Has anyone found a bassoon swab that has a round weight on the string, instead of a long one? My water tubes must be rather narrow because I often have a hard time getting my weight through the tube at the bottom. I think if I had a swab with a round weight instead of a long cylinder it might go through better, so if anyone uses one like this, I`d be glad to find out about it. Would be glad to hear anyone`s else`s thoughts on this.

use one with a chain attached to the end

I have the same problem with my bassoon. I need to find one with the chain.

The chains don`t have a weight, right? Yes, I can see that would work - I think I`ve seen them somewhere online. Will have to look. Thanks.

I have to report that I just received my new bassoon swab with chain attached, instead of a weight. This thing performs beautifully, the chain goes easily through the boot joint without hanging up on anything - it is thin chain that won`t scratch the liners. So this is the way to go if your swab weight won`t always make the U-turn through your boot joint. You can find them online by googling an advanced search: "bassoon swab chain"

i got mine from Windcraft (Dawkes music). They`re really good and you can order online.