I bought a $4500 oboe for $35

I can't believe how much of a bargain this was...
Today we take a look at a 10-year-old oboe that I bought for just £30!! This is a Howarth S40C+TP oboe, made by one of the most reputable oboe manufacturers in the world.
Sure, I don't know how to play the oboe... but I know how to sell an instrument. So, what do you reckon we'll get for this?
Chapters
I know nothing about oboe: 0:00
Context: 0:21
Checking out the instrument: 2:23
What does Howarth think: 3:27
In need of a repair?: 4:39
My thoughts on selling: 8:24
Erm... so we sold it already: 10:51
The moral of the story: 12:21
Check us out on Instagram: / saxandson
#oboe #howarth #S40c #music #classical #woodwind #reed

[@CrabRango]

That second hand shop either still has no idea of the fact that they basically scammed themselves, or they're punching the air right now lol

[@SaxSon]

I think they had no idea what instrument they had, or the value of it, although that much is obvious. Unfortunately, non-musicians typically don't know much about high-value instruments, and probably wouldn't know how to identify one. Really sucks for them in this case, but they'll probably never know what could have been!

[@EdenStoneReal]

Wow. If only I found a bari sax for 30 bucks

[@nickbarrow2805]

If only I could find a bass sax for $100.

[@SaxSon]

That would be the dream...

[@richr0b375]

I found one for 5k 😔

[@thatshoeguy8244]

Ye

[@nlikdz]

@@richr0b375 singers day and Jean Paul are 2800

[@erickcruz9608]

Honestly this is a huge steal. I would be so thrilled if I managed to come across such a find. It's the equivalent of coming across a Loree in a Goodwill for 50 bucks. Howarth is one of the golden standards of oboe makers in the world of oboe, along with Loree, Yamaha, Laubin, Hans Kreul, Marigaux, and so on. I want you to understand, coming from an oboist of 11+ years, that finding a deal on an oboe of this quality is unheard of. Get it overhauled and appraised, and you can make yourself some money. A student would absolutely die to get their hands on this oboe.

[@so_much_for_jj]

As a a student, I can confirm that I would die to get my hands on it 😂

[@blakeefkeman9412]

I saw this and died

[@DrQuizzler]

As a former oboist, this all sounds pretty amazing. I saw the left-hand F and that was enough for me. It certainly sounds like a deal. I think in your place I would have given it a bit of a checkout with the help of a local oboist playing through its range to confirm what the tone and leak situation was or wasn't, and that would have influenced the price I set. btw, I'm the opposite of you. I studied sax before oboe, but I played like Lucy Ricardo. When I switched to the oboe that same summer, it's like the sun came out and a choir went "AAAHH!!". It's a super high maintenance instrument, and reed making is time consuming on a mammoth scale, so maybe the prior owner quit for those reasons, or was broke. That's why I sold mine back in the day, but nowadays I have my EWI set to oboe fingerings. Great story!!

[@DrBovdin]

Seems as if everyone (except for maybe the second hand shop) got a great deal from this. Someone will be happy to get a competent instrument for maybe half the amount of money they were were willing to part with, and you and your mum got a good reward for essentially saving the instrument. Great story 😊

[@JustClaude13]

A set of synthetic reeds can be bought fairly cheap on Amazon if you aren't looking for professional grade. And I think it would be worth the trouble to try to learn a new instrument, since you have it. Sadly, my attempt has been hampered by a lack of time and a tendency to be distracted by the cornet halfway through practice. But sometimes I make very oboe sounding music.

[@domingopartida5812]

Here in the US at a thrift store, I found a baroque style alto recorder made by Mock, a German company, for $3 and is worth at least $200. It was sitting in the wood and crafts section without a case. I also found a bodhran made by instrument maker Malachy Kearns, also for like $5, but it looks like an older instrument from an older location according to the address hand written underneath on wood frame, it isn't the same as the current instrument shop. Anyway, these kinds of experiences are always fun!

