A very helpful post was "which oboes to avoid", but I would like to know which oboe to try and get. What is a good oboe at a lower cost? I have ZERO experience with oboes.

Depends on what you mean by "lower cost". Since most good wood or plastic oboes cost between $2000 and $8000, the cheapest good ones that I know of are made by Fox. Fox/Renard does not make a wood oboe, but their plastic ones are great. I play on Fox 300, which has every key you can have on the oboe, the 330 has a couple less keys, but it's still good; my friend plays a 330. I have been told that Fox oboes are great because they keep their value (unless something really bad happened to it, but I'm not quite sure what).


here is their website:
http://foxproducts.com/


Hope that helps.

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Big edit

I forgot that Fox makes wood oboes too. I don't know how good their wood oboes are or how much they cost, but I've heard that they're pretty good.

Personally, it would be good to know what kind of budget you will be working with. As far as beginner instruments to learn the oboe, I would look for a nice used student fox instrument, the 300 or the 330. But another great choice for a student instrument is the Buffet student line instrument. Personally, my favorite is the Patricola student oboe. I used to play on that particular model back in high school. I purchased mine about five or six years ago and enjoyed every minute with it. I sold it to upgrade to the Patricola Evoluzione oboe. It is amazing. Personally, I would find a professional to work with you to find one. Contact Nora Post or Midwestern musical imports. Someone who deals in oboes and also sells oboes. They will be able to help you select a quality used instrument and evaluate any flaws. DO NOT DEAL WITH a place such as the Woodwind Brasswind or some general instrument shop as they do not know oboes. You need a professional when evaluating an oboe. Each instrument is different and you will need to know what you are looking for.