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Musings on the gullibility of oboe buyers (not me, thank goodness)

Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-06-08 12:41

Ever heard of a No-Brand rosewood oboe for $1,399? Neither had I, until this morning.

GoogleAds at the top of the page here served up a website that advertised an online music dealer I'd never heard of, so out of curiosity I clicked on it. And they were offering a brand-new rosewood oboe for only $1,399. And my little ears perked up.

But, there was no maker's name anywhere.

But, the only "special key" that was included was "Bb".

But, the accompanying one-paragraph blurb was pure advertising hype:

Quote:

More than just a great Musical Wind Instrument, this Rosewood Oboe is also a work of art. The body is from solid rosewood, and the keys are silver plated, making it a premium instrument in the woodwind category. This fine wind instrument makes the oboist's job easier because it is such an easy play (we all know that the oboe is one of the hardest wind instruments to play because of the high back-pressure and the great embrochure strength required to play the instrument). This wonderful piece of musical equipment is well worth the money spent on it.

Uh huh. [rolls eyes] Like an oboe made of a particular wood is going to make the embouchure easier?

And, like I said, no maker's name anywhere.
No mention of full or modified conservatory, Left-hand F or not, trill keys, nothing.

Uh huh.

I thought rosewood was, like grenadilla, reserved for only high-end oboes, being a scarce tropical hardwood and all. Has anybody else ever encountered cheap modern oboes (that is, not old oboes from the 1950s, etc.) made of rosewood?

They also have a "hard rubber" oboe proudly advertised as "being in the Key of C". Ummm...aren't ALL oboes in the key of C?

Advertising blurb:

Quote:

This Oboe in the key of C is a detailed musical instrument which plays very well. This fine woodwind instrument may not be as stylish as its rosewood counterpart, but it is put together just as well. The hard rubber construction and silver keys give this horn a striking appearance. It is a slightly unusual piece of musical equipment in that it is in the key of C. We at [name of website removed so Mark won't think I have a vested interest] think this is a wonderful instrument to have, considering the prevalence of the oboe in orchestral music. The instrumentalist can read cue notes from strings, flutes, and other C instruments without having to transpose the music. What a Blessing! This fine woodwind should not be overlooked when shopping for an oboe.

I mean, huh? Pure puffery.

Are there that many people out there shopping for oboes that have absolutely no idea what they're doing, that would fall for this sort of thing? It's like someone shopping for a car and being impressed by the salesman who tells them, "Yeah, and it has a non-standard transmission: we call it an automatic..."

It would be funny if it wasn't so sad...

They also have generic "birdseye maple" bassoons for only $2,199.

My assumption would be that, like all other extraordinarily cheap consumer goods in today's society, these instruments are Made In China. Question: is that intrinsically a Bad Thing? Are there any good oboes coming out of China?

I can't get rid of the little voice in the back of my head that whispers, "Maybe this is the deal of the century. Maybe this is your chance to get in on the cutting edge of the Next Big Thing: rosewood oboes from China."

Not that I have $1400 burning a hole in my pocket, and not that I'm not perfectly happy with my Fox, but still...can't help wondering.

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