What's New at Holze Music

Spotlight on Moosmann Bassoons

Moosmann Bassoons are a brand new vendor for us at Holze Music, and we are the only dealers in Texas.  We are very excited to include them in our stores and on TCPN.  Get familiar with them, and stop by the store and try one out!

MOOSMANN HISTORY

Moosmann bassoons are manufactured by Bernd Moosmann in Waiblingen, GERMANY, which is located just outside of Stuttgart.  The roots of these fine instruments can be traced back to the Kohlert Co. in Czechoslovakia many years before World War II.  After the war, the Kohlert Co. moved to Winnenden, Germany and Albert Moosmann, Bernd’s father, became the first German employee of Kohlert.  In 1975, after 3 years as an apprentice under his father, Bernd completed his examination and became a full-fledged instrument maker, specializing in bassoon.  In 1981, Bernd took his master’s examination and became a Master Craftsman!  Bernd Moosmann, along with the Kruels of Tublingen, bought the Kohlert Co. in 1982 and located the company in Waiblingen.  There they started making the Moosmann bassoon.  Bernd took the basic Kohlert design and coupled it with his knowledge of instrument making learned through his education and his father’s shared experience and transformed the Kohlert bassoon into the Moosmann bassoon.  In 1987, Bernd became sole owner of Bernd Moosmann GmbH.

THE WOOD

Each Moosmann bassoon is manufactured out of Mountain Maple.  This select wood is grown in former Yugoslavia’s Bosnia region.  Maple grows very slowly in this high altitude, giving the wood a very compact and dense structure.  Because of these qualities, bassoons made out of this wood have excellent resonance and projection.

THE FINISH

The Models 96A, 98A, 100A and 300A are finished with a traditional lacquer. Five coats of lacquer are applied, giving the bassoon the protection and the rich, deep gloss shine.

THE LINING

The Moosmann bassoons are fully lined in the wing (tenor) joint and both sides of the boot joint with a rubber-like material.  What makes this unique is the process by which the bassoons are lined.  Instead of gluing a rubber piece in place, the rubber-like material is heated and poured into joints, allowed to cool and then the forming mandrel is removed.  This provides the benefit of a “bonding” of the rubber-like material with the wood.  The lining will never come loose and provides for better response and projection.  Since each bassoon is “formed” on the same mandrel, every bore is an exact copy of the original, providing extremely consistent performance with each bassoon.  The lining of tone holes provides a better seating surface for the pads / corks and aids in the prevention of deterioration of the wood.

THE BOCALS

Moosmann manufactures bocals in the same, time-honored tradition that all high quality bocals are made … by hand … out of a single sheet of metal.  They are formed around a mandrel; the seam is soldered and is bent into the classic shape.  This process assures perfectly consistent thickness and adherence to the specified bore.

For more information on Holze Music Company and its 70 years in business, please visit the About Us section on our web site.

"Music education and music retail share a partnership, neither can survive without the other."

Rob Gibson, co-owner and former band director

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Last Update:  04/01/2008