Chapter 9: Slowing down but not giving up

The things have slowed but I'm not giving up. I know nothing has been posted here for over a week now but I had to catch up with some of my other projects (those generating money) and quite naturally everything is slowing down. At the beginning everything was new and it was very easy to find out new things. But now the more I know about it all the harder it is to find any extra bit.

But things are happening all the time. I've been looking for extra tools and materials I will need. I have been testing various methods of cleaning both the wood and the mechanism. I have already bought a wood adhesive to deal with the small cracks. I have sent few emails out to good people out there and even got a replay or two already.

Soon out of those small things new posts will come up.

Chapter 8. Brute Force

Thanks to the Basson Français group members and gentle application of brute force the mystery has been finally solved.

I presented the pictures and the 3d model on the group's forum asking for help and soon I got some ideas as to what the mysterious thing may be but nobody sure about it. General conclusion was that most likely it is not part of the bassoon but rather something that got there accidentally.

On few occasions already I tried to remove it but it wouldn't move. Due to its location it was really hard to grasp but this time I managed to pull a thread few times through both holes which gave me a sort of a handle. I pulled gently but firmly until it finally popped out.

Ladies and gentlemen: a clarinet mouthpiece.

Itermission.

As I mentioned in the introduction, one of the reasons to buy the bassoon was to give myself some real job. Nothing virtual like this blog-writing but a real, tangible hobby to be a counterweight to my daily routine.

The old bassoon is my very first restoration project and as such it is a kind of twofold experiment. Firstly I wanted to see if I can do it; secondly if I will enjoy it. So far everything went smoothly and I have been enjoying every bit of it. I know, I know. It has been only few days I have just made a first tiny step but it looks like my star has already aligned and I will be fixing old things 'till the end of time.

Yesterday just after 10pm I heard loud knocking on the front door. You see, we don't get that many night visitors so it was quite unusual. Last time somebody knocked at the door so late was to let me know that my motorbike was being stolen. The time before that it was to tell me know my motorbike had been stolen. Thinking not again' and 'how many times can one vehicle be stolen?' I quickly went downstairs to open the door.

'Hello,' said my neighbour, 'do you have five?'
'Well...' I hesitated 'I do'
'C'mon then, have a look'

I came closer, looked into the darkness, saw my bike. So what did he want?

'C'mon, put your shoes on and come!' he said rather impatiently.

So I did and he led me to his house without a word. There he showed me an old telescope in pieces explaining that somebody was just about to throw it away and asking me to have a look to see if I can put it all together and make it work again.

So it looks like my stars has already aligned. I will check it when I'm done with the telescope :)

Chapter 7. The mysterious whistle

Already on the first day I was surprised to see a wooden pipe sticking out of the butt's bass bore. In modern German instruments it's the tenor bore that has lining but that is usually much more subtle. Only when I opened the bottom seal I realised that the bass bore is actually blocked. I mean the air can get through but the view is obstructed (left on the picture). I don't know if it has been glued but it sits firmly in its place and I couldn't take it out to take a closer look.

Because of it's position there was no way I could take a decent picture of it with my camera but playing with lights (and few other things) I managed to see enough to sketch a 3d model. The closest association I have is one with a whistle but I don't know what it actually is.

Whatever it is it might be broken. The circular collar seems to be broken. Here you can see that there are two slots. Or is this a designed feature?

I will have to find out what it is. If you know, let me know.

Chapter 6. Stripping the butt

Over last few days I have been successively removing parts from the butt.

First of all I wanted to know exactly the condition of the both ends so I took off the metal rims. The top one looked all right but after cleansing two cracks became apparent. They both go vertically from the top down but do not extend beyond the joint and the rim. On the picture one is quite obvious as you can see the light getting through. The other one is on the other side and first runs along the visible vertical furrow and then diverts left (top on the picture) as a really thin scratch. Few drops of a glue will take care of that.

