 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-01-03 13:46
I've finally got around to doing something about the Oboe being too tiring to play these days , I'm almost 72. Since 2004 I've had a S55c Dual System Howarth Oboe and have enjoyed playing it. However , over the past two years or so I was finding the resistance of the S55c a bit too much for me. Also, it was never really 'reed friendly' in that reeds needed to be of high quality. I've always missed my plastic Bundy Thumb Plate Oboe which was really 'free blowing' and reed friendly. I was even using the orange twine Rico reeds with the Bundy and most of those Ricos were very usable after a bit of tinkering. :Tnen , a few weeks ago I noticed that Richard Craig of South Australia had a Howarth S2 Tnumb Plate for sale and I knew straight away that this was the Oboe for me. It's 60 years old (1955) and in excellent condition for it's age. No trace of the so called 'blown out' effect that one hears about. It is obvious that the previous owner/s had looked after this Oboe over the years. It has a most beautiful sound. Not quite as big a sound as the S55c but it has a lovely clear brighter sound. This S2 is going to revigorate my playing of the Oboe for a few more years hopefully. Ricard Craig accepted my offer of a swap and I accepted what I consider a very reasonable deal. He gets a more modern Thumb Plate system Oboe which he will try to sell here in Australia and I get a older Oboe which is more practical for me to play now. Richard said that he will find it difficult to sell a Thumb Plate (Dual System) here in Australia because there is a 'mind set ' that only a conservatoire system is the best system which is nonsense of course. Tne serial number of this S2 is 1342. There is no sign of any cracks in the wood and the bore is still shiny. I've played along with several CD backing tracks and there is no hint of any turning problems. It plays nicely in A440.
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2017-01-03 13:51)
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-01-03 13:56
Richard Craig still has the Howarth S2 1955 Oboe on his site. You can have a look at the pictures of my Oboe on his site Richard Craig Woodwind.
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2017-01-03 13:58)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-01-03 21:22
The S55c will be easy to revert back to conservatoire system by removing the thumbplate and filling in the pillar holes, plus replacing the back 8ve touchpiece key cork with a much thinner one and adjusting the venting.
If it has a 3rd 8ve key (some were made without for the US market), then that will make matters more serious as it will need a new 3rd 8ve key that overlaps the back 8ve touch and also have a cut-out made in the back 8ve touch to accommodate the 3rd 8ve touchpiece.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-01-03 21:53
Hi Chris. No , the S55c didn't have a third octave key. In all the time I've been playing Oboe, about 35 years, I've never understood the logic of not having something to rest your left thumb on in the conservatoire Oboe system. Even the Saxophone has a left hand thumb rest that allows the thumb to slide over onto the octave key as well as giving another touch point for the support of the instrument. I once had a loan of a Cor Anglais (conservatoire system) and straight away I fashioned a left hand thumb support out of hard rubber to enable it to fit onto the round body of the instrument and a flat surface for the thumb. It was one centimeter in diameter. Set it up close just below the octave key with blue tack and this resulted in the Cor Anglais being so much easier to play as I now had another touch point for support. To use the octave key I only had to roll my thumb over onto it just like a Saxophone. So logical. It was easy to remove before I returned the instrument to it's owner. No trace of the blue tack and no marks where my homemade thumb rest had been.
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-01-03 21:58
Another plus in having a thumb rest on the Oboe (& Cor) is that it's more practical for Clarinetists to use the Oboe as , say a second instrument as the left thumb would be used in a similar fashion as far as activating the octave key (speaker key for Clarinet) But apparently the French makers of the conservatoire system Oboe just can't figure out the logic of all this
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2017-01-03 22:02)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-01-03 23:11
If I did go to pure conservatoire then I'd much rather have a static left thumb button fixed to the joint below the back 8ve touch than nothing. Maybe I treat oboes like saxes too much, but they aren't all that far removed from each other.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: oboeandy
Date: 2017-01-04 03:11
I've never played a clarinet or a saxophone and have never given any thought to the absence of a left thumb rest on the oboe. Very interesting.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-01-04 04:15
With the thumbplate, the left thumb rocks up onto the back 8ve. Having played sax, then clarinet and then oboe, I prefer to have something for my left thumb to rest onto and rock onto the 8ve or speaker key.
I have played pure conservatoire system oboes, d'amores and cors, but find the left thumb placement directly onto the top joint uncomfortable compared to what I'm used to. Also the size and shape of the thumbplate is important - Howarth have a well sized and flat topped thumbplate which is comfortable, but others have much smaller and more domed thumbplates which I don't care much for at all. The thumbplate on my Yamaha YOB-821TP was a particularly uncomfortable one as it was small and had square edges, so I had a Howarth one made and fitted instead. The more recent ones Yamaha have been fitting are much better (as is their repositioned 3rd 8ve touch). But as the thumb is holding it down for far longer than releasing it, then it should at least be comfortable as should the back 8ve touch.
The S2 was also available with fully automatic 8ves and being thumbplate system, needed the 2nd 8ve touch to free up the left thumb for the upper register Bb and C. The pro model Howarth oboes available around the same time as your S2 were as follows:
S1 - Thumbplate system with simple 8ve keys
S2 - Thumbplate system with semi automatic 8ve keys
S3 - Conservatoire system with ring keys and semi auto 8ves*
S4 - Conservatoire system with ring keys and fully auto 8ves
S5 - Gillet conservatoire system with semi auto 8ves*
* A thumbplate can be added to make the S3 and S5 dual system and the S5 could be ordered with fully automatic 8ves, conservatoire 1-2-3 system and F resonance key for the German market. There were many other keywork options that were available that could be incorporated at time of order.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-01-04 08:56
Thanks Chris for your input concerning the Thumb Plate Oboe. I"m really enjoying playing my new (1955) S2. I had the S55c Dual System Oboe since 2004 but over the past couple of years I was finding this full conservatoire/Thumb Plate Oboe too much for me (I'll be 72 this March) The usual higher resistance of this Oboe was proving too tiring for me. Also , being a full conservatoire Dual System it was overloaded with mechanism which was proving too heavy for my right thumb. Tne S2 is much lighter to hold and more lighter in resistance. I'd say it's going to reinvigorate my Oboe playing for a few more years yet . Hopefully.
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Author: SarahC
Date: 2017-01-04 14:27
Oh Barry :( I am so sad to hear your oboe has moved on! I was hoping to play it again when i drive past on saturday... (hoping you will be home for some visitors sometime mid morning!)
Well, I look forward to seeing your new find. I am playing a conservatoire and think of you every day, and your comments about the ease of the thumb plate system. definitely the C to Bb on the conservatory are just illogical!!! But hey, we play what we have. i got a good price for it, so can't complain.
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