The Oboe BBoard

The Oboe BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Re: Brass or silver

Author: oboeblank
Date: 2006-03-24 16:11

I was really surprised what happened to the tone of the oboe when I started experimenting with staples. The material, bore shape and thickness play a pretty significant role on the tone.
I made some of the "plushest" sounding reeds with Rigotti 47mm silver tubes. They are more conical than Pisoni for instance, and they seem to work well for the Loree AK that I play. The lower register was very resonant and the upper register seemed very focused. Even the worst reeds had redeeming qualities! The only draw-back is the throat. The tube is so conical that the top of the tube is so small the cane tends to get warped around the opening causing the blades the crack.

As far as the material; I have noticed a slight difference in tone color between nickel-silver and brass. The silver seems more vibrant while the brass sounds muddy. I have also found that brass staples have a tendency to lose their shape over time, given the malleability of brass and they no longer fit tightly on the mandrel, even after a couple of months.

If you go on to Brian Charles' website he has descriptions of all of the oboe tubes he sells-and he sells many.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics