November 2023

"Blows so much easier, key action fabulous,slick and inaudible"

email received following the service of a Yanagisawa tenor saxophone

17th November 2021

Some more bassoon crooks available to buy, including a Leitzinger (update - now sold), an Allgood high note crook and a couple of Heckels!

October 2020

"Thanks, the clarinet is massively improved and amazing to play. The sax is definitely easier to play - it's just better, easier, more jazzy but he can't explain why. He's enjoying the improvements and playability on both instrument. He's happy so I'm happy. Five stars to you! "

text received from a happy parent.

 March 2019

"I am still very excited every time I play my bassoon with the Puchner crook.  Many thanks for all your help with it."

email received following a major overhaul of a Soulsby bassoon and selection of a matching crook

March 2018

"Just wanted to let you know how pleased my daughter is with how well the clarinet is playing. She tells me that it’s much easier to play it now, and I don’t have to nagg her to go and practice as it’s now a pleasure not a pain."

email received from a happy parent.

September 2017

"Just wanted to say thanks for the recent repairs you carried out on my son's clarinet. He is really impressed with the results and keeps telling me how much easier it is to play. If he's happy, so am I!"

text received from a happy parent.

July 2017

June 2017

"I just wanted to say a big Thank You for the servicing you did on my Adler recently.  It no longer sounds like I’m rattling the cutlery draw when I play and in the Verdi Requiem last week, it sounded a million dollars.  The clarinet section even commented on it.  The bottom register is definitely more responsive and the working crook lock is a revelation (now I’ve trained myself not to put it on by mistake!)

Wish I’d had it done earlier!"

March 2014

So what's the difference between an A clarinet and a C clarinet? More than I imagined - about 10 cm!

February 2014

Having just completed major overhauls to a Buffet contrabassoon and Mahillon bassoon for a client from Dublin, I thought it would be nice to have some 'meet the cousins' photos : French and German made contrabassoons, a Belgium-made French bassoon and an American-made German bassoon!

July 2013

Ian. Wow! I am very impressed by your work.  You've taken a neglected  bassoon and completely transformed it! It plays beautifully and sounds better now than it ever did! I love how I can  now play very quietly in the lower register. I think you're right about the crook so I'll play a bit more to make sure but 1st impressions are very favourable.  It arrived at 11.oo am, so full marks to Royal Mail too.
Thanks again for all you've done.

I'm always pleased to receive emails like the one above! This one follows the overhaul of a rather tired 1970's Mönnig bassoon, carried out 'at arms length' as the owner lives in Northern Ireland, the instrument was shipped to me and back and and we still haven't met!

July 2010

I have recently completed a major service to the bassoon of well known bassoonist Laurence Perkins, one of Britain’s leading solo and orchestral bassoonists. Laurence’s work includes more than 30 years as Principal Bassoonist in Manchester Camerata, with whom he has given concerts as far afield as Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Laurence writes:

Just to say a big 'thank you' for all your recent work on my bassoon, including the emergency repair last week. I cannot tell you how glad I was that all was working so well when I got into a recording session a couple of days later recording music with a fair number of exposed quiet low entries! It feels absolutely great now, and I know that I can now approach Elgar Romance, Vinter Playful Pachyderm, Dutilleux Sarabande et Cortege, trios by Farrenc and Glinka and the Schubert Octet (all coming up in concerts in the next 5 weeks) with total confidence - if anything is wrong, it will be me! Your excellent work is very much appreciated.