Subscribe RSShow much does the average oboe cost?
Q: im planning to learn oboe and was wondering what the prices were. not a really good one but none of those crappy ones either. im a flute player and i always thought the oboe was such a beautiful instrument. i have no idea of what kind of prices to expect, what brands are good for a beginner, etc.
what brand/model oboe would you recommend? where would i find them? and what do you think the price would be?
if i were to put the kind of oboe im looking for in flute beginner models... something like the yamaha 200 series.
A: I'm an oboe major in music school.
The person who answered first obviously doesn't have much experience on the instrument from admitting the opinion was purely from a discussion board.
Selmer makes beginner oboes but they are garbage, easily break and just not worth investing in.
Though Loree is decent, Loree's are a professional model and will cost you in the thousands.
For a decent one, yamaha plays nicely on oboe and is much more modified than the normal student ones.
If you come across a fox oboe, they play amazing. This is because they are only a double reed company and specialize in oboe.
Basically, the lower the model number, the worse the oboe is on any of them. There are many steps of oboe. Basic is what an elementary schooler would play on and they lack numerous keys needed for middle/high school level players. Modified is the next step up and what you want if you are in grade 6-9. These extra keys are imperative for this level music because with out a modified, you will not be able to play many trills or the lower range of the instrument. (Kind of like how advanced flutes have a B foot, open hole, and a gold lip plate). An advance oboe is what you'd play in high school grades 10-12, though lazy oboist don't always upgrade and are screwed when notes come up that the oboe does not have. I'm in college and have the highest pro -level. It's called a conservatory. It makes a huge difference in sound and has more cheat keys, trills and options than any of the lower level ones.
Remember, the more plastic in an oboe, the worse the sound. Some people who don't want an oboe that's total garbage will buy a half wooden one or a material called ebonite.
It really depends on how much you want to spend. It may be worth testing each brand and model at the music shop and see what one you like more.
One more thing- If you play on a store bought/machine made reed, it will make any oboe sound drastically worse. Go on the internet and search for hand made ones and they will make you sound amazing. They also last SO much longer and are harder to crack.
Probably bigger than you were looking for, but if you see a cheap Loree, you should probably go for it.
Fox/Renard make good oboes as well.
Yamaha makes fine oboes as well--I'm an Oboe major in college, and I use one--though I don't know how many professionals you'll see using Yamahas.
I've heard Selmers are okay, but can't tell you myself.
Something to note--make sure the oboe you get has a Bb key. On the bell. If the oboe you're looking at doesn't have it, don't bother getting it. You're a flute player, as was I before the oboe--think of the Bb key as a B-foot on the flute, except far more important and written for.
I'd expect the price to be $2,000+. However, I hear you can get good deals on ebay (though you can just as easily get burned).
One more note--
As a flute player going to oboe, I should warn you that there is a spectrum in instruments that you're probably not aware of--back pressure, or air pressure inside your mouth while you play. The flute is at one end of the spectrum--absolutely none. The oboe is the other extreme of the spectrum--a huge amount. Therefore, it can be very tricky to switch back and forth between the instruments. I played both in a band, and would switch them from one piece to another, so I learned to get my embouchure switched in two minutes or under; but it did take the two minutes of virtual warmup (while performing) before I could be playing the other instrument well again. But let me assure you that learning the oboe was absolutely worth it for me--the rewards were worth the challenges.
I bought a barrington 801 to start out on for less than $900 new at wwbw.com. Not many people have heard of this brand, but it has almost all the keywork of a professional model (no split ring D), hasn't fallen apart and sounds very good. It also has positive user reviews at all the places that sell it. That's a main reason I bought one. Plus wwbw has a 45-day free tryout period. Can't really beat that. I'm by no means a pro, but I'd recommend it for a beginner. There are some other very very good brands as well that i'm sure other people will chime in about.
A couple other things as far as cost:
1-Any oboe will have to be maintained, at least yearly, and that adds to the costs down the road.
2-If you don't make them yourself, you'll get what you pay for with reeds. There's no getting around that.