I am on the hunt for a beginner bassoon, but most I see have been damaged. Can anyone tell me what is the problem with a cracked bell or any type of cracks in the instrument.
I personally, would stay away from ANY intrument you see that has a crack. Maybe there is a small one in one of the tenons you could think about it, but a crack in the bell, I'd watch out. If you have a private teacher, get them to look at and try all bassoons your thinking about. And if you don't have one, try to get one!
Cracks can mean air leaks which can cause all sorts of problems when playing - at best the bassoon can be just stuffy to play, notes out of tune, notes become unstable or jump up to harmonics. Also cracks in tenons, especially the bass joint, weaken them in the most fragile part & they can break at the most awkward time & are expensive to repair.
Wind instruments live by the vibration of the air collumn inside a whole body (my opinion anyway).
Loose joints or cracks will interfere.
A properly repaired crack can probably still produce a decent result.
A crack in the bell joint would be the least horrible place though as it would only really affect the low notes.
If you want to buy a bassoon, if at all possible, get someone who knows bassoons to inspect it.
I have learned the hard way, I bought a bassoon of ebay and had to spend another 1000$ to get it into a playable condition. Or of you do decide to buy one without this get it to a reputable woodwind shop for a checkup.
The bassoon has many variables that make it a long study on a good instrument. On a bad instrument you'll never know if you have the problem or the instrument.
I know it's a pain because a decent bassoon ain't cheap if you want to try it out.
Maybe it's possible you contact the local double reed society to get in contact with some helpful people.
