Playable French Bassoon with Original Bocal, Hawkes & Son Excelsior Low Pitch

Here is a Hawkes & Son "Excelsior Sonorous Class" low pitch, rosewood French system bassoon, with solid ebonite wing joint, and its original crook (bocal).

We know the crook is original, because it has the same serial number as the rest of the instrument: 13759.

This bassoon is in excellent condition, and plays well down to low Bb. It features tan leather pads throughout, which while not brand new, are well seated, and have plenty of life in them yet. The keywork is well regulated, and feels good under the fingers.

There are no cracks, and no botch-ups from previous repairs.

There are a few light marks and small scratches around the instrument, but it's clearly been well cared for.

All four joints are marked "Hawkes & Son, Makers, London, 13759". The wing and butt joints are also marked "Excelsior Sonorous Class", and "L.P."

This bassoon plays in tune with modern A=440 instruments. It will of course need French style reeds to play at its best.

The butt joint features a modern metal u-tube, so there's no mucking around with cork plugs and the like! It's a very clever design, featuring tool-free access, and captive components; everything but the cap remains attached to the instrument.

Note that unlike some French bassoons, there is no key for RH3, just a plain finger hole. But it's not major drama to move quickly from G to Bb, because you can just lift your middle finger, while closing the thumb hole, for a forked Bb.

If you look at the wing joint in strong light, you can see it's just beginning to develop a slight greeninsh tinge, but overall, it still _looks_ black, and will continue to, as long as you store it away from light when not in use.

The tenon corks are just a fraction tight. They might need a light sanding, depending on your local climate and seasonal conditions. They'll certainly need greasing before assembly.

Note that the whisper key padcup is designed to accept the traditional oval shaped pad, but it currently just has a round saxophone octave-type pad installed, to line up with the hole in the crook.

Note too, that typical of French bassoons from this era, the crook simply has a hole, not a pip.

The crook is nickel-plated brass. There is some plating wear, and one or two chips out of the plating here and there. There are two very slight flat spots over the top curve, which can be more felt than seen, but nothing that affects playability. There is a slight sideways curve to the crook, but this is just from manufacture, not misadventure. There are two chips out of the cork, but it still seals well. The crook is heavy, weighing at least 50 grams.

The bassoon comes in a modified saxophone case, with foam blocking cut to fit, some of which is not glued in place. The outside of the case is rather tatty, while the handle is made from rope and garden hose...!

Sent via Australia Post international, with full tracking.