My teacher just received his Laubin which he put an order in some time ago. I think the serial number is in the 2450's if I'm not mistaken. Surprisingly, he does not like it as much as his current Laubin, #1776, which he is selling to me. It is not quite as dark as 1776, and the projection is not nearly as good. It was also slightly flat intonation-wise. I guess you can say it was a dud. However, for the most part, Laubins are great oboes.