 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-18 02:18
https://singersroom.com/best-oboes/
Who even writes this drivel? David Mahon, apparently: https://singersroom.com/content/author/davidmahon/
Anyway, here's the top 10 countdown (if it becomes a dead link) and prepare yourselves for No.5:
10 - Yamaha YOB-441 Intermediate Oboe – $3,947.99 – 6/10 – The Yamaha YOB-441 Intermediate Oboe is a high-quality instrument, made with grenadilla wood body. It features a Modified Conservaty System and silver-plated keys that offers a great playability and sound. The oboe comes with upper joint and bell, it is intermediate level instrument, designed to provide a step-up in playability and sound quality for advancing students. It is manufactured by Yamaha, a company known for producing high-quality wind instruments.
9 - RS Berkeley OB400 Elite Series Oboe – $1,495.00 – 8/10 – The RS Berkeley OB400 Elite Series Oboe is a high-quality instrument, made with a beautiful ebonite body and silver-plated keys. It features blue steel springs and tapered pivot screws for enhanced durability and ease of use. The oboe comes with a durable, portable storage case with a shoulder strap and many accessories, such as a reed, reed case, and pad saver, making it ready to play right out of the box. It is part of the RS Berkeley’s Elite Series collection of woodwind instruments, known for their high-quality construction and sound.
8 - J. Michael ob1500 Oboe – $1,151.26 – 10/10 – The J. Michael ob1500 Oboe is a high-quality instrument in the key of C. It is made from a combination of ebony and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) materials. It is a modern style instrument that is well-crafted and produces a brilliant sound. It is manufactured by J. Michael, a company known for producing high-quality wind instruments. The J. Michael ob1500 is a great choice for those who want to invest in a well-crafted, high-quality oboe that will last for years to come.
7 - Yamaha YOB-241 Student Oboe – $3,354.00 – 9.2/10 – The Yamaha YOB-241 Student Oboe is a high-end student model oboe with an ABS resin body bell. It has a Simplified Conservatory System and silver-plated keys. It comes with a case for easy transportation. This Oboe is manufactured by Yamaha, a company well known for producing high-quality wind instruments. The Yamaha YOB-241 is a great choice for student oboists who want to start with a high-quality instrument that is built to last and is from a well-known brand in the industry.
6 - Selmer 1492B Student Oboe – $3,389.00 – 10/10 – The Selmer 1492B Student Oboe is a high-end student model oboe with a Resonite body bell. It has a Basic Conservatory System and silver-plated keys. It comes with a case for easy transportation. This Oboe is manufactured by Selmer, a company well known for producing high-quality wind instruments making it a great option for students looking for a high-quality instrument to learn on. The Selmer 1492B is a great choice for student oboists who want to start with a high-quality instrument that is built to last.
5 - Yinfente Maple Wood Bassoon C Key 26 Keys – $1,339.00 – 7.4/10 – The Yinfente Maple Wood Bassoon is a C key instrument with 26 keys. It is made of Maple wood and is a high-quality product made by a company that also produces OEM products for famous companies. It has a brilliant sound and is a C tone Bassoon. It comes with a free bassoon case and accessories. It is a great choice for professional players who are looking for a high-quality and well-crafted Bassoon.
4 - Rochix Oboe Beginner Student Level SF15 Composite Wood Body Silver Plated Full Automatic C Tone – $489.99 – 8.2/10 – The Rochix Oboe is a beginner student level instrument with a composite wood body and silver plated keys. It is a full-automatic C tone oboe and comes with 2 reeds, a cleaning cloth, an oboe swab, a thumb rest, a pair of gloves, a screwdriver, and a case. This oboe is of German quality, trustworthy and is perfect for students just starting to learn the oboe. It also comes with a 1-year warranty period. It is an ideal choice for beginners looking for a high-quality and affordable oboe.
3 - Rochix Oboe Professional Performance Level RHG13 Redwood Body Gold Plated Semi Automatic C Tone with 2 Reeds – $789.99 – 7.8/10 – The Rochix Oboe is a professional performance level instrument with a redwood body and gold plated keys. It is a semi-automatic C tone oboe and comes with 2 reeds, a cleaning cloth, an oboe swab, a thumb rest, a pair of gloves, a screwdriver, and a case. This oboe is of German quality and is trustworthy. It also comes with a 1-year warranty period. It is an ideal choice for professionals and advanced players looking for a high-quality oboe.
