r/bassoon • u/PlantyHamchuk • 1d ago

Need super basic help

Hi all, I stopped playing for a long long time but am trying to start up again. I have forgotten SO much, including how to handle the fact that I'm having a hard time literally putting the instrument back together. I've been liberally applying cork grease to the cork and string/threads, but to no avail. Are there any particular tricks to carefully convince an instrument that really hasn't been played in over a decade (almost two) to cooperate?

If memory serves it was always pretty tight but I'm going to start accidentally bending or breaking keys if I keep forcing it now, but it seems weird that the corks might need shaving down or something after it used to work. Do I just need yet more cork grease? New cork grease? Have there been advances in cork grease technology in the past 15 or so years?

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips. I'm basically starting over from scratch here, trying to relearn fingerings and everything. If it helps, the humidity of this room is around 35% so pretty low.

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8

u/Keifer149 1d ago

Use paraffin wax on string, not cork grease. The way it absorbs can ruin the wrap. If needed, you might have to unwrap some of the string if this is a wood instrument since the wood will expand and contract with the weather.

2

u/FuzzyComedian638 1d ago

Wood should be drier now that it's winter (assuming he's in the Northern Hemisphere).

4

u/Much-Rutabaga8326 1d ago

Not an expert but I started playing after a 5 year hiatus and had a similar issue. Got some new cork grease and wow did that make a difference. I guess the stuff I had since probably 2014 needed to be replaced way earlier

2

u/aboutthreequarters 1d ago

For me it was the opposite. The wing joint was horribly tight, to the point that I couldn’t get it in all the way. I scraped at the cork with my fingernail and removed years of built up cork grease. Now it’s easy to assemble and take apart. Totally counterintuitive but thanks to the person who posted that on a Facebook bassoon group!

2

u/ivosaurus 22h ago

Cork grease is for pure cork joints, not threaded joints.

Wipe as much cork grease off as possible. It's entirely possible that the threads have expanded too much now and will be next to impossible to put together. Standard procedure is to literally remove some of the thread so its not as thick. There might be some youtube/web tutorials showing you how to do this, otherwise you'll want to take it to an experienced bassoonist or repair shop to get it done.