I am very sorry to bother you with this, but I seem to be hitting dead ends everywhere I go in researching an oboe that I have been given for use use at the school I teach at. It is a very fine wood oboe and plays beatifully, but I cannot find any information about the manufacturer. It appears to be a modified conservatory oboe, solid wood, with no serial number and only the scripted letters G Prostino or something similar on the bell. I am only certain that the letters are at least G P*stin*

If anyone could shed some light on this instrument for me I would be grateful.

Sincerely,
Chad Criswell
Western Dubuque High School

Could the name possibly be G Prestini?
He was an oboist who toured America under the direction of Toscanini, and founded his own company to manufacture reed tools, reeds and woodwind pads.
I don`t know if he(the company)ever made oboes.

I thought it might be prestini, but in searching about him it seems the only Prestini manufactureres just make reeds and not instruments. Or if they do make instruments nobody seems to sell them...

-Chad

Prestini did actually make oboes for a very short period of time. This I found out from a IDRS website.
Without a serial number I think you my be up proverbial creek.

I should have added that I think the clue is `modified`. If it was a Prestini that means it was made with the Prestini system which was and maybe still is in prominent use in Italy. The fact that is has been modified means that it probably was a Prestini oboe from ages ago and was modified to the French Conservatoire System.

Well at least now I can safely say that it is likely Prestini then. Anyone have any experience with this brand? To me it plays fine, but I am trying to decide whether to keep it in our band inventory or sell it to use toward a new instrument..

Thanks,
Chad