Here are the questions we
answer on this page. If you have any other questions, please
email us and we'll be pleased to answer them:
How can I know that an instrument
bought from Double Reed Ltd. is a good one?
We
only supply high quality instruments which have been carefully
selected and vetted. We also encourage you to try out your
chosen instrument before buying (by visiting us or having
an instrument on approval), and we provide a 7 day money
back guarantee after purchasing. If you're not confident
in your own judgement, you could show the bassoon to your
teacher or colleagues for their opinion(s) on the instrument
before buying.
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How do I know that an instrument I buy from Double Reed's
web site is as stated and will arrive?
We
go to great lengths to link the web page showing the instrument
to the bassoon itself, through putting the serial number
in all possible places - in the title of the web page, in
the file names of the pictures and on the web page itself,
so you can be sure that you will know you have received
the right bassoon. We describe the bassoon as fully as possible,
including any defects, on the web page, and provide high
quality, detailed photographs on the web site. We also take
a standardised set of close-up photographs so that you know
we aren't hiding anything by avoiding photographing specific
areas of a particular bassoon.
Anyway,
we encourage you to try the bassoon before you buy, so that
you don't have to worry about the bassoon not being as described
or just not turning up - you don't actually have to pay
until you have the instrument in your possession if you
use our Approval
Loan scheme. (If any thieves are reading this - we don't
send bassoons out unless we are absolutely confident in
who we are sending them to!) We recommend you try your selected
bassoon for a few days, rather than just trying it for a
few minutes at our premises, before deciding to buy. If
you don't get on with a particular bassoon, we will collect
it and you may then try another one. Having said that, some
customers have bought bassoons directly from our web site,
sight unseen, and have been very happy with their purchases.
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How do I know that an instrument will suit my/my child's
needs?
This
is a difficult one. We can give advice; we encourage you
or your child to try the instrument before buying; and we
also encourage you to consult experts you know in order
to minimise the risk that the bassoon isn't exactly what
is required for you or your child. However, if, say, six
months after buying, you realise that the instrument purchased
is not for you, the fact that secondhand instruments do
not depreciate appreciably means that you can always sell
it on again for a similar amount to what you paid for it
(minus any sales commission fees, of course). Therefore
the financial risk you take is often much smaller than first
supposed.
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What condition are your bassoons in?
We
select our instruments carefully to ensure that they meet
our standards before we purchase them or accept them on
commission sale. We then test all instruments extensively,
and either fully service them (up to and including complete
re-pads, re-corks, spring replacement, key adjustment, regulation
and so on if needed) or attend to minor issues if the instrument
has recently been serviced.
We also clean and polish all instruments (and cases) before
sale - ones which have been neglected are completely dismantled
prior to cleaning, to ensure that they are in as close to
showroom condition as possible.
Then
all instruments are fully tested again before going on sale,
to ensure that they are in perfect working order. We also
provide new cork grease, bassoon swabs and neck straps for
all bassoons we sell.
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Are all the photographs on your web
site of the actual bassoons for sale?
All of the photographs on
our web site show the actual bassoons we have for sale,
so you can be confident that the instrument you see on the
web site is a true depiction of the bassoon and its current
condition, together with the case and accessories with which
it will be sold.
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How do I know an instrument I buy from you is not stolen?
Theft
is a rarity in the bassoon world, and many of the most coveted
bassoons will, if stolen, have that fact publicised on the
internet in a very short time anyway, so there will be no
possibility of re-sale publicly without getting caught (private
sales or small ads sales are a different matter) - particularly
on such a public web site as ours.
We
take great care to get to know, as far as is possible, the
people we buy bassoons from and their reasons for selling.
One reason for putting the serial number of each bassoon
prominently on our web site is that it acts as a deterrent
to any thieves who may try to sell us a stolen bassoon.
If they know that the stolen bassoon will be identified
quickly by anyone carrying out a Google search, they won't
try to sell us one in the first place.
We
check that all bassoons which come to us have the correct
serial number - according to the model, age and specification
of the bassoon, and the placement of the serial number on
the bassoon. Also, for commission sales, we ask all vendors
to sign a form pledging that they own the instrument and
have the legal right to sell it.
