Author: joepie
Date: 2009-08-10 06:44
Hi Goodwinds,
How are you, good to hear from you.
I read somewhere on the board that oboes don't age particularly well, but I can well imagine that the older instruments have denser wood than the more current ones. The newer ones stemming from somewhat lesser trees so to speak.
The Marigaux I'm renting is more than 30 years old and certainly feels very solid  - it has no cracks and will probably never crack.
Before I got it, it was completely overhauled. The shopowner did metion that modern oboes are lighter to play on. My teacher commented that it is a good instrument and still has (... something I forgot ...). While I do like the sound of this oboe, I don't think it is THE one, I can't really say why.
You have a good point about trying the oboe before buying. I have meanwhile come to understand that just about all new pro oboes are technically fine. The question is whether I like the particular sound & feel of a certain specimen. Because I'm only capable of playing just 2 octaves, I'd feel a lot better if my teacher would join me to Paris, but that's highly unlikely. Still, I do feel more confident than two months ago, to get out there and pick one that I like. Especially if I get it from the factory, as they generally stand by their product and go to great lengths to correct if anything is wrong with the instrument. Maybe to me the perfect pitch is less important than the way the oboe feels and sounds. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
It's not really getting much easier to decide on this, on the bright side however, I consider it to be a kind of luxury, being able to ponder over and over again. In my professional life I don't get that chance very often .
Joepie
Post Edited (2009-08-10 12:04)
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