The 'boe

Clarinets are a dime a dozen, but even the cheaper oboes in good condition sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. They’re not much more complicated than a clarinet, but their relative scarcity probably accounts for the price disparity. A few weeks ago I finally found a fixer-upper on Ebay for a couple hundred dollars. I spend a weekend rehauling it. After complete disassembly, thorough cleaning, repadding, recorking, oiling and adjusting it looked pretty good.

It didn’t sound so good, though. I was a little disenchanted with how difficult it was to play. The embature has to be spot-on, the resistance to blowing through such a tiny read is tremendous, the tiny speaker (?) holes near the reed often get plugged with moisture, the fingering is awkward and the reeds have to be hand-made. This is a very “high maintenance” instrument that requires the dedication of a committed musician. So I decided to flip it. A lot of instruments have passed through my hands, but this is actually the first one I sell. I just sold it for nearly three times what I paid for it. Wow.



Here are some pics. I think the "before" and "after" ones are easily identifiable.



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