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Re: types of wood

Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-04-28 14:32

I play a kingwood (violet wood) oboe and it's very comfortably balanced being top heavy, and the tone isn't all that different to a blackwood one, maybe slightly more resonant, though the reeds I'm using produce a fairly thick tone.

It's a fairly dry wood, not as dense as blackwood, and does need more care than blackwood (more regular bore oiling) which is why I'll never play mine outdoors (and have a plastic oboe for this purpose).

Mine hasn't split since I've owned it (which is around 9 years now), but it did have a replacement top joint as it was sent to Italy on approval and played for too long and too soon by someone, consequently it split and was sent back to the factory for a top joint transplant which is when I tried it (after the work had been done) and bought it pretty much on the spot. But I coated the bore on this one with superglue to seal it (and reamed it out afterwards with the correct reamers), so at least now it's far less impervious to moisture than it would normally be if left untreated.

Some kingwood and cocobolo oboes can have the top joints partially lined with ebonite so the most vulnerable section of the top joint (the top half) is less prone to cracks, and there's no visible evidence of this as it's well hidden.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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