 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: hautboy
Date: 2012-01-02 20:46
Anyone know much about the Ludwig Frank Brilliant model oboe? Heard some recordings of these oboes and I really like the sound, but I'm sure the player has something to do with it also, lol. Anyhow, not sure how to get a hold of one to try. Any suggestions? I know I can contact the website, but Berlin is a bit far and was looking for one a bit closer to try.
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Author: pliscapoivre
Date: 2012-01-03 09:55
Hautboy,
Mr. Frank makes each instrument to order, so there are no Franks in stores. I think your best bet is to call him and ask. But even in Berlin, he only has one at a time, and that one is already sold.
Maybe you could get in touch with the player(s) you heard. If they or their orchestras tour to the US, perhaps they'd meet with you and let you try their oboes...?
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Author: hautboy
Date: 2012-01-03 17:24
It probably isn't an oboe that you see being sold used too often. I did however see one being sold in the UK. Again, I will try to see if there are any in the USA. Not sure why more American players don't use them. Maybe too difficult to get? Dupin are also nice instruments, but seem just a little bit brighter sounding.
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Author: pliscapoivre
Date: 2012-01-03 20:25
Yes, I heard a beautiful Dupin when I listened to the Royal Philharmonic several weeks ago. Great playing, too!
The Franks are really hard to get used. I think that people are happy with them and don't sell them, like Hinikers. The one on sale at Howarth is an older model, and I think it's thumbplate, if that's the used Frank you're referring to. You can ask Mr. Frank if he has any clients in the USA. He's very nice and speaks English.
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Author: Bryanwalker
Date: 2012-01-05 04:11
Peter Smith (associate principal oboist of the Philly Orch) plays Frank oboes. Just send him an email and ask. He is a hell of a nice guy.
I have played his oboe with a custom Backun oboe bell (Peter's design) in a couple of lessons with him. The oboes are different than 'French" design oboes. There are not as open feeling but they do have a dark sound. These are oboes you can really put some weight behind the sound.
Interestingly enough, I met up with Ludwig last month in NYC and played one of his oboes made out of maple. It was a fantastic oboe.
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Author: hautboy
Date: 2012-01-05 19:10
Hi,
Thanks for the replies. Anyone have an email address for Peter Smith or know where I could find one? I did email Ludwig Frank (in German) and he responded and said that he would be at the IDRS conference this year, or at least some of his instruments would be there. That would be a great place to try some I think. Not sure if there are ever any Dupin oboes at IDRS. I'm on the waiting list for a Hiniker oboe, but again, I haven't tried many. I really like the Hiniker oboes but I enjoy exploring other makes and models just out of curiousity. When I hear an oboe player with a sound that I really like I always wonder what oboe they are playing. This doesn't mean that I will sound like that player if I have the same oboe of course, but the instrument does contribute to the quality of sound and if I like the sound I want to try the instrument. I will try to make it to IDRS this year, but I imagine it must be pretty crowded to try the oboes and the lines are probably pretty long.
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Author: Emmanuel Danan
Date: 2012-01-08 15:27
Some extra info on the subject:
Frank oboes are the evolution of the old Springer firma, which is an old German company you can hear on many old german recordings. Frank bought the company and the rights on its models a few decades ago and started making improvements.
Secondly - of course he DOES have oboes in store... he always has a few of each model for customers who want to try. He does not however have oboes you can buy on the spot. The only exception to this rule is when he goes to expositions around the world, which he does quite often. In those cases, he always brings a few instruments to sell, so if you come early you might get lucky.
Thirdly - he has started gaining popularity in north America, and Pedro Diaz of the Met has recently started playing his oboes (and helped improve the English Horn model). Diaz plays Frank and Laubin instruments, and I must say that I loved his Laubins... They come very close to what I'm used to with my Frank. I guess I wouldn't mind switching to one if I had to, but I still have a slight preference for the Frank instruments, especially regarding the (very useful) extra screw he put in and the exactitude of the mechanic placement. I think no other instrument is as well made.
Personally, I feel that which instrument sounds good on you also depends A LOT on the reeds you play... Now that I know learned how to make great reeds for my Frank, I am in love with the sound and intensity. But the path was full of unsuccessful experiments :-/
For those interested, my german reed making blog will go online in July. :-)
Good luck finding the right oboe for you! It's a fascinating journey
------------------------------------
Assistant solo-oboe, Brandenburger Symphoniker
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2012-01-09 14:08
Keep us posted Emmanuel, many of us enjoyed your playing with the Youtube Symphony. I am especially curious about your reed making as i am interested to purchase a Frank. I understand completely what you mean by that change of reed making, just last week i was in top shape with a Loree Royale that i had on loan, and this week all the reeds that i had previously were now in some ways bad for the Buffet Greenline that i (finally after 6 months of waiting) have now. A huge frustration!
Regards,
Howard, National Symphony Orchestra Malaysia.
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Author: pliscapoivre
Date: 2012-01-10 00:27
Howard, you got your oboe back? Wonderful! I was just wondering today about that. Good luck with it and with the reed change...
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Author: hautboy
Date: 2012-01-10 01:27
Thank you Emmanuel for your reply. It is partly because of your youtube videos that I want to try the Frank oboes. I also thank you for replying to my post on youtube. Many people would not necessarily take the time to do that. Are you sure I can't convince you to make me some reeds? Anyhow, I'll be sure to check out your blog on reedmaking. Actually, I kind of wonder if my American scrape reeds would work well on Frank oboes. I wonder if that's why Loree and Laubin are so popular in the U.S. because the American scrape works well with those oboes. Not sure, but may have something to do with it. I think there will be some Frank oboes at the IDRS convention this year so I will try to make it. It's actually not too far from me this year.
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Author: JRC
Date: 2012-01-10 17:29
I believe Pedro paid $13,000 for his Ludwig Frank in light colored wood. I forgot if it was a cocobolo or some other exotic wood from the tropics.
Lovely oboe indeed!!
You still have to find the right reeds for it to suit you and the instrument. The instrument will not give you the beautiful sound you want. Neither it will make any music for you by itself. You will still have to blow into the instrument to make music.
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