Considerations when Choosing an Oboe
Your level of accomplishment, the material from which the oboe is made,
the age of the instrument, its mechanical condition, your playing environment,
frequency of use, price, resale value .... these are just some of the many
factors to consider when choosing the oboe that is right for you. Our
intent is not to tell you which oboe we think you should buy, but rather
to address some of these topics with facts, pros-and-cons, specific information, “food-for-thought”,
and occasionally our opinions!
Whether you are a professional oboist, a student choosing their first “serious” new
oboe, or the resourceful parent of a middle school aspiring oboist, we
hope you will find this page helpful as you make decisions about what kind
of oboe is right for you. Remember, there is no “right” or “wrong” choice. If
you like the oboe, if it plays well, if you can afford it, if you sound
good on it, these are reasons enough... Gather the best advice you
can, and then have faith in your own judgment!
Level of Instrument - Beginner, Intermediate, or Professional
Beginner oboe –These oboes are designed as a temporary, beginning
oboe, and are often used as rental instruments. They are typically
very basic, stripped-down oboes, usually without left F, low Bb, and other
key work. They can be plastic or wood. Their costs range from
$1,000-$1,500 new (plus or minus $200-300), and $300-500 as a used instrument. Most
young players will outgrow these oboes very quickly, usually within their
first year.
Intermediate oboe –These oboes are designed for the serious student
and developing player. They are often what we would call modified
conservatory, which is to say that they have all essential key work , i.e.
left F, low Bb, B natural-C# articulation, and F resonance, but may be
missing less essential key work, such as the split E and 3rd octave. Costs
range from $2,500-$4,000 new and $1,800-$3,000 recently used. These
oboes may be plastic or wood. They will usually serve the oboist
very well until they need a professional instrument, i.e. until they’re
at top All-State level, one of the ranking young players in their state/region,
auditioning for conservatory-level college music positions, etc.
Professional oboe –Designed to meet requirements professional oboist,
these oboes are usually wood (but not always), have full conservatory key
work (but 3rd octave and Bb resonance are optional), and have excellent
acoustics. Current prices for these oboes range from $5,000-$8,000
for a standard grenadilla wood oboe with silver-plated keys.
Key Work System - "Full Conservatory"—what does
that mean?
The term “conservatory”, as is widely applied to the oboe,
simply means the mechanism is based on the standard set of fingerings in
current use, nothing more. Let us point out that "full conservatory" is
not a well defined term, and can be used in a sales environment misleadingly. For
young players, we recommend that you be sure to find an oboe that has left
F and low Bb, as these are essential. However, split-E and 3rd
octaves, which might be part of the definition of “full conservatory”, really
have a very minimal role. With this said, we will remark on the following
loosely defined terms:
Simplified Conservatory Key work – very basic, beginner oboes, though
they employ technically “conservatory” fingerings, are often
lacking some very basic keys. These oboes often do not even have low Bb
or left F, both of which will be missed by even the very elementary oboist.
Modified Full Conservatory – full conservatory but missing one or
more of the optional and not necessarily essential key work refinements,
like split E ring for the Eb-E trill, Bb (bell) resonance, 3rd octave,
F resonance. These should, however, have left F, low Bb (key on bell),
C# and D trills to be useful.
Full Conservatory System – full key work; please note that
what constitutes a full set of keys is a matter of opinion, manufacturer,
model, and age of oboe. Some of the keys that may or may not be on
a full conservatory oboe are, for example, 3rd octave, Bb bell resonance,
and F resonance. For example, the famous older "Tabuteau" model
Lorée oboes did not have the F resonance key. We at Covey oboes,
for another example, do not put 3rd octave keys on our newest model oboe,
the Classic, for acoustical reasons; the extra tone hole in the top joint
changes the acoustics of the instrument, and our performance goals for
this model we feel are compromised by including the 3rd octave. By
no means does that imply that this model oboe does not have "full-conservatory" key
work, but rather that a trade-off choice was made to the instrument's (and
therefore oboist's) advantage!
Wood vs. Plastic
The wood vs. plastic decision, in times past, implied quality level, but
that is really no longer true. There exist fine oboes made from plastic
as well as nearly uselessly bad oboes made from wood. Whereas top
professional oboes are usually wood, the fact that an oboe is made from
wood does not ensure that the quality is high, nor can one assume that
any given plastic oboe is in any way inferior to any given wooden oboe. Your
best bet is to inform yourself to the pros-and-cons, and then base your
comparison of any given instruments on all considerations, including the
listening test!
In evaluating the wood vs. plastic aspect of an oboe, be advised that
some “wooden” oboes have plastic liners in the top joint, i.e.
the sound is made within the plastic liner, even though the outside of
the oboe is wood, like a very thick veneer. Look carefully at the
lower end of the top joint, (the tenon, which is placed into the middle
joint of the oboe when you put it together). Hold the oboe as if
to look up its bore. If, on the blunt end, you see a concentric circle
where two materials join, you may be looking at an oboe which is plastic
on the inside and wood on the outside.
Wood – Grenadilla is the dense, almost black, wood traditionally
used to make oboes. Oboes are also available in rosewood and violet
wood, both of which are softer, less dense woods, brown in color, and generally
thought to provide a lighter, mellower tone than the grenadilla. Until
you are a seasoned oboist who has owned several different oboes, you should
probably limit your wood considerations to grenadilla wood.
Wood: Pros – sound quality
Wood: Cons - requires more care, must be broken in, can /will crack, sensitive
to ambient temperature and moisture/humidity, peaks at about 3-6 years
of age and can & will become “blown-out” after
that.
Plastic – High quality plastic resin is used for many oboes, ranging
from the most basic student instrument to top professional instruments. Whether
the oboe is very fine or not depends much more on the design and workmanship
efforts applied than on whether it is made of plastic or wood
Plastic:
Pros
Warranties
Usually new oboes will have a warranty period; usually used oboes
will not.
Resale Value
The matter of resale value goes hand-in-hand with buying an oboe, whether
new or used. However, factors such as necessary repairs and the general
condition of an instrument also contribute to its potential resale value. A
little research around the web will tell you a lot about resale potential
of the brand and model you are considering.
Cases and Case Covers
The primary consideration with cases is to protect the oboe... with case
covers, to protect the case and carry extra goodies, like reeds, music,
reed-making tools, etc. Both are well worth the money!
Approval/Trial Periods/Return Policies
Oboes, whether new or used, are typically available for a trial or approval
period to help you with your decision. This can be an approval period
before you actually purchase the instrument, or a generous return policy
in the first week or so after purchase. This allows you to play them,
see if you like them, take them to your teacher for approval, or take them
to an oboe technician for evaluation as to condition. The policies
regarding these trial periods vary from shop to shop, so be sure to ask.
Your Advocate, Your Teacher – Getting
Good Advice
A private teacher who is an oboist can be very helpful in oboe selection,
can usually offer good advice, and can act as your advocate, independent
of dealers and salespersons! If you have an already established teacher-student
relationship, by all means ask the teacher for assistance. If you
do not already have a teacher but plan to find a teacher as soon as you
have an oboe to learn on, consider finding the teacher first, so that he/she
can have input into your choice of oboe. They will appreciate it!
This article was written by Ginger B. Ramsay,and
is the intellectual property of Covey Oboes.
Please credit the author if quoting it; please obtain permission
before reproducing it.
Covey Oboes
95 Bennett Street, NW
Suite #440
Atlanta, GA 30309-1282
Phone 404-367-9000 or 1-888-440-OBOE
FAX 404-367-9019
© Copyright 1998 - Covey Oboes
