anr
(31 points)
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You really need to find an oboist to try the oboe out for you. You'll need a private lesson teacher anyway, so I would suggest calling around to find one. If you get an oboe teacher lined up, he/she will probably be very happy to check out this oboe for you.
I can tell you that it's probably a pretty old oboe, since it has a lot of the bells and whistles that usually only come on full conservatory instruments, like the banana key, but does not have a third octave key or a left F, which are pretty standard nowadays on everything but student models. And Selmers aren't usually very good. That said, as long as the wood isn't played out or cracked beyond saving, it should be fine as a beginner horn. To tell if the wood's played out, you'll have to have an oboist play it. If you really can't get an oboist to try it for you, have the previous owner play it, and check with a tuner. It's not going to be completely in tune, of course, but if it's always really sharp (like more than 25 cents on most notes), then ... beware.
If you don't have an oboist to check the oboe out for you, here's a general idea of what to do.
Make sure all of the pads and tenon corks are completely intact. Check the seal on the top joint. If you lick your right index finger and seal the hole at the bottom of the top joint with it, close the keys of the top joint with your left hand, and suck on the reedwell, the top joint should have a vacuum strong enough to make your lip stick to it for a few seconds. Look for cracks. Don't forget to look between the trill keys on the top joint. Make sure the bridge keys on the left of the front of the oboe line up easily.
Ask the previous owner about any cracks and when and where they were fixed. Old professionally repaired cracks shouldn't be a problem, but you need to know about them. Ask about any other past damage. Ask about issues like sticky keys and keys that frequently collect water when played. Ask the previous owner when the oboe was last looked at by a repairperson and who the repairperson was. Ask when the was last oiled. Make sure the previous owner always used either a swab or a feather to soak up the water from the inside of the bore after he/she played it. Ask how old the oboe is. Make the previous owner play all the notes from low G to low Bb. Ask them to play all the notes from high G to high D. Make sure all these notes respond and aren't obscenely out of tune. If the previous owner knows and is willing to diverge all the problems the oboe has and has had, that's a good sign.
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