The bottom end I was more worried about. On the first day I took the bottom plate off and it didn't look particularly good. The feel wasn't good either. I didn't feel any tension on either screw, it felt damp and there was some grey mold on the cork seal. Under the rim it looked even worse. I was really nicely surprised to see  it look like that after I get rid of the dirt.

But that was outside and I was yet to take the cork out to see the inside. To do so I used a long stick to push it out from the outside. I don't know why but somehow I was expecting the seal to be a kind of a flat pad just laying on the bottom of the bore. What has popped out was far more complex. It was tall like a bottle cork and had multiple concavities and convexities. And, if that wasn't hard enough to reproduce, at the top it had a cap sewn of a very fine leather. Somehow I will have to replicate it.

The good news was that the wood was all healthy, dry and solid. In fact it was in much better condition that the rusty screws on which I will blame the lack of resistance but there are also two small cracks, one by each screw hole which doesn't help but it shouldn't be a big problem either.

Next step was to take all the external metal bits off the wood so that it can all be cleaned accordingly. To make sure I will be able to put it back together I drew a map and with my wife's help labelled them all. I also took all the pads out as they will need to be replaced.

It was very interesting to notice all small irregularities. When you look at a modern instrument it is all perfectly done with machines. Here you can see that it must have been manually carved with a knife. And here it looks like the axle pipe is just a degree or two from the perfect right angle but it is not bent. I guess it was soldered manually too. Although it is not perfect it must have required great craftsmanship to get it that right.

The last thing I noticed was a lettered capital I under the F# key (top of the picture).  I hope that I will be able to find its meaning in the Horniman museum.

Chapter 5. The un-delivery

Yesterday from the very morning I was waiting. I knew the bassoon has been shipped the night before with DHL and that over night it was transported to Capel Hendre from where it was supposed to be delivered to me. 

The day before I talked to Mike and Jeremy from Spiel Productions and we decided to try to make a short documentary about the whole thing; so as soon as I saw that the courier has taken the parcel out for delivery I let them know. They came to my place around noon and we were waiting. 

Somehow we started talking about all the un-deliveries we experienced but I remember saying "It's not with Royal Mail so there shouldn't be any problems this time.". I couldn't have known how wrong I was nor how prophetic the subject was. The time was flying by and we were waiting checking now and then if there is already a 'Sorry, you were out' note at the door. 

Then just after 2pm I checked the status again. Updated at 14:06 it read: status DELIVERED, signatory UNABLE TO PARK. Right, delivered. Not without trouble but we have found a customer service number and I dialled. Surprisingly soon I was connected to an advisor who told me that my parcel has been delivered and even if it wasn't it is not overdue yet so there is nothing to complain about. Then she admitted that in fact it hasn't been delivered which was due to the poor driver being unable to park his car and she offered that if I gave her my phone number she will pass it to the driver so he can call me tomorrow for help if he has nowhere to park again. I remember saying that I don't live in a centre of a very busy city and there is plenty of space around and if he has problems with parking here he might be better off calling somebody else for help, saying how ridiculous the whole conversation is and asking her to log an official complaint. Quite obviously she wasn't able to do so and instead I was given an email address where I should send my complaint. 

So 'that was it' we thought when I put down the phone. But then Mike looked through the window and started shouting 'Quick, there's a DHL van out there!'. At first I didn't believe it but Jeremy looked out and started running downstairs. Soon we were all in front of the house just to find out that it is another van with another parcel for another house. Down again. 

We all must have looked very disappointed which caught the other driver's interest and after we told him the story he offered his help. He called his office and established that it wasn't a DHL courier who had my bassoon at all but  a guy called John who works for the Home un-Deliveries*. Then he called John asking where he is and why didn't he do his job and was not less surprised then I to hear the excuse. The hill was too steep and he couldn't get his car up there. At this moment the kind driver looked really ashamed. He tried to explain to John that it is possible, that he's got his big van in front of the house right now and that there are two ways to 'do' Clifton Hill'. Either you drive or if you cannot you have to walk with the parcel up the hill. John had non of it. He said the most he can do is to be at the bottom of the hill in 20 minutes and I if I want to have my parcel I will have to walk down to meet him there. 

