As a young teenager the weight of carrying the bassoon and the painful handle constantly digging into his hands seemed an unfair punishment for playing such a lovely instrument. Furthermore, the large traditional bassoon case was never welcomed by other passengers on a packed, busy train. As a solution to the problem Howard made himself a case! The small tubular case was less than half the volume of any regular case and could be easily slung over the shoulder or worn as a backpack. Problem solved! Shortly after, Howard’s bassoon teacher commissioned Howard to make the same case for him. Being Principal bassoon in the English Chamber orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Robin O’Neill was Howard’s perfect first customer! Before long the “Wiseman” tubular bassoon case had spread throughout the professional circuit in London. By the time Howard was 17 cases had been bought by Principal bassoonists in the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Paris Opera and a large number of major European orchestras. It all happened because of the bassoon! The very compact design, stylish appearance and superb protection for the instruments was soon noticed by other instrumentalists. Demand from all other instruments in the woodwind section quickly escalated. As is often the case, someone’s practical solution to a problem, quickly turned into a business.

Now Wiseman Cases London can take a tailor made case with various combination on player’s desire.

Policy of Wiseman

Protection of the instrument
This involves both the physical protection from the shell of the case itself and also,
crucially, the way in which the instrument is held inside the case.

Comfort
Making the case as comfortable and easy to carry involves three main factors
1.The size of the case must be as small as possible.
2.The shape of the case
3.The position of the straps

It should avoid angles and protrusions that can make carrying the case uncomfortable.
The position of the straps that enable you to carry the case on the shoulder or back
must be specifically placed to keep the weight of the package pulling directly
downwards rather than pulling away from the body. In this way the best possible balance is achieved and combined with superior leather shoulder pads, even a heavy instrument can be carried with great comfort.

All cases are a compromise between strength, weight and the materials used. Many cases on the market are light and cheap but are simply not very strong, long-lasting or particularly protective. The use of cheap light-weight materials to create a strong case usually results in a much larger volume of case than necessary; large, angular, bulky and awkward to carry.

Wiseman cases do not compromise on the strength. All cases are hard and extremely protective. Our priority is the best protection for high value professional instruments. By using the highest quality aircraft plywood (sometimes rigid UPVC or even carbon fibre) with designs that use the smallest possible surface area of that material, the result is a relatively light shell against the extreme strength of the final product.

C) Craftsmanship and materials
All Wiseman cases carry a lifetime guarantee. As a result, all craftsmanship must remain at the highest level at all times and all materials used are of the highest quality. The designs of the cases also avoid using any systems or fittings that can break, for example, we do not use any zippers since these will break eventually.