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Re: marigaux 901 question

Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-06-01 12:05

Compare the bells and more importantly the bell key linkages on both Marigaux 901 and Howarth XL oboes - the Marigaux has the double linkage so low B opens the bell vent independently to the main bell key (the bell vent is mounted on a pinned steel like the C#/Eb cluster, the feather keys for LH pinky and the top joint trill keys) and the Howarth has the standard one-piece bell key where the bell vent is soldered directly to the key barrel:

Marigaux 901: http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/Marigaux901Ob.jpg&pid=35218

Howarth XL: http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/HowarthXLObBWCon.jpg&pid=35118

The Marigaux 2001 and M2 also have the same bell key arrangement as the 901:
http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/Marig2001Web.jpg&pid=35219
http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/MarigauxM2.jpg&pid=362424

And some other makers have more recently been fitting this type of bell key to their oboes as well so the bell vent opens for low B as well as Bb.

The disadvantage is that it is easy to tear off the silencing material or at worst mash up the linkage if you don't hold both the bell vent open and the main bell key closed during assembly, so care has to be taken during assembly. You should normally close the bell key on a standard oboe during assembly to raise the linkage to prevent it getting damaged (as you should also do when assembling the upper and lower joints by holding the trill keys open and holding the upper end of the con bar so nothing gets bent).

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

Post Edited (2011-06-01 12:13)

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