Did I have a choice? I walked down the hill. 

* There is a reason why I put a link to those undeliverers' website. It's not the first time I had trouble with them and I sincerely may recommend you not to use them. Avoid them whenever possible. If you think you cannot think again. It comes at the price sometimes but it is possible. Thanks to those guys I stopped buying off Amazon. 

Chapter 4. The first impression

It has been delivered today. The way it happened is probably worth a post on its own but for now the most important thing is that the bassoon has arrived and I was able to see, measure and examine it. Here are a few pictures of it.

My first impression is very good. When compared to what I'm used to it is a bit smaller and very light, dusty, here and there green and generally... old. It has an odd crack, small denture and a lot of small scratches but apart from that there is not much. There is virtually no sign of the usual wear and tear marks around holes and on keys so I don't think it has been used awful lot.

And as I thought it is the Buffet-Crampon system.

Obviously after sitting for 30 years in the attic all the pads will need to be replaced. Cork on the joints has fallen apart and so have all the cork pads in the mechanism. The bocal has no cork at all and looks like it has been never cleaned inside through out the entire 80 years. Few axles are slightly bent and one is missing one screw. On the upper part of the bass joint there is a small hole and a crack but it is not through the wood so it shouldn't be a problem. The bell has at least two cracks at the bottom but they are concealed in the metal rim and I don't think they go outside the connecting part. You can see them here (at just after 1 and at 6 o'clock).

Almost the whole instrument is very dry so it's surface is rather rough, full of micro cracks and all the metal rims are slightly loose. Only at the very bottom of the butt it's slightly rotten with a little bit of mold visible on the cork seal. I've never seen anything like that before so I will ask somebody first before I will open it but I am sure it will have to be opened and treated somehow. There is no lining inside the tenor joint or narrower bore of the butt but there is something sticking out from the wider bore.

I am no wood specialist so I have no idea what is it made of but I can see it was once varnished. With time the varnish coat has chipped off especially on the butt and the wing joint. Have a look here at the butt and the bell.

I still don't know it's pitch but I have measured it and hope that somebody will be able to predict it. Here are the measurements (excluding the bits that slide into other parts):

•    Bell: 356mm
•    Bass: 520mm
•    Butt: 437mm
•    Wing: 467mm
•    Bocal: 290mm

So it is 1313mm tall (just below 51'' and three fourths ) it has 2217mm from the top of the bell to the top end of the tenor joint (just over 87'') and the total length from the very top to the end of the bocal is around 2507mm (almost 99'')

It looks almost exactly like this one from Horniman museum's collection.

Chapter 3. The first step back

Quite naturally the first step to learn about the instrument's history was to contact the previous owner. You'd think that's who I bought it from but it wasn't so. The instrument was sold to my on behalf on the owner by his neighbour. Dodgy it may sound it looks to be legitimate all right. When I asked the seller gave me the owner's phone number with whom I spoke last night over the phone.

But before I will go any further I have just realised how clumsy I am. That was supposed to be something real and real stories take place; usually somewhere else than in the blue nowhere of the Internet. I think I assumed that whoever reads it must somehow know me and be at least vaguely aware of my whereabouts. The fact I paid for the bassoon in £ (pounds sterling) somehow gives away that it was in the United Kingdom but still I neglected the fact that I have just contacted new people and groups across the world who know nothing about me. Pardon me; I shall introduce myself soon but for now let's just say I live in Swansea, Wales, UK and that's all the story takes place.

Back to the story which is not the most thrilling one. The last 30 years the bassoon was simply seasoning in dust somewhere in an attic in Berkshire. Before that it probably was owned by a school in Leek, Staffordshire. In (or around) 1980 Carl, the previous owner, has found it in a skip by the Leek High School. He used to play oboe and he rescued the instrument hoping to restore it. Unfortunately the years flew by and it never happened so after 30 years he decided to pass it on.

