Protec PB-317 Bassoon Case

The case will only fit a bassoon with a smooth flat base at the bottom of the boot joint. My B&H 400 bassoon has the (fairly common) thin metal ridge across the middle of the base with the standard holes designed for attaching a clip on seat support strap. This extra ridge prevents the boot joint from sitting down properly within the case so that it sticks up too much when closing the case. It also prevents the otherwise very clever positioning of the boot joint in the case at a slightly lower level than the tenor/wing joint to allow it to fit in without having to remove the right hand rest (which would slip underneath the tenor joint). This is a surprising design fault that could have been easily rectified by widening the top of the end fitting by a few millimetres on either side (without being detrimental to other types of bassoon). I have raised this direct with Protec but they have not replied. I am extremely disappointed to have to return it to Thomann as it was in every other sense an ideal replacement for my rather battered old original case (the outside pockets alone would have been a great bonus!). Not up to Thomann’s usual standard to have failed to identify this fundamental weakness, causing me so much avoidable disappointment.