. The quality, set-up and price of the Ludlow mini bassoon made it a strong topic of conversation on the stand.

Many of our bassoons are purchased through our Approval Loan Scheme, whereby we will send bassoons out on trial for a week. Our trial scheme works well for those looking to purchase a bassoon, but the downside for us is that we do not get to meet many of the happy customers who buy our bassoons. However, at the Big Double Reed Day this year we had the pleasure of meeting a number of people who had a bassoon supplied by us. 

Much of the day was spent answering questions and offering specialist advice on bassoons, their history, which bassoon to buy and why, bassoon accessories and so on. The service we offer is based on the provision of expert knowledge about bassoons and the Big Double Reed Day 2013 demonstrated that there is a real need for well informed advice and information about bassoons.

We would like to say a big thank you to all those who bought bassoons, accessories and came over to talk to us on Sunday at the Big Double Reed Day. It was an enjoyable day and we look forward to seeing you all next year.

Need more information? Take a look at our website here: www.DoubleReed.co.uk

             

A Guide On How to Buy a Bassoon for Your Child Part Two - Mini, Short Reach or Full Size Bassoon

Buying a bassoon for your child can be a daunting process. Bassoons are high value instruments and whether you are buying a new or second hand bassoon, there are risks involved - not all bassoons are good bassoons, and even a good bassoon won't necessarily be the right bassoon for your child. However, with a little guidance this process can be made simple and your child can look forward to many happy years of bassoon playing. This blog is Part Two in a series written for parents or anyone else buying a bassoon for someone else.

by Artist Gek Tessaro

The Keys to a Successful Bassoon Purchase

Begin by considering the size of bassoon your child needs. How old is your child? What size hands does he/she have? The bassoon is a large instrument that requires relatively large sized hands to play (note that there are also many adults with relatively small hands so the same advice applies). This is partly due to the large size and weight of the bassoon, but also due to the large stretch between keys and open holes for fingers. In order to facilitate those with smaller hands bassoon manufacturers have designed bassoons and key work to fit people with different hand sizes, from very small to large. 

For those with small hands the options are:

- Mini bassoon / tenoroon (roughly half sized) up to the age of about 9 or 10. The Ludlow Mini-Bassoon is in the key of G and has a brighter sound than a full sized bassoon. It is a fantastic tool for getting your child started at a very early age on the bassoon. It's tiny size and key work mirroring that of a full size bassoon make it a great instrument to start a child on. The mini-bassoon has been utilized with great success by bassoon teachers at schools for some time now and has become something music services cannot do without

- Short reach bassoon - often ages 10 to 13 - these are full sized instruments but with extended key work for those with smaller hands. Short reach bassoons have been around for quite some time with just an extra key for the left hand third finger (the traditional open hole can be hard to reach), but these days there is a lot more help than just one extra key. This help comes largely in the form of 'stretched' or elongated key work that falls within easier reach of the fingers, in particular the left hand thumb.

For those with larger hands the option is:

- Full size bassoon - This is the standard size bassoon for adults and young people with larger hands. Usually once most children have reached the age of twelve or thirteen they are beginning to outgrow the short reach bassoon they have been using. Upgrading to a full size bassoon is then necessary to allow the fingers to spread out so they can keep playing comfortably. 

The best way to decide which size bassoon is most suited to your child is to let your child have a go on his/her teacher's bassoon or alternatively speak to us.

Consider your Budget - New or Second hand. Once you have decided which size bassoon your child needs, your next step will be to consider your budget. Buying a second hand bassoon can cost you significantly less but you need to know what you are doing. In our next blog in this series (Part Three) we will discuss the 'dos and don'ts' of buying both new and second hand bassoons. Follow our advice and you won't go wrong! Part Three coming soon

Ludlow Mini-Bassoon in G Arrives for Budding Mini-Bassoonists

It's arrived! The recent development of the mini-bassoon is revolutionary. This little bassoon is making a big difference by allowing children as young as six and seven years old to learn the bassoon, at last putting the bassoon on an equal footing with the other woodwinds of the orchestra.

Ludlow Mini Bassoon

Historically young people have had to wait until roughly the age of twelve before they could have their first lesson on the bassoon due to the bassoon being too large for smaller children to handle. For a seven year old the finger holes are unreachable and the bassoon is too big and unwieldy (the full size bassoon is taller than most seven year olds!) This has resulted in the bassoon, one of the most beautiful instruments in the orchestra, being one of the rarest. 

Not only did the bassoon player have to wait until roughly the age of twelve (depending on their size) before taking up the bassoon, but they then had to catch up with players of other orchestral instruments who had been playing since the age of seven. This has inevitably put countless children off starting to learn the bassoon.

The recent development of the short-reach bassoon (a full-sized bassoon with modified key work) has allowed young people to start bassoon lessons a couple of years earlier, at the age of about ten years old. But short-reach bassoons are still too large and unwieldy for six to nine year olds.

So what is special about the Ludlow mini bassoon in the key of G?

• Plays in the key of G, five notes higher than a full-size bassoon - bassoon like in sound but naturally brighter
• Suitable for age 7-11, until ready for a full size bassoon
• Almost identical key work to a full size bassoon makes for easy progression
• Accurate intonation and tuning
• Special dense ABS plastic resin body has highly resonant acoustic properties, just like maple. Requires no maintenance; rot-proof, crack-proof and very tough
• Durable nickel silver plated keys and mechanism
• Unique high register vent key which allows the instrument to sing in the top register
• Strong, light hard case half the size of a standard bassoon case
• Comes with everything you need to get started
• Can be used with full size bassoon reed or special mini-bassoon reed

Is there music for the mini-bassoon in the key of G?

Yes! Take a look at the specially written music at Anselma Music . Many teachers also like to transpose music for the mini-bassoon so it can play in ensembles alongside full sized bassoons. More and more music is being written for mini-bassoons as their place in the bassoon curriculum is being universally recognised. In lessons though, the Ludlow mini-bassoon can play standard bassoon music. It plays a fifth higher but as long as your keep it a 'mini-bassoon' lesson it works a treat and the transition to full size bassoon is smooth.

The mini-bassoon is designed as a way into bassoon playing for children from the age of seven. The Ludlow Mini-Bassoon retails at £1,450 and can be trialled through the Double Reed Ltd. website here:

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