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Re: D'amore reeds

Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-05 03:56

My Marigaux d'amore is from 1979 but has seen very little use judging by the condition it was in when I bought it last year as it still had the original pads and key corks, as well as the wood still having a highly polished finish. I stripped it down and repadded it with cork pads throughout. I thought for £2000 I couldn't go wrong, and chances of getting a d'amore for that price is a rare opportunity in itself.

I have to be aware of the upper register F# and G as the F# can be a bit flat against the G, but slight embouchure corrections are enough to keep it sweet. The open C# is a bit on the sharp side (this is the only oboe that I can play C# as an open note on) so I'll probably fill that tonehole in as well.

I've had a thumbplate and 2nd 8ve touchpiece added to it - the thumbplate wasn't essential but I had a better one fitted as there was a pretty crude one already fitted on there (I also find thumbplates comfortable, like the thumb button on saxes and it makes some arpeggios much easier), but the 2nd 8ve touch was a more pressing issue as I'd go for top A-C and hit the trill key overlevers with my LH1 knuckle instead as there was no 2nd 8ve key there. It's still fully automatic, but I now have the security of the 2nd 8ve touch (which duplicates the action of the thumb 8ve key).

I've disengaged the conservatoire 1-2-3 mechanism (any RH fingers could be used for Bb and C) as it interfered with some resonance/tuning fingerings but I have kept the low B-C link engaged (I might fit one to my Marigaux cor as well) and the low B vent is soldered directly to the key barrel. It has a roller F key and the F resonance key on the underside, and the fork F vent is the closed type as found on oboes due to the RH main action toneholes being in their correct place - they don't need the cor anglais type open forked F vent with the floating rocker due to the tonehole placement, only the older style ones with the tiny E tonehole need this.

Mine doesn't have a 3rd 8ve key, but I could always fit one at any point in time, though I don't think it's essential as the top E and F speak easily enough (and the highest note I've seen written so far on d'amore is a high E in St. Matthew's Passion).

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

Post Edited (2008-10-05 04:12)

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