Hey! I`m a pretty good oboist in 8th and have been playing since 6th grade. I haven`t taken private lessons yet, but hope to soon. I`m pretty serious about playing (I was first chair in our district band) and would really like a nice oboe that will get me through high school at least.

I currently have a used (the store CLAIMED it was new, but well, the store lied), plastic student model Selmer. I`d tell you more about it, but the logo rubbed off >.<

A very good senior I know recommended a Loree, but that seems a bit much, especially since they`re so expensive. The guy at our repair shop recommended a Fox 330 or 333, which I have heard are particularly good. I`ve also heard Yamaha makes pretty nice oboes.

Could you all give me some advice on the best oboe I could buy in my situation? Tell me anything you know - plastic vs. wooden, the best models, where to buy, and any website I could find the typical prices (so I can go to the store and ask what they can offer compared to those prices).

Thanks!

Try a Buffet oboes ,Greenline is nice
oboe,Yamaha is really good and less expencive,If you lucky you can get a Laubin even used they r great.
Ido not like Loree personaly so i am not recommending

I am not going to recommend which oboe is best for you because it is a personel choice, what one person likes may not be what you like, my suggestion is go to a music shop which stocks a variety of oboes and try them out, most music shops will let you do this, then if you like a particular one better compaired with the others then thats the right one for you..

Oboes are liike dogs, you have to find one that will fit your lifestyle (IE how long you plan to play it, your budget, how much you want to put into maintaining it)

Now I dont want to start and argument, but Buffet makes the best clarinets but not always the best oboes...I would recomend a Fox, its just an all around good oboe brand. they have wounderful professional models.

Hope this helps. Make sure you get to play whatever you buy before you buy it!

I have a Yamaha 411 that has been pretty good to me. The intonation is stable and it has a really lovely tone. I do wish however that the silver plating would have been a bit thicker because it`s beginning to pit in places. And I don`t normally have acidic skin that wears through plating (I played a Gemeinhardt flute with plated keys for many years without a problem). So that`s my only beef with the Yamaha. And maybe they`ve fixed this with the new models.

The "tone" here has been not to argue, and that is correct. Doesn`t Selmer make a good oboe? I can`t say right now, because I played it when I was in school and it was virtually indestructible, realistically I could tell that all the components were very solid, and it sounded very good - I really appreciated that.