However,
some bassoons, especially older ones and Chinese ones, don't
have serial numbers; in these cases we proceed with caution
but won't dismiss them if everything else adds up.
Here's
some advice on buying secondhand bassoons generally:
-
Serial number. Ensure that you can track the serial
number all the way through the sales process: that is,
on the instrument itself, in the sales offer text and
on the invoice. If the seller has any hesitation in
providing these details, and photographic evidence for
them, or if they don't match up, don't buy.
-
Gain
confidence in any supplier who puts the serial number
as a matter of course on the internet for anyone to
search for - they will have nothing to hide and therefore
their bassoons are likely to be far more risk free than
anyone else's. No purchase is risk-free but we believe
our procedures ensure that buying a bassoon from us
is more risk-free than buying one from anyone else.
-
Be
very wary of buying a bassoon from auction web sites
or small-ads web sites - it isn't just buying a stolen
instrument you need to be careful about. Because bassoons
are high value items, there are nearly always scams
on one or more of these sites in relation to bassoons
- whether that be, for example, offering bassoons the
advertisement-placer doesn't possess (because he/she
is using pictures and text stolen from elsewhere on
the internet) or offering an expensive bassoon and sending
a cheap one instead.
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How do I ask for a bassoon on approval,
and how does the system for approval loans work?
Ask
for an approval loan via the Approval
Loan page. Print off the form, fill it in and sign it,
and provide two forms of ID. You can post the form and copies
of your ID back to us or scan/photograph them and email
them. If you post them, please email us first to tell us
that you wish to have a bassoon on approval so we can reserve
it for you. Unless you are picking up the bassoon yourself
you will also need to pay £30 postage via debit or
credit card on the Approval
Loan page. The £30 charge is deducted from the
price of the bassoon if you buy it. As you will already
be aware, Double Reed Ltd. places a premium on the minimisation
of risk, so we will always speak to you on the phone before
sending out a bassoon on approval.
We'll
arrange for a delivery on a day of your choice. If you decide
that the bassoon isn't right for you, we'll arrange for
it to be picked up on the day of your choice by a carrier.
You'll need to print out a label and pack the bassoon the
way in which you received it, and be available to give the
parcel to the carrier when he/she arrives.
The
bassoon is insured by us during this period against theft
or loss by a third party, but you are responsible for any
damage caused while in your possession.
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I have a bassoon I wish to sell on
commission - how do I go about it?
Contact
us by phone or email so we can discuss your bassoon first;
assuming it is a bassoon we would like to sell on your behalf,
you then either send us the bassoon or bring it to our premises.
Before putting it on sale we must have received the signed
form available for download on the Sell
Your Bassoon page, which sets out commission rates and
the contractual relationship between ourselves. Also, if
the bassoon needs any work to bring it up to standard, we
will let you know the cost prior to putting it up for sale.
Once your bassoon reaches our premises it is insured under
our insurance policy. The price the bassoon is sold at is
mutually agreed between us.
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What is your expertise in bassoons?
While
we never stop learning about bassoons, we have spent a number
of years in the bassoon market, both prior to and since
our founding of Double Reed Ltd., and have bought, sold,
refurbished and played a very wide range of instruments
from professional Heckels to the cheapest Amatis, and instruments
from the 1880s down to the current time.
Through
this wide exposure we have gained an insight into the pros
and cons of the various manufacturers, models and vintages
of bassoon for differing levels of playing ability and preferences.
Unless
one is exposed to a wide variety of bassoons in all sorts
of condition, as we are, it is difficult often to come to
a conclusion about the quality and suitability of a particular
bassoon for a particular bassoonist. This is why we're here
to help - we can share with you the benefit of our knowledge
and experience to ensure that you get the right bassoon
for your needs. Just ask if you have any questions or concerns,
and we'll be pleased to help.
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If you have any other
questions, just phone or email us and, if of general interest,
we will add our answers here.
For
more information on why Double Reed Ltd. is a good company
from which to buy bassoons, click here: Why
Buy a Secondhand Bassoon from Double Reed?
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