Author: Dutchy
Date: 2005-09-15 22:06
Disclaimer: I am a total oboe newbie, by no means a technician.
I discovered the hard way that if you fiddle around with those itty-bitty screws down there, you can put something out of adjustment at light-speed, resulting in no tones coming out of some low notes. I experimentally "adjusted" the screw that rests on the low E that's supposed to make the low F key push it, resulting in the F not engaging it properly (I'm explaining this badly, I know) and so the low E was not playing at all. Five minutes of experimenting showed me what the problem was; I unscrewed the screw some more the other direction and presto, my low E came back.
So an amazing amount of stuff can go wrong. Especially when you're dealing with school instruments and kids.
I've heard nothing but good things about Fox/Renard oboes. And I can't imagine how they could build such a reputable business selling $2,500 oboes--that won't play the bottom notes. It would be like an auto manufacturer selling cars that wouldn't go faster than 30 mph, or that had no reverse gear. Much more likely that your instruments simply need a good going-over by a professional oboe-adjustment expert.
I had a screw simply fall out of my oboe last month, boom, just like that, leaving the parts flapping in the breeze. So they do manage to rotate themselves out of their sockets. (It's a Selmer plastic, BTW, not a Fox.)
Also, the lower joint of a school oboe is at increased risk from small, inexperienced, and impatient hands bending and twisting it as they assemble the oboe. They can literally crush some of the bits and pieces out of shape.
So, the answer to your questions, I believe, is, "No, it's not normal for a Fox/Renard oboe to have no lower gear." Get them a professional checkup.
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