The Windeler Bassoon Reed (BD3) is a German-made bassoon reed cut to favour the low and middle registers, ideal for 2nd bassoon parts and any quiet low-register playing where ordinary reeds tend to struggle. Same workshop and house style as the Windeler BD2, but specialised for the bottom end of the instrument.

Built for the low and quiet

Playing the bassoon's low register quietly is one of the harder things to ask of a reed. Many reeds open up well in the middle and upper range but go thin or unstable when you ask them to whisper down low. The BD3 is shaped to do exactly that: clean response in the bottom octave at any dynamic, with the focus you need to keep a sustained low pedal anchored under the rest of the section.

Hand-made in Germany, with the Windeler Germanic voice

Like the BD2, the BD3 is hand-made in Germany by a maker trained in the original Windeler workshop. Cane and raw materials are handpicked. The Germanic warmth and roundedness are in the BD3 too, just shifted lower in the instrument's range. The BD3 is bound in black thread, distinguishing it from the BD2's red thread.

At a glance

• Instrument: Bassoon
• Strength: Medium
• Best for: 2nd bassoon, low and quiet passages, low-register orchestral playing
• Features: Warm Germanic sound, low/mid-range focus, black thread binding
• Dimensions: 55mm total, 28mm blade, 27mm tube, 15mm straight tip, 8mm throat
• Made: Hand-made in Germany by a Windeler-trained reed maker

Where it sits in the range

The low-register specialist of the Windeler line. For an all-rounder Windeler, see the Windeler BD2. For a UK-made low-register alternative, our hand-finished Argento Bassoon Reed is also cut shorter to favour 2nd bassoon and low solo work. Or browse the full bassoon reed range.