I was lucky enough to learn on a Laubin oboe. My high school randomly had one bought at a garage sale by the orchestra teacher for $25. The sound was incredible and even though my fingering was a little on the clumsy side I would always be placed 1st chair because of my sound.

Alas high school ended and I had to give the oboe back and I bought a Yamaha and I hated it - the sound was thin and whiny and I sounded terrible but it was all I could afford so I made the best of it and practiced re-creating the sound of my Laubin. Fast forward 12 years and I`m still playing it. A few months ago I was filling in for the regular oboist at this very small opera company in Manhattan and the English Horn player told the conductor I have the best sound he`s ever heard - on my student Yamaha horn mind you.

So my point is this. Buy whatever you want (EXCEPT PLASTIC - WE ARE A CIVILIZED PEOPLE!!!!) and then practice like crazy. Every instrument has a voice and it`s up to the musician to learn how to bring it out.

i had a similar experience with a laubin, except a much shorter time

my first teacher had a laubin that he let me play. . .he was even going to sell it to me, but the deal fell through when i got a new teacher

the feeling i got when i played that laubin was so . . . easy to make a good sound. the keys even felt silky as i played through a concerto or two

now i play on a somewhat lesser 12 yr old loree- still good, but nothing like that laubin that i played. i can still make what people say is a great sound on my loree, but not that peak that i achieved with taht laubin
it is a shame that paul laubin is swamped with orders so that more people could use these amazing instruments

What about the Lorilee? I have seen alot of those in ebay lately?

I learned to play on a Selmer, but that didn`t discourage me! I bought a used Laubin, #861, when I was 16, and it is the only oboe I have ever owned. It is a sweet, sweet instrument that is probably as old as I am, 49. I recommend Laubin highly, although I have recommended Fox models to my students for price and availability. They are also pretty sweet, and come in a nifty resin that mimics the subtle tones of wood quite nicely. Of course, if you can afford one, I would recommend a Loree, circa 1980 something. I`m not so sure about the brand new ones. They seem to lack some of the character of the older ones, but maybe I am being ageist. Just my $0.02 worth.

my Laubin is 932 greatest oboe i ever played, made around 1969

I still have my plastic Linton from high school, and rescently found a wooden Selmer at a garage sale for a steal. I have rescently begun playing in my church`s orchestra. Does anyone have an opinion on which is the better instrument?

I`ve always liked Selmer. The only experience I`ve had with a Linton is my school`s oboe. It had *so* many problems...but my director allowed me to take it home and so I fixed it all ~ except for the fact that the C - RH 1st pinky key - can`t hold itself .. I think it may have to do with the fact that there is not a screw in the post going through the C# key ~ but it does have a nice tone. I still like the Selmers the best though.
But in the long run it totally depends on whichever works best and seems best to you. Best of Luck!

Loree is the only way to go. I have played other brands, but have been very satisfied with my Loree for the past 4 years. Plus, they are used by 90% of professionals. That has to account for something! I`m looking to buy my own for college and if anything, I am buying a used Loree, because the new ones are around $6,000, and the used ones, in excellent condition, are still only around $3,500, and I have even seen one for only $2,800. Keep looking around! I guarantee that buying a good used Loree will be much more worth your money than a brand new plastic one.

we have a gordet conservatory model that we are interested in selling. it is in good to excellent condition but has not been used in the last few years but we would like to see it go to someone who would be interested. we would be in the $2000.00 price range. it anyone is interested you could call at 706-216-3455 we live in north georgia. the serial number is in the 700`s thanks

i`ve played flute since sixth grade and all through high school, but for a while i`ve been interested in trying the oboe, just for fun. my oboe experience consists of picking up my multi-instrumental friend`s oboe in her basement a couple years ago and her teaching me to play a scale. now i`m a soon-to-be-college freshman trying to find an affordable beginner oboe on ebay. any recommendations on what i should avoid?

I got an MCW and it`s a good oboe. It`s a step down from a lore-A man who worked for the company retired or something and then started his own company, MCW. DO NOT BUY A SELMER! I borrowed my school`s oboe a few years ago and it was bad.

I played a Selmer in my highschool and it wasn`t a bad instrument at all.

I think that the Oboe is such an expensive and unpopular (with the masses) instrument that you would be hard pressed to find a badly designed one while there are tons of horrible new flute brands in the world.

Rent and learn then try and buy!

What can you tell me about the larilee brand? Anyone ever tried it?

Well shoot. I just rented my first oboe this afternoon - a Selmer 123FB. I wouldn`t be too worried, but the money spent on its rental goes toward buying it, and I`d rather not buy such an expensive thing (for me) from a brand with such a bad reputation. I`m a little irked because the guy at the store told me it was wood, and it`s not...

Luckily I think I can switch instruments in the first 30 days, and I have my first lesson on Friday so I`ll ask my teacher as well.

Since I can`t commit to anything massively expensive, I noticed the FoxRenard 333 oboe is pretty inexpensive. Does anyone know anything about it? Or any others within a $2000 price range that`d be good?

Thanks. If only I`d found this forum a day earlier!

(same person as right above)

I also just noticed a Bulgheroni Student Model Oboe, which looks rather good and someone said worked wonderfully, (though it`s a bit more than my budget). There`s also the Larilee 400W Oboe...any thoughts would be very, very appreciated.

Basically, any oboes you know that are $2000 or less but are of good quality would be good to know about. :P I`d love to just buy one straight off, but with such a large purchase before even playing, my parents wouldn`t go for it.