All oboes were made of wood before the invention of plastic. In the hands of a skilled oboist, wood oboes produce exotic and musky notes. However, such rich tones come at a cost, as cracking and warping of the wood is a common problem with wood oboes. The pitch of the instrument can also be affected by humidity and air temperature. While a skilled musician understands how to care for the wood oboe’s climate needs and how to manipulate his embouchure to accommodate the oboe’s whims, a music student or infrequent band musician may find these nuances frustrating.
The oboe, a double-reed musical instrument that first appeared in the mid-17th century classical orchestra, is a member of the woodwind musical instruments family. Early boxwood oboes had three keys and were made of boxwood. Later, oboes were made from a variety of woods, including African blackwood, rosewood, violetwood, cocobolo, and ebony. Today, the most common material for the oboe is plastic. Even so, the rich intonations and sylvan resonance of the wood oboe are prized.
The supposedly best wood oboes were made of extremely fine hardwoods that are rarely found today. Oboes made before the 1970s are typically handcrafted from finer wood with tighter grains sourced from older trees. Newer wood oboes are typically made from younger trees, which are more prone to cracking and warping than older stock. A skilled craftsman can certainly repair cracks in the wood oboe with little or no discernible difference in sound quality. When cracks are well sealed, modern mucilage and bonding cements provide exceptional adhesion. As a result, a cracked wood oboe does not necessarily imply that the instrument is ruined.
Above all, the sound produced by the wood oboe is far superior to that produced by the plastic instrument. For some oboists, this alone is worth the upkeep and troublesome wood issues. Most oboe instructors advise students to avoid wood oboes because they require a lot of maintenance and are used frequently. Plastic oboes do not crack or warp, are simple to maintain and repair if they break, and are inexpensive as a first instrument. They should also be able to be stored for long periods of time between uses.
Wood may be preferred by experienced musicians, but only if the instrument is made of high-quality wood and is well-built. A low-cost wood oboe will produce a low-cost oboe sound at a higher price than a high-quality plastic or plexiglass oboe. The infrequent or beginner musician must therefore weigh the cost, maintenance requirements, and cracking and warping susceptibility of a wood oboe against the polished appearance and rich sounds it provides.