2 - Glory Oboe C Key Cupronickel Plated Silver Woodwind – $399.99 – 7.2/10 – The Glory Oboe is a C key oboe with a cupronickel plated silver finish. It is a modern style oboe made of silver and is perfect for beginner level players. It is a Woodwind musical instrument and is available at a price of $399.99 on Amazon. It has an overall rating of 7.2/10. It is an affordable option for those who are looking to start learning to play the Oboe.
1 - Yinfente Professional Oboe C key left F Resonance Semi-automatic – $489.00 – 8/10 – The Yinfente Professional Oboe is a left-handed oboe with a C key and a forked-F resonance key. It features semi-automatic octave keys and trill keys made of nickel silver and copper-nickel alloy. This oboe is made of ebonite wood and has been tested for good condition and professional level intonation adjustments. It comes with a case and case cover for easy transportation. If you need a fully automatic system, please contact the seller.
I despair.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-18 02:28
Oh - and then there's this bit:
Oboe Brands
Another highly-regarded brand is Selmer. Selmer oboes are known for their rich, full sound, and are often considered the “gold standard” of oboes. They have a wide range of models available, including the Selmer 1492B student oboe and the Selmer 1492F professional oboe. Selmer oboes are considered some of the best oboes on the market, and are often used by professional players.
Buffet Crampon is a French brand of oboes that is also highly respected in the industry. They are known for their excellent craftsmanship, and many of their oboes are made from grenadilla wood, which is considered to be the best wood for making oboes. Buffet Crampon oboes are often considered the “Rolls Royce” of oboes and are used by many professional players. Some popular models include the Buffet Crampon E11 and the Buffet Crampon Greenline E13.
That's enough interwebs for today.
I'm done.
Goodnight.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2025-06-18 02:30)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-18 19:12
While the cheapo Chinese clarinets in the other list are mainly 17 key 6 ring Boehm systems, that in itself isn't a problem with most regions as they've become the standard system over most of the world (likewise with flutes, saxes and bassoons), whereas these oboe-shaped objects are often pure conservatoire system (based on Cabart 74 oboes) and in some cases have fully automatic 8ves (which is more popular in Germany and Eastern Europe), so they're not ideal for many beginners here in the UK as oboes are very much regionally specific in terms of their keywork systems.
Therefore any unsuspecting parent buying an OBO as opposed to an oboe going solely on recommendations, reviews and lists like this (as well as some YouTuber oboists who ought to know better) will have wasted money on something that's far from suitable.
Most oboists, oboe teachers and students here in the UK as well as many ex-pats living abroad have a long history of playing and being taught thumbplate system right from the start going back many decades (and at least a century), so they won't always know the best way to approach conservatoire system if they've had no previous experience with it.
Even many dual system players brought up on thumbplate system only use thumbplate fingerings on their dual system pro models (conservatoire with added thumbplate) instead of reaping the benefits of both worlds, plus things neither pure conservatoire nor pure thumbplate system can do.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Reply To Message
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Author: oboist2
Date: 2025-06-19 01:44
I think that poor advice online will always be rife, until parents and purchasers of school instruments start asking for the advice and acting on information from professional players and specialist teachers. There are good Chinese oboes but very few. KGE and Armstrong-Werth are the ones that spring to mind. They are very good and the p[rice is quite reasonable. Whether either of them will make a thumbplate or dual system, a prospective buyer would need to ask the manufacturers. I have a lovely dual system Loree from 1922 that I have been trying to sell at what I think is a reasonable price, and it would do an intermediate player very well indeed, but there has not been a soul interested, in spite of the fact I have advertised it far and wide. Yet people buy those junky instruments.
It is a sad sign of the times, that people disregard any sort of expert and fall for cheap marketing tricks.
Geoff Pearce
Oboe
Sydney
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-06-19 18:52
I bought one for £250 (engraved 'Muslady') just to see what they're like - it's just one of many identical oboes by a different name.
For £250, it's exactly what it sounds like - it may indeed look and sound like an oboe, but that's where the similarities end.
There's no such thing as a cheap oboe as it'll only cost you in the end.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: oboist2
Date: 2025-06-19 23:51
I had a student who wanted an oboe. Her father said he would not pay more than $400 AUD for one. I scoured the internet for weeks and eventually found a second hand Scheiber. It was old and needed some work on it, but it was fit for purpose....the student appeared not to be.
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Author: mberkowski
Date: 2025-06-24 00:17
Chris P wrote:
> Who even writes this drivel? David Mahon, apparently:
> https://singersroom.com/content/author/davidmahon/
ChatGPT writes it and puts this name on it. He also has one for saxophones and karaoke microphones.
I can't help but notice it also recommends cleaning the oboe's keywork with mild soap and water if needed.
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The Clarinet Pages
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