M100E Professional Bassoon

Moosmann bassoons are manufactured by Bernd Moosmann in Waiblingen, Germany, which is located just outside of Stuttgart. The roots of these bassoons can be traced back to the Kohlert Company in Czechoslovakia before World War II. After the war, the Kohlert Co. moved to Winnenden, Germany and Albert Moosmann, Bernd's father, became the first German apprentice of Kohlert. In 1966, Albert Moosmann started his own woodwind manufacturing company building German system clarinets, oboes, flutes and bassoons. Bernd Moosmann started as an apprentice in 1972. After three years as an apprentice under his fathers watchful eye, Bernd Moosmann completed his examination and began work as a full-fledged instrument maker in his father's shop, specializing in the bassoon. In 1981, Bernd Moosmann took his Masters examination and became a Master craftsman.

Bernd Moosmann, along with the Kruel's of Tublingen, bought the Kohlert Co. in 1982 and located the company in Waiblingen. There they started making the Moosmann bassoon. He took the basic Kohlert bassoon and with what he learned from his father and through years of his own education and experience, he transformed the Kohlert bassoon into the Moosmann bassoon. In 1987, Bernd became the sole owner of the Moosmann Company. Over the years, he has made many changes to his instruments with the assistance of Georg ter Voert and many of his other artists from around the world.

Each Moosmann bassoon is manufactured out of mountain maple. The wood that Bernd selects is grown in Yugoslavia's Bosnia region. The maple grows very slowly in this high altitude region, giving the wood a very compact and dense structure. Because of this, bassoons made out of this wood have excellent resonance and projection. It is rough cut and stored for aging in a temperature controlled room for approximately 5 years. It is then roughed into the four basic parts of the bassoon and stored for an additional 2 years. When it is time for manufacturing process to begin, the wood is soaked in a oil based solution until every pore is thoroughly saturated. This oil bath protects the bassoon from deterioration.