Author: heckelmaniac
Date: 2010-08-25 07:21
Some further thoughts on this topic:
Please read Ron Fox's take on the notion of oboes "blowing out" to be found in the Double Reed Journal "An Interview with Ron Fox" Part II, DRJ Volume 32,
No. 2, pages 108-109.
In my opinion, oboes do not "blow out"- if anything, oboes "blow in." Over time, moisture absorption by the a wood fibers of an [untreated] oboe bore will cause the bore to contract ever so slightly, perhaps only by 1/1000th or perhaps 2/1000 of an inch. This is enough to change the playing characteristics
from when the oboe was new. Fortunately, a handful of highly skilled oboe voicers exist who can re-ream the bore of a "blown-in" oboe, usually with
excellent result. Will the oboe [after voicing] be exactly the same as the owner perceived it to be when new? Likely not, though a good chance exists that it will be close, and at times the owner may like the re-reamed oboe even better than it was when new.
It is possible to ruin (by enlarging the diameter of ) an oboe bore by overly aggressive swabbing [with "pull through swabs," or swabs made of rough or coarse material] over the course of many years, to the point that the only cure would be to install a plastic sleeve liner.
One of the oboes in my collection at present is a Loree "CC" series from
1912. It is the full "Buck Rogers" model, with all the modern keywork, except
3rd octave and F resonance. Due to the bore design, an F resonance is not necessary on this oboe. The wood is extremely dense, tight grain. No cracks.
This oboe absolutely "sings"- it has a very full throated, extremely resonant "core" to sound, though without being a "reed trumpet." The voicing is very even, and the scale is excellent. Though the wall thickness is not quite [say] that of a 1960s B series Loree oboe, the sound has elements of both "dark" and "bright' in the timbre. This oboe has not even remotely become "blown in," or "obsolete."
I find that the quality wood employed [within say the last 15 years] by many of the major European makers nowadays is exceeding poor in contrast the wood used previously. Many new [recent, late model] oboes now routinely experience warping in the bore to the point where they will not seem even remotely to play the same after a mere six months use. And the late model oboes not only crack with much greater frequency, many of the newer instruments
"explode" with a myriad of cracks, often though many tone holes.
It should be mentioned though in any discussion of cracking:
one of the best preventative measures to eliminate the likelihood of
cracking of any wood oboe instrument is to warmup ["incubate"] both joints
underarm, under shirt, jacket, sweater, for a full five minutes, no matter what the season or inside or outside temperature may be. See first paragraph "Care of Oboes and English Horns" on the oboes.us website.
I find that treating oboe instrument bores with 4 of 5 coats of Thompson's Waterseal to be a great help for oboe instruments old or new. This treatment
has two benefits: it helps prevent cracking by preventing the fibers of the wood
from absorbing moisture thus expanding, placing pressure [stress] on the structure, and also preventing "gurgling" in the octave vents and the tiny vent risers for C (B#) and Bb (A#). I have treated the bores of many, many oboe instruments belonging to professional, amateur, and student.
To date, I have not has even one player mention perceiving even the slightest difference in the sound after their instrument had been treated. I have not had
even one player say they wished the treatment could be reversed.
Again, this is simply my observation, based on my own experience.
A note about Jarde' oboes. Jarde' was an excellent maker overall.
Roland Dupin worked for Jarde' back in the late 1950, and considers Jarde'
to be be one of the very best oboe makers of his time. A professional model Jarde' oboe exists called the "Gomberg model." Once in a while I will find a Jarde' oboe I find somewhat "indifferent." I send such "indifferent" Jarde' instruments out for revoicing, and they almost always come back playing beautifully. I believe that the "Jarde'" oboes d'amore and English horns were made by Orsi for Jarde', and the final voicing was accomplished by Jarde'.
Peter Hurd info@oboes.us
Oboes.us
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