Bassoon of the Week: Soulsby – British-made Bassoon
October 31st, 2025
A Real Rarity
This week’s edition of Bassoon of the Week focuses on a very rare bassoon maker, little known outside the UK.
Soulsby bassoons were made in the 1980s and into the 1990s in Hereford, England*, in the workshop of Jeremy Soulsby. They were designed by Jeremy as professional instruments to rival those from Germany, and were hand-crafted by him with the finest attention to detail. It must have helped to be married to a professional bassoonist, so he always had someone on hand to give feedback.
They were avidly taken up by the professional bassoonist community in the UK at the time, but Jeremy only made 84 before, we understand, moving on to other projects.
Soulsby bassoons are particularly known for their dark, rich tone along with all the characteristics necessary in a professional bassoon – excellent projection, intonation, ability to blend as well as solo, and so on.
A 1990 interview with Jeremy Soulsby in Double Reed News (the journal of the British Double Reed Society) revealed how he made his bassoons entirely himself. He used primarily traditional methods, taking several years over each instrument before he felt they were ready for a customer.
Without doubt he put his heart and soul into each instrument, and from our experience of buying/selling and servicing a good number of them, they do all differ slightly as befits their hand-crafted provenance.
A Beautifully-Preserved Example for You to Buy
The Soulsby bassoon we have for sale is a second owner instrument, the current owner having acquired it from her teacher who, in turn, bought it directly from Jeremy Soulsby. It has been a much-treasured instrument and has been carefully looked after.
Cosmetically, amazingly, it is in nearly as-new condition. We have given it a full re-pad and overhaul to bring it back to as-new playing condition, and even treated it to a new gig bag.
Here's what Oliver Ludlow says about this Soulsby:
“It plays beautifully after the overhaul we have given it. It also looks wonderful with almost-perfect silver plating and varnish over the top of the maple’s natural striped figuration. Without doubt it is the best-preserved example we have seen.
“I, along with many others, have a soft spot for Soulsby bassoons owing to their rich, chocolatey sound.”
Try it Yourself
If you are interested in this Soulsby just get in touch. You can:
- Visit us to try it in person
- Have it sent to you through our popular Try Before You Buy service.
You could become the proud owner of a beautiful and rare professional bassoon.
*There was a very strong bassoon- (and woodwind- generally) making industry in the UK in the 18th and 19th centuries with London particularly being well plugged in to bassoon making innovations across Europe, and the Veriam Music Trust has many examples from a good number of makers in that period.
Bassoon making carried on in the UK until the second world war in diminishing numbers and then more or less died out until Jeremy Soulsby decided to start again in the 1980s. Unfortunately, bassoon-making died out again after he stopped, but who knows, maybe someone will take up the baton and start making bassoons in the UK again?
