I played flute in high school for 4 years,then fell inlove with the oboe and bought a Selmer oboe at my local music store. However i have been playing about 1 1/2 years now and i have been through many reeds, of which i have found the Selmer make to produce the best sound overall.. but i am not thrilled with my oboes sound ..i mean i know i have vastly iproved since i started playing but the sound is still too harsh.. i mean i want to produce that wonderful oboe melancholy sound..do you think that i can`t get there because i have a crappy oboe ie Selmer make is just no good.. do you think i would find a vast difference if i changed to a wooden Rigoutat for instance?I practice almost daily.. but i do not have a teacher..any suggestions would be great.Alkso if you practice daily how long roughly should you expect your reed to last with reasonable care?I am afraid to go and buy an expensive oboe only to find i still sound like crap!!Is it reallythe instrument or really the player?I mean a beginner sounds like a beginner on even a Steinway grand piano right??Also do any of you know of an oboe teacher in the North east georgia area ???If so please let me know.. even Atlanta would be fine!!

First off, the oboe will make a diffence, but not that much. Second, the most important aspect to sound, (much more important than the oboe) is the reed. ANY MACHINE MADE REED SUCKS period. either learn to make them or buy them, they are more expensive, but infinatly worth it. I recomend Weber reeds "Webreeds.com" also i am not to framilier with the selmer oboes so if i were you i would find someone local to look at it make sure its in good shape...etc. If its terrible consider upgrading

Hey...about the reed thing...how do we noe if the reed is handmake or machine make?Is there a difference?

Hey,

I play a selmer oboe. I had to bring it in once two years ago, and once two days ago...i really like it, even though it`s a student-model(plastic, ugh) and i want to get a wooden fully equipped one. just have someone look it over for you, preferrably someone who knows about oboe, and see what the problem may be. i practice every day on my oboe at home and i need a new reed every 2-3 weeks. (i don`t make my own reeds, i get some from our local giant steps music store.)but i`m gonna be taking lessons when school sports and stuff are over, pretty soon.... and i don`t know if you want to, but in east ridge, tennessee, there`s the oboe player for the CSO (not Chicago) and he charges i think around $25 or so for an hour...

First off, selmer does make good oboes, so you probably have one strike against you there. Also, store-bought, machine-made reeds are going to sound bad unless you know how to adjust them. For the best tone, try to get private lessons with someone that knows what they`re doing and learn to make your own reeds.

first of all i would like to thank you for playing the oboe i is the best, try the Fox renerd 330 its what i have and it is great

It all depends on how much you can afford to decide what brand of oboe you want to get.... there are top oboe brands in each price range, how much are you (or your parents) willing to spend? Oboes are from 1,000 to over 8,000....

First of all, the reeds will defineately make a major difference, especially when you compare the ones that are hand made and the ones that you can get by making your own. It`s important to note that any reed that you`re going to get at a local music shop will suck. Most don`t even carry decent oboe literature, let alone reeds of other supplies. My advice to you as a semi-novice would be to order your reeds from a company that deels exclusively with double reed product. Edmund Neilson is a great place to look into if you`re willing to spend a bit of money. And above all else, leave the fibercane. It`ll make you sound like a duck!

As for the oboe, there comes a time when the sound you make on your instrument reaches its apex. I had a Linton oboe for years and was not really producing better sound. Recently I purchased a Loree oboe from my teacher and it has done wonders for me. If you`re a serious student I would definately use this company. 80% of American professional oboists use it.

Well, first off selmer makes terrible oboes, let alone anything else. I highly advise you to not purchase instuments from an all around band companies, ie meaning they make most insturments. Good companies to look at are Loree, Maugiux, Rigoutaut, Laubin, Patricola, Fox, Howarth, Bulghernoli all make good insturments. I currently play a Patricola student oboe. As in reeds I strongly suggest you order handmade. A good place is stellar oboe products. You will definitly pay more for her work but is well worth it. I also suggest that you check such organizations as community bands. I was looking for a teacher and joined the community band on my clarinet. I met two great oboe players there. One had great experience in reed making, both knew how to make reeds. He gave me directions to his house and gave me a list of supplies I would need. I got my supplies and went to his house. He began to help me and introduced me to other students in the area. Only after four lessons I was able to make my first playable reed. It still had notable problems but was okay for my first reed. The only way wood is going to improve your sound any is if you get a good insturment. Stay away from the cheaper wooden insturments because someone had to cut corners to be able to give it such a low price. My best regards out to you all.

Good luck
~Joshua A. Powell~

hmmm... I used to be on a selmer plastic peice of crud! it was a rental and sounded awfull
then I moved to a rigoutar (is that spelled goodly... i`m useless) and the improvment was astronomical.. i didn`t change anything except the oboe.. same reds just a new/old oboe.
I strongly recommend you don`t skimp on the quality of the instrument because not even michelangelo could carve with a PLASTIC chisel.
As for handmade reeds.. not only do they sound better, they are easier to play and they last longer. As I live in New Zealand.. quality oboe products are hard to find.. I pay about $25 (about us$12.50) for mediocre reeds now that the person who made my reeds got oos or sommat..ferkin old people...if anyone knoes a good reed company that shipped overseas for little cost that would be great...and it would be good if they also made bassoon reeds too

ok......first off......i have a selmer (plastic) oboe. it is great. it has a beautiful sound to it and is in great working order except for the fact that i may need to get the cork pads changed soon. If you got a crapy selmer oboe.....umm.....not to drag down or anything, but, WHOSE FAULT IS THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE???? just b/c you don`t have a good one doesn`t really mean that it`s not a good brand. That`s like someone getting a Loree that was used a lot and not cared for correctly(I know, that would be a stupid person, and almost impossible). whoever winds up with it could say it was crapy and recommend not getting one b/c they didn`t know much about it anyways. but, selmer is good. mine is. and im sure there are A LOT of other great ones out there too. Try out a GOOD selmer oboe!!!

oboe

hey, this is my first post, just thought i`d say that I also own a selmer and, while it definately isn`t the best instrument, Selmers aren`t the worst ever. For the price I`m paying I would I got a pretty good Oboe. And, incase anyone`s wondering I`ve been playing Oboe for about 2 1/2 years, anything else someone wants to know, u can IM me at Crocco00 or AlforceDragon(AIM Names)

anybody out there now using or haveused an OLD Linton oboe - how are they on sound...and how do they hold up? I currently use a Fox renard, buthave an opportunityto buy anice Linton OLD oneand am thinking about it. figured i`d ask...thx, maria

I know the frustration of this. Began on a used Yamaha beginner which is acceptable beginning. However, sound wasn`t rich and what one who works so hard in learning this difficult instrument desires.

Then purchased a Rigoutat REIC and the sound "instantly" improved. Those that say it won`t don`t know what they`re talking about.

Taking lessons from an experienced oboist is a must! They also will and can help immensely in finding a suitable instrument.