Unlike our string-player friends – whose instruments will probably outlast them and sound even better as time goes on – our instruments are more likely to decline to a point unusable to a serious musician long before our own expiration date comes. The lifespan of an oboe varies depending on many factors, some of which are controversial in the oboe world and different oboists have different preferences and ideas about how long an oboe lasts and what age is good or bad to continue playing.
The general consensus is that an oboe will last a regular player approximately twenty years and still be in good condition. Some professional players will buy a new oboe at least every five years and some will not go longer than two before getting a new instrument!
The problems that an oboe develops with age are:
- Binding keys caused by changes in the wood as it reacts to temperature and moisture which changes the balance of the keys and rods and how they function together.
- Splits in the wood that can eventually form even in the very dense wood used to make oboes.
- Weakening springs in the key work caused by age and the metal wearing down.
- Blowing out or a change in the shape of the bore that changes the oboes tone and ability to project. This is a disputed occurrence among oboists. Anecdotal evidence says that something changes in an oboe that negatively affects its performance while some have measured the bores of oboes new and then old and say this is not a real phenomenon.
- Changes to the shape of the tone holes can also happen from the shifts in the wood that can negatively affect the oboes sound and function and even whether the keys seal.
Helping your oboe last as long as possible requires consistency in the basic maintenance of the oboe that we are all taught but are not always very careful to do.
- Swab the oboe regularly. At the end of every practice and performance at least and multiple times within those sessions is optimal. The less your oboe is sitting in excess moisture, the better.
- Keep a humidifier in your case and consider using one in the room your oboe is stored in as well if you live in a dry climate. This may sound like the opposite of the last point, but just like you don’t want the wood to be too wet, you also don’t want it to be too dry as both conditions will cause the wood to either expand or contract too much in reaction and cause problems.
- Grease the key work regularly and check the keys regularly to make sure they are moving smoothly as they should. This type of maintenance may also involve a few turns of some of your screws if you know what you are doing.
- Avoid extreme temperatures and included in that is too avoid any sudden changes in temperature. Try to keep your oboe in room temperature environments as much as possible. Don’t leave it in a car during hot or freezing weather or anytime really unless you are sure the inside of the car will stay perfect because it is not in the sun, cold enough for a coat outside, hot enough to make you sweat, etc.
- Take your oboe for check ups at a reputable oboe repair shop about once a year to catch any problems you might not have noticed and prevent damage that could occur from overlooked but needed adjustments.
An aged oboe may be able to have its key work partially or completely replaced to give it a new life, but this is not cheap and it may not be worth it depending on the condition of the bore of the instrument. There are professional oboists who actually prefer “vintage” instruments over twenty years old, so there is hope that your oboe will last a long time if you take good care of it! How often you play – or whether or not you do so professionally – and your own preference for what an oboe should sound like when you play it will determine if an oboe is still working for you and when it is time to get a new one.
Have you ever played on a very old oboe? Was it a good or bad experience?