My parents are finally letting me get a new oboe!(yay!) I have a few questions though:

1)What is a good brand? I have been looking at Loree, Fossati, and Fox online. They all looked pretty good to me. Are there any negative things about any of these brands?

2) Am I supposed to have my teacher try them before I buy one even if I really like it?

3) Do shops usually let you try more than 1 at a time?

Currently I have an intermediate plastic yamaha so I'm really excited to finally get a better instrument!

Thanks!

Abigail

Okay, let me see.....

1. Marigaux is also a well-known brand of oboe. There are negative things about any brand. Some Loree oboes sound very odd to me. The tone reminds me of a foghorn, but then my teacher has a Loree oboe that I really like. It resonates extremely well. It also depends on the particular instrument itself.

2. Yes, you should let your teacher inspect and play it before you finalize any purchases. It could have cracks in the head joint that you might not be able to see or other defects that you might not notice. Some stores though will let you put a down payment on an oboe, and give you a set number of days for your teacher to check it. If there's something wrong with it, you can return it and get your money back.

3. Yes, from where I've been.

Good luck oboe hunting!

go for a loree royal or fox. those would be your best, but try everything. those are just the two i prefer.

Rigoutat & Howarth are also very good.
It's a question of the sound that you like.
Good luck with the hunt.

Thanks for all the help! I will be going to try new instruments really soon! I can't wait! :D

Definately have your teacher try it first. Even if you think it plays all right, there could be some subtle things that'll come back to bit you later.
The only brands I can speak of and recommend are Fox and Loree. I really started, after using the school's crappy selmer for 2 years, on a Fox 330. It could produce a great sound (not by me at that point, but later), and had enough alternate fingerings to learn without bieng overwelming or unnecessary. It was plastic, but high quality, better than some wood ones I've tested.
My instructor later told my parents I needed a more professional horn, so I upgraded to a used Loree. They can last a LONG time if their previous owners have taken care of them. You have to be careful with temperature and humidity changes when working with wood, but the older the wood is the less likely it is to crack.
I've never heard of a shop letting you test more than one at a time, but I guess it would depend on the shop. Talk with your instructor. Although there are some generic music shops in town, I was told to go with a double reed specialist, or someone like woodwind-brasswind, who have specialists on hand. They'll fed-ex you the instruments to test. Generic shops usually have lesser quality and fewer choices, especially for double reeds, but that's a generalization. You may find a good shop that can help you.
Again I say- talk with your instructor. They're your most valuable resourse.

Ok, I just got back from oboe hunting! As of right now I have 3 that I am trying out: A new AK Loree, a used Loree, and a new fox 800. They are all really good, and it's hard to make a decision!

I've played on a used Loree, a new Loree and a Yamaha. I LOVE Loree's! I really liked the new Loree but it was not within my price range so I opted to get a cheaper used one.

right now I'm kind of leaning towards the used loree. It sounds the best out of all 3 (to me at least) and is also cheaper than the new loree by quite a bit, which is always nice . I'm going to see my teacher maybe tomorrow and see what she thinks.