 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: WJOboe09
Date: 2008-11-03 03:20
I've recently acquired a Benwal oboe, supposedly voiced by Ben Storch of New York. This instrument has a lovely sound, and it is such a joy to play. The scale is PERFECTLY even... all except that pesky middle register! Everything from low Bb to middle C is perfectly in tune. High G and above is also spot on and the upper register is very stable! However, The notes from middle C#/Db flat to F#/Gb range from 10-20 cents sharp. I know those are all problem notes on MOST oboes, but still... this is a great instrument. Any tips/ideas? It was made in about 1980, and it was overhauled in 1991 and it has remained unused until now. It plays, so, I haven't brought it in for repairs or anything. I've only shown it to my teacher, she hasn't play tested it.
Help/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-11-03 05:49
... maybe it went out of adjustment from ordinary playing in the 80's and it's been lying around dormant like that ever since
... are there serial numbers on both joints and are they the same numbers?
... do ask teacher to play test it and see if it plays sharp for her too
if so, ask if she thinks ordinary screw adjustment tuning will solve it, since they're sharp, perhaps the lower joint caps are opening a tad too high?
... do take it in for tweaking to the best it can be
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Author: wrowand
Date: 2008-11-03 18:20
You should get the oboe checked by a good oboe repair person.
The problems could be caused by leaks throughout the instrument. You could also be lipping these notes up or down in a way that may have suited an oboe that you used to play but does not suit this one.
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Author: kimber
Date: 2008-11-03 20:00
I thought that the BenWal oboes hailed from the 1950's...with Ben Storch taking over the company in the 60's and producing the Gordets. Definately an oboe of that age should be checked for leaks, not necessarily straight-out cracks, but leaks around the posts and inserts.
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Author: wrowand
Date: 2008-11-03 20:32
Yes, I didn't comment on the date but I think 1980 would be way off the mark. More likely it would be around the 50's or 60's.
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Author: WJOboe09
Date: 2008-11-03 22:47
Thank you for all the tips. Another thing I forgot to add, the D and Db are also VERY stuffy feeling. They sometimes don't immediately speak when switching from like a C or a B. They are sometimes in tune, and when they are, they are very clear. I don't know if that might mean something else.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2008-11-04 05:23
Definitely have it checked by a reputable repair person, for the condition of the pads, the 'grunge' build-up around tone holes, the screw adjustments, all of those. But I also liked the comment about previous playing habits ('lipping up') coming to haunt you on a different instrument.
GoodWinds
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2008-11-04 07:49
That range is not only effected by the tone holes themselves, but are major "node" centers that effect other tuning issues as well.
The issue of that severity probably isn't "adjustment issues" as previously suggested, but could be a variety of things. First of all, make sure you look down your bottom joint to see if it's been warped at all, and to see if the bore is still straight. Put the middle tenon near a light, and look up from the bottom, so that the light reflects against the bottom of the bore, and see if it has a curve.
The second thing you should be aware of is that range on the oboe is REALLY effected by the bell, and the bore of the bell. It's harder to tell if the bell has warped with time, but one thing you should definitely try is to rotate your bell quite so that the Bb bridge key is 30 degrees from where it should be, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, etc. all the way back to 360 degrees. Sometimes, you will find that the oboe plays better with the bell rotated 180 degrees! In which case, you might want to invest in a new bell.
Another thing I'd suggest is taking a kebab skewer, and fold a piece of electrical tape over it so that there's a 1-inch flap of tape hanging off of the end. Then, while you're playing a note between Db to F#, have someone slowly raise the skewer into your bell. At some point, the pitch should drastically change, and based upon how far up the skewer was when the pitch changed, you know that length is a pitch node. Then, try putting small pieces of electrical tape up in the bell to see if you can make the pitch drop into its normal range.
Try these suggestions, and let me know if any of them work for you.
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2008-11-13 00:48
I'm glad to hear you have such a nice horn! A few years ago, I play-tested a Benwal that had been voiced by Storch, and didn't like it at all.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2008-11-13 01:14
Just goes to show you, you can't tell an instrument by its brand name.
GoodWinds
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2008-11-13 12:50
Yeah, it's kind of funny when people make generalizations about brands. After all, how many different horns of one model can you try in a lifetime? It doesn't seem fair to say this brand or model is bad or good, just based on a few experiences.
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