Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-03-12 20:45
Fully automatic oboes are some of the most expensive to buy new due to the complex 8ve mechanism and they may have to be built to special order from French makers.
They're mainly found in Germany and East Europe, although more and more Germans are going over to semi-automatic oboes as they give more choices as you can't do certain harmonics on oboes with fully auto 8ves.
The auto 8ve mechanism isn't the easiest thing to keep in regulation, especially on lower quality instruments, so it can cause problems if it develops a fault and you don't know how to regulate it.
Your best bet is to look for a conservatoire system oboe with semi-auto 8ves as these are the most popular. If you're looking for used oboes, then plastic bodied ones will be better than wooden ones as they're far less likely to crack (although the middle tenon is a notorious weak spot on plastic oboes).
Several reputable makes of plastic bodied oboes to look out for are: Selmer USA (Bundy/Buescher/Signet), Linton, Armstrong, Jupiter, Fox/Renard - if you do find a plastic Howarth or Loree, then they will definitely be worth getting.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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