Okay, so I'm looking at getting a professional oboe. I know what some of the brands are that are popular in the market, but I'd like to know you're personal opinions of these instruments. So, what kind of oboe do you have? What are the pros and cons of playing on/maintaining that instrument? If you don't like your instrument, what kind of oboe would you like to have instead?

I play a Rigoutat and I love it. All my freinds play Loree's.
I do not play my Oboe professionally (some of my freinds do)and I gather I would have to have a Loree if I wanted to be a professioanl player in this town.

It is the responsibility of the player wanting to play to be able to blend and match the existing players, if you want to work. Obviously using a similar instrument helps make that happen. However, that is not to say you can't do it with a different brand. How you make your reeds can make a large difference in sound color also.

Would I play a Loree? Absoulutely! Yes!
Would I give up my Rigoutat? Never!

I like the buffet greenline ones

they dont crack (or so i've heard)

and the higher notes come throught pretty easily without you going crazy on ur embrouchure

it feels more comfortable than other professional ones I tried

I liked one of the fossati ones too

can't rmb the exact one tho

I just got a beautiful brand new loree! It is a really wonderful oboe! Before I got it I tried out some others including a fox, some professional yamahas and some fossati oboes. The fox was ok, but it was definitely nothing special. I didn't really like the yamahas, and thought they sounded too much like my plastic yamaha 441 that I used to play on. I didn't like the fossati oboes. I think you just need to try out a whole bunch of different brands and find the one that works for you.

The only con I have found so far about my oboe is that it is wood, and of course you do have to be careful when breaking it in. You also need to oil the bore and make sure it is in an environment where it is less likely to crack. This goes for all wooden instruments though!

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Could somebody explain the link and the last post?

I play on a used Loree and it's amazing! I haven't really played on many oboes but I've played on new lorees and yamahas. I really love my loree but when I go shopping for a new oboe I want to try out some marigauxs! They sound really nice.

I have a Loree I got for $1700 on ebay of all places (although this is not a recommended way to go unless you get an iron clad return agreement from them); it's from the late 1970s and plays like a dream. The tone is wonderful; full and a bit on the dark side which I prefer.
Peter Hurd's website is a great resource for information on all of the major manufacturers of oboes; check it out! He feels more recent Lorees don't have as tight a wood grain and are more susceptible to cracking than the older ones
I have played a Marigaux and Rigoutat and found them really nice; however the Loree fit my hands better. You really need to try them out and see what seems to suit not only your idea of great sound but also the size of your hands
I have also played on a Fox to check it out for my son's middle school; it's a good solid intermediate instrument but the tone is nothing like what I get from the Loree.
I have found that some reeds sound better in my Loree better than my (entry level) Mariguax and visa versa; I found someone who makes the reeds that sound great in the Loree but not so good in the other one.

I now currently play on my School's Fox. It's plastic resin though not entirely sure of the model. It plays "reliably" lol. I guess you could say it lacks a personality.....

When I get my own Oboe I would say I would want it to have as even and stable a scale as possible. I dread my C's on the staff or my G above it that have to be held any longer then a second...My high notes past High C are also horridly sharp....

Finally, I would like for my Oboe to give me an ease on my low notes as they are heinously difficult to play on my Fox. Let alone articulate.....

I don't rly want a 3rd Octave key or Bb vent and have actually read that it can be more beneficial acoustically to NOT have them. I think Covey makes Oboes for this reason.

I've been with my Oboe from the beginning and have become attached to it lol. But if I can improve my quality of playing by getting a better Oboe then I'm all for it :D.

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O sry I didn't rly talk about my fox and the pros lmao. Well it's plastic so it's not going to crack so I never have to worry. And the tone I can get out of it is really nice and pleasant.
Again though, I think I would sound even better with a much better Oboe and I wouldn't mind having to give the extra care :).

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O it is a Renard Intermediate model that I'm sure.......xD

Oboelover - Sounds like your reeds might not be the best. Middle line C is not a great note... nor is High g just on top of the stave. Most reeds will have flat G's! You need to clip your reed, or have someone else clip it to make sure your C's and high G's are into tune. Low register notes are hard as well. You need to have a really good supply of air to get them nicely. Opening up helps a lot down that low as well. High C# and D onwards (2 leger lines above the stave) are usually very sharp. Esp on C#'s and D you need to lip down and support.

Bb vent is nice. So is 3rd octave. I love the third oct on my loree because it makes playing high E's, F's, F#'s, and G's possible and fairly in tune. With the third octave my E's and F's are flat.

I really like the 3rd octave key on my loree. I was actually surprised at how well it worked, because I was rarely able to hit high e and f on my yamaha. I think it would be beneficial to have a 3rd octave key because sooner or later, you will probably come across a piece that has those notes!

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Yes, plastic isn't going to crack, but generally, plastic instruments don't have as nice of a tone. I thought my intermediate plastic yamaha sounded really good, but when I got my loree, I found that it had an even darker and richer tone. :)

Oboegirl is right. Wood has such a lovely dark and rich sound. Wood projects a lot more too. The "standard" professional oboe would be a Loree in North America. People expect you to have a wooden oboe with all keys if you are playing professionally. I'm saying that Loree is the only way to go, there are other great pro oboes out there like marigaux, howarth, bulgheroni, and rigotout. But the "standard" pro oboe is going to have all those features.

If you need to play outside, some people buy them selves a plastic top joint. A plastic top joint is around $2000. It's not really worth it unless you play outside quite a bit. Also remember, most pro's don't like playing outside. String instruments tend to go quite flat and can crack. Clarinets can crack, bassoons can crack... It's only sometimes you will be playing outside. And those times it's just easier to rent a wooden oboe.

O ty so much for all the advice. I rly appreciate it!!!!

Idk, no matter what my 1st Oboe is (My teacher is looking for a rly good one for me to try) my goal is to try as many Oboe's as possible xD. I was actually looking into Püchner, Hiniker and Laubin. They are supposed to be very consistently well crafted Oboes (Hiniker as been recently hailed to be the best Oboe of all time!!! :O).

My C's and G's are actually sharp lol. Idk I like to think my reeds are really good (my teacher makes them)and it's my Oboe that gives me these gripes. On the few occasions that I've tried other Oboe's, I've actually found the low notes moderately easy (double reed day at NYU ^-^). But I digress........

Well those brands are 3 others you could look into Oboe Nightmare!

Thanks guys!