“The bassoon is one of my favorite instruments. It has a medieval aroma, like the days when everything used to sound like that. Some people crave baseball... I find this unfathomable, but I can easily understand why a person could get excited about playing the bassoon.” -Frank Zappa
We agree with Frank! The bassoon is not only an endlessly intriguing instrument to listen to, but also to work on. We appreciate the beauty of 4 large pieces of bored out maple with intricate metal keywork attached, moving primium leather pads up and down, all precisely fitting together to make one of the most unique musical sounds.
We check over all the pads and tone holes on wood bassoons to make sure each joint is sealing properly. We inspect the instrument for rot, which can happen when moisture lingers in the instrument. If there are pads to be replaced, we use quality white kid leather pads with white shellac to ensure uniformity throughout. Touch ups to the finish are a possiblility, making previous damage un-noticable.
Stuck swab? STOP!! If you pull a swab through your bassoon and it gets stuck, bring it to us right away. It is very easy to damage the instrument by improperly removing a stuck swab. We have special tools that make removal of stuck swabs easy and avoid the pitfalls of the situation.