Once again, it’s very late and insomnia is setting my schedule for me so I thought I’d create an entry on bassoons. After all, I haven’t chatted much about music lately and thought it might be fun to do a mini-series on the topic. Interestingly, this is inspired by some of my students (I don’t have many but then again, there simply aren’t many to begin with) who seem to be enjoying their lessons. I’ve got to admit, I enjoy them too – sometimes its about the only thing that I enjoy doing and that takes my mind off of everything else that’s going on. Recently, I’ve been doing some Internet searches on bassoon-things: looking to see what other bassoonists I’ve known over the years are doing (sadly, not much – we’re a dying breed), reed making, instruments, latest recordings, etc. There have been many times, in the recent past, where I’ve just wanted to pack things up and move to a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific that has there own little musical society and play/teach bassoon all day long. Got to admit, if I didn’t have family, I would dearly love to do something as wacky as that. As far as I’m concerned, musicians are among the only sane group of humans remaining on this Earth and the thought of living, breathing, eating, and sleeping music all day long sounds blissful.

One of the interesting things I’ve been watching over the years are who the manufacturers of bassoons are, what design characteristics they’re employing, what materials they’re using, and the acceptance of their instruments among real bassoonists (doublers, i.e, those who play sax, clarinet, and/or flute as their primary instrument[s] are not, and never will be included in that category). Interestingly, it appears as if Heckel has simply out priced itself as no one can afford them – I just noted that one of their relatively recent entries into the market, their “Heckel-Crest” which they claim is an “inexpensive instrument” which is “especially adequate for pupils, students and hobby-bassoonists” costs a mere $29,000 (yes, that’s just under thirty THOUSAND dollars)! Remember, that’s for their “student model” – a horn that they introduced in 1998. Who can possibly afford that? Almost without exception, most of my students are playing on Fox bassoons – their less expensive student (plastic/Polypropylene) models. Fox seems to have gained a significant foothold on the market over the years and appears to have chipped away at Heckels, as they have been making fine horns since the early ’70s (or perhaps a bit earlier). Even so, their instruments are also expensive. Surprisingly, they can even be bought on Amazon! According to Amazon’s site a moment ago, Fox bassoons range from in price from a mere $4,959 to $20,000. Unbelievable but true. Of course, “good” deals can be found on Fox models that are less than Amazon – I just found one for less than $3,600. I’ve also been hearing rumblings that another relative new comer, Moosmann, are producing good instruments but I’ve never had any experience with them.

It would appear as if other brands are long gone: Mirafone, Kohlert (a Chinese company appears to have purchased the name!), Conn, to name just a few. Other standbys remain – Adler, Mönnig, Mollenhaauer, Püchner, Schreiber, and even Yamaha (While I’ve never played a Yahama, they’ve been rumored to be fairly good horn).

Then we come to the junk bassoons – Bundy, Linton, Lesher, and Selmer (really). I’ve had kids come to me with these (including brand new ones) and they are, for lack of a better term, total crap. They are so bad, that they are often not playable and had no potential to become so. Putting a rubber plunger on the end of these and storing them in a bathroom might be the only good use for either of them – even then, I doubt they would hold up.

Finally we come to the Asian connection (although I’ve already mentioned Yamaha). Over the past several years, a large number of bassoons, including huge numbers of junk bassoons, are coming out of China. Interestingly, it appears as if production of such instruments is being spawned by a growing interest in Western classical music within the Chinese culture and there are several sites (which I don’t have at the moment) which have documented relatively recent connections between Western bassoonists and Chinese. Based upon what I’ve been reading, there are highly mixed reviews of some of these horns. Interestingly, these horns are general appraised as “looking good” but, due to the wood used, quickly succumb to a large number of problems (loose posts, keys that bend because they’re made from softer metals, etc.). Just as interesting is that these bassoons are so low in cost that many may often be found for less, far less, than a thousand dollars. Considering that many bassoon CASES (you know, the box that holds the instrument) are so expensive that the Chinese instruments (which come with cases as well as case covers) often cost less. Just who manufactures these horns? It’s hard to say as many Asian companies produce these instruments for others who, in turn, put their own brand name on them. One such case appears to be Takeda bassoons, designed by Yuhiko Takeda, former bassoonist with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra to be of “good quality and . . . inexpensive.” Interestingly, I’ve read some fairly good reviews of these instruments. Even more interesting is that while these bassoons are designed and promoted by a Japanese bassoonist, they appear to be made in China. Rumor has it that once these bassoons arrive in Japan, they are striped down and rebuilt according to Takeda’s specifications. All of these bassoons have an interesting design feature – they are what bassoonists commonly refer to as a “gentleman’s model” or a “gentleman’s cut”, meaning that their bells are extra long, while the long or bass joint is cut short. This allows the instrument to fit in a significantly smaller case. What makes this more significant is that another Chinese bassoon – one that is frequently seen on eBay, happens to be exactly like the Takeda instruments but have the “Laval” brand stamped on them. It would strongly appear that the Lavals are made by the same manufacturer and could, conceivable, be reworked (by someone who is knowledgeable about bassoon repair) to be a better horn. One of the very bizarre things associated with “Laval” bassoons is that their cases contain a hydrometer – why any bassoonist would “need” a device that measures the moisture in a case is beyond me. Obviously, this must be some type of sales gimmick as bassoons, as a rule, are generally very rugged instruments. Pictures of Takeda bassoons in their cases are not available (at least I haven’t found any yet), there are plenty of pictures of “Laval” bassoons on eBay to confirm this.

 As this post is already quite long, I think I’ll save the rest for another time.