Not much but at least I can move one step further. The school. Although there is no school by that name any more, there is the Leek High Specialist Technology School which I hope to be the previous owner so contacting them will be the next step.

Chapter 2. The game is afoot

Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!

The bassoon should be dispatched today. While waiting I continue to google for anything I can related to Hawkes and French bassoons, looking for information as well as contacts. I may need it soon.

So far I have learnt some history of the manufacturer (some details are outlined in the previous post) and established that all existing documentation is in a museum not so far away, just a few hours on a train. I also have found this YouTube channel and got in touch with its author. He has pointed me to a yahoo group called frenchbassoon which I have joined already and just introduced myself there. I hope that I will find at least advise there if not some help or support in my endeavours.

Going from one link to another I have found few other sites worth mentioning. There is another YouTube channel with old recordings of Maurice Allard playing 'le basson' of which I especially enjoyed Concertino by Marcel Bitsch. There is also a page with French bassoon links on Brice Mallier's page where you can find things like this recording of Poulenc's trio.

And last but not least I have got a phone number to the bassoon's previous owner. It was sold to me by his neighbour who doesn't know much about it but hopefully I will be able to learn a bit more about the instruments history that way.

Chapter 1. Hawkes

To be honest I hadn't paid much attention to the auction until I actually have won it.  After all I didn't know much about it. I knew it was shaped bassoon-like, was allegedly about 80 years old and surprisingly cheap at only £40 at the time; and was manufactured in London by Hawkes of whom I have never heard before. But it all has changed now. Now the main question is no longer 'Why should anyone pay for some old bassoon shaped junk?'. Now it is 'What have I done?' which somehow changes the perspective.

Actually I think I was hoping for some old junk; something I could get for a third of what I have paid. I thought the worst its condition the more fun bringing it back to life will be. Just to get my hands dirty doing some real work as opposed to my usual highly digitalised life. I don't think I had playing it in mind.

Ok, so I own it and it is about time to get interested in details, check the pictures again and do some research.

Mr William Henry Hawkes started his business in 1865 in London selling orchestra sheet music and making brass instruments. I don't know when the company has changed its name from 'Hawkes & Co' to 'Hawkes & Son' but his son was born in 1898  so I guess it wasn't until at least 1915 when he joined the business. It could mean that if the unclear stamp on the instrument really is Hawkes & Son the instrument cannot be older than roughly 95 years. Another important date is October 1930. Then Hawkes & Son merged with Boosley & Co and used Boosley & Hawkes name since.

So far so good. I thought about contacting Boosley and asking them about this particular instrument in hope that they will still hold Hawkes registers but soon I realised that the company ran into some trouble and the instrument making part of it was finally shut down in 2003 or 2005. First I thought that it means a dead end but it turns out to be very fortunate to me. When the company was going under somebody donated all it's instrument callections, technical documentation and registers to the Horniman Museum in London and now it is all available there.

I think I will be going to London soon

Introduction. A long, long time ago...

So here it starts. Just a moment ago I have bought an old bassoon on ebay auction and paid for it £133.

I spotted it accidentally only two days ago and all I know about it is that it apparently was manufactured by (or for) Hawkes & Son in London about 80 years ago. All I have seen so far were few poor quality pictures. I think that under the manufacturers stamp there is a number 13 showing. Whether it is a model or serial number I don't know. Looking at the pictures I cannot tell the system either. I guess I will have to wait few days until it is delivered to see if it is very old German Heckle or simply French Buffet. I've asked the seller to measure it's length and I believe it must be close to 440 Hz but it is still possible that as some of bassoons from that time it will be 452.

I am still a bit puzzled as to why have I done it yet very exited at the same time. And since I've bought it I'm going to restore it back to life, make it sound again and find out as much as I can about it's history.