Let us make your bassoon the best it can be
We know how much a bassoon or contrabassoon means to its owner, and everything we do is focussed on helping our customers to get the best out of their instruments.
When a service is overdue owners often find they are struggling against, rather than working with, their instruments.
But they rarely recognise the extent to which the condition of their bassoon is compromising their playing. For us, one of the greatest pleasures is the delight many customers have upon play-testing their instrument on collection when they find that their instruments are transformed almost out of recognition.
Work we carry out
There is very little we haven't seen, or work we haven't undertaken, on bassoons and contrabassoons - of whatever age, make or condition. We regularly carry out:
Annual services
Re-pads
Full overhauls
Repair of broken or bent keys
Tenon repairs and replacements
Fitting of finger-hole liners
Tuning work
Treatment of rot from minor repairs to partial bore re-sleeving and tone-hole replacement
Accident repair of bassoons and contrabassoons, from minor to extensive
When and why should a bassoon be serviced or repaired?
An annual service is recommended. A bassoon's mechanism needs re-greasing once a year to prevent excessive wear. The bore also needs oiling annually to help preserve it.
An annual service is also an opportunity to examine all aspects of the bassoon to ensure optimum performance and address any issues before they become bigger and more expensive.
Cracks or damage should always be dealt with as soon as they become evident, don't necessarily wait for your annual service to come round.
Finger holes and liners
We find that finger holes and liners are a frequent cause of problems with a bassoon.
Liners which are absent, poorly fitted, worn or damaged or, sometimes, the subject of inexpert attention by other repairers, can lead to tuning problems, stuffiness and an unwillingness to speak in quiet passages.
If a service on its own doesn't solve these issues, then it could be the finger-holes or liners. We will always check them during a service and will recommend whether they are tuned or, sometimes, replaced.
If you would like to book your bassoon in for a service please get in touch.
It will help us provide a better response if you complete our Instrument Repair Form and submit any relevant photographs.
A completed Instrument Repair Form is required for all bassoons sent or brought to us for work.
