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Re: Is this oboe identifiable?

Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-10-23 17:57

For £250 you've done really well if it plays well! Definitely a good quality instrument looking at the workmanship, and not a Chinese copy. I'd hazard a guess it's from one of the Markneukirchen makers.

I'm not sure why German makers went for staining, lacquering or painting their woodwinds to make them look uniform instead of showing off the natural variation in the wood, but that still goes on to this day with Schreiber oboes and clarinets (and Buffet and Selmer stain some of their instruments to make the wood look uniform as well).

The best place to look for Moennig or similar former E. German oboes is the famous auction site - I've seen one listed in the UK which has very similar keywork to yours, but the RH Eb key is mounted on the C# steel (which is the usual manner) instead of being seperately mounted as the one you've got (and Lark oboes copied the same thing).

The adjusting screw above LH3 controls the closure of the Bb pad with the RH3 ring and is mounted on the bridge (which in turn closes the C key via the adjusting screw further round to the back) and the adjusting screw for LH1 is also controlled by the bridge linked to LH3 so it lowers almost closed while LH3 is closed.

The wire soldered to LH3 ring connecting to the underside of the G# touch makes sure the lower 8ve vent is open for altissimo F when using the fingering 8ve oxoG#|oxxEb as LH finger 3 is raised and the lower vent needs to be open for this note.

LH3 controls the automatic 8ves so they switchover correctly in the upper register (as on saxes when going from upper register G-A - raising and lowering LH3 with the 8ve key held down switches over the 8ve vents), but it needs this wire on the LH3 ring to be sure altissimo F has the lower vent open instead of the upper one. A more complex arrangement of levers and clutches is fitted to Gillet conservatoire systems with auto 8ves to do the same thing http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/HowarthXLAutoCocoGold.jpg&pid=566745.

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

Post Edited (2009-10-23 18:31)

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Is this oboe identifiable? new

Chris J

2009-10-23 11:36