| Mom...I Want An Oboe! |
| Buying an Oboe |
| Oboes are hard things to shop for. My suggestions are, 1. Play on a rented instrument for a few years. Then the student will appreciate playing on their own oboe. 2. Shop around. Use the place links I give you on my home page. 3. Know the special features you want your oboe to have. 4. Know the responsibility that has to be put into your oboe (i.e. type of wood, plastic, type of metal in keys, ect). 5. Order a few on a trial basis that some companies let you do. Have your oboe instructor try them out and figure out which one has the best tone, pitch stability, response, and vibrato. Price is a big factor into oboes. Cheapest is not the best. Neither is the most expensive. Different companies manufacture different qualities of oboes. Use more of the "name brands" of oboes. These companies really specialize in oboes and want you to have the best sound and a great oboe. A few are Fox, Fossati, Howarth, and Loree oboes. French oboes are really good. But since we're boycotting France, make sure the French oboes are in stock. My dad doesn't like the French so he got me a Fox 400. I think it is an extremely good quality oboe. So even though the French are the experts, Americans know what they're doing too. Don't think you always have to buy your oboe at the local music store. Quiz them on how much they know about oboes and ask for price estimates. Compare them to the prices asked by the company and other oboe stores whose websites are on my homepage. Have fun buying your oboe! |
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