[@chrisperyagh]

Bloody hell! that's the bargain of the millennium you've got there! I used to be a finisher for Howarth in their Worthing factory where I used to finish their oboes, cors and d'amores of all levels (S10 oboes through to XL cors back then) and still do servicing and overhauls on oboes, clarinets and saxes. The S40c+TP+3rd is their equivalent of the Cabart 74 and Rigoutat RIEC. It's a dual system semi pro level oboe and has pretty much everything you'd find on a pro level oboe except the RH3 split D#-E trill mechanism. Cracks aren't the end of the world - they can be pinned or carbon fibre banded and chances are the original cracked top joint once repaired will play better once it has been repaired and you won't have the hassle of having to play it in all over again if you had a top joint transplant. The two side keys on the top joint are the G-Ab trill (lower, longer one) and the overlapping (upper) one is the Ab-Bb trill. It's a dual system oboe, so you can use both thumbplate and conservatoire fingerings on it. Thumbplate C (left thumb off, xoo|ooo) has a much fuller tone than the conservatoire C (xoo|xoo) and conservatoire Bb (xxo|xoo) has a much better tone than the thumbplate Bb fingering (left thumb off, xxo|ooo) plus you can do G-Bb and G-C tremolos much easier with your left thumb off the thumbplate and trill LH finger 3 (for G-Bb) or LH fingers 2 and 3 (for G-C). The fingerings on oboes are all tits up compared to saxes, flutes and clarinets, but both oboes and saxes physically behave in the same way as they both have a conical bore and overblow an 8ve as well as you'll have to switch the lower and upper 8ve keys when you play upper register G-A (and G#-A) when saxes do that automatically. There are German spec oboes with fully automatic 8ves and while I was working for Howarth, I designed a much simpler and more reliable fully automatic 8ve mechanism for the German spec S40c which is more like a sax 8ve mechanism: howarthlondon.com/pic.aspx?vid=12758

[@ericoschmitt]

Can you explain why the hell Boehm system oboes were not fully developed and more popular? I remember seeing one in a museum many years ago while travelling with my orchestra, and nobody noticed it was a boehm oboe! Boehm just makes more sense. And bassoons make no sense at all.

[@chrisperyagh]

@@ericoschmitt Boehm or Sax system oboes and cors would definitely make life a million times easier. Think how relatively easy saxes are to play compared to oboes. I've mentioned sax fingered oboes (which have been made, as well as Boehm systems) but for some strange reason, I got shot down in flames by oboists complaining that it's not traditional or it's cheating as it seems the die-hard oboists are far too stuck in their ways instead of progressing. I wonder if Klose and Buffet faced a similar backlash with their complete redesign of the clarinet back in the 1840s which is the most popular system across the world. Even some German and Austrian players play Boehm systems and they're deeply intrenched in German and Oehler system country (and their orchestras specify those systems over Boehm). It does make more sense to develop a Boehm/Sax-system oboe (and all other sizes), but the biggest problem is the T-word - 'tradition'. I've been using Legere reeds on oboe and you'd have thought the world was about to end with the reaction from some people who think the only way forward is backwards.

[@ericoschmitt]

@@chrisperyagh Yep probably tradition, same reason why piano keyboards are not in the Janko chromatic style. I wrote a whole essay on that keyboard and the japanese Chromatone. Yet individual wind instruments can be carried anywhere as opposed to pianos. Honestly nowadays we could make wind instruments with key pads actuated by relay/magnets and controlled by any midi controller, making any wind instrument to be fingered however a musician likes.

[@chrisperyagh]

@@ericoschmitt If you think both oboes and saxes have the same physics behind them and behave in pretty much the same way (the construction of tone generator being a pretty minor difference), the natural progression would've been a much better keywork system instead of one that's developed over time since the Baroque era oboes (similarly to how the Oehler system clarinet can trace its lineage right back to the Classical era 5 key clarinets). I find it strange that saxes tend to get lumped in with clarinets when it's only the single reed mouthpiece that's the common factor when both instruments are about as far removed from one another in pretty much every other respect. Saxes are effectively large bore shawms. If you put a single reed mouthpiece on an oboe, it still plays and sounds like an oboe. I'm sure if there's a double reed that will fit a soprano sax, then it won't sound all that different. I bought a Runyon bassoon mouthpiece and that fits and works on my contrabassoon a treat (and uses Eb clarinet reeds). Duduks and clarinets have more in common with each other (both are cylindrical bore coupled with either a double or single reed) even though the duduk is double reed and the clarinet is single reed and if a duduk reed was fitted to a clarinet or a single reed mouthpiece fitted to a duduk, they'd still behave in the same manner even if the tone might be slightly altered.

[@ericoschmitt]

@@chrisperyagh I didnt know there were single reed mouthpiece s for basson! Are those made for this use or you adapted? I remember I tried french horn mouthpiece on trumped and loved the sound. Also tried a bassoon reed I had on it and it worked too. Well I played bari sax for some years and had a clarinet for a few months, the basic keys were similar enough to me, mostly the pinky keys changed a lot... But what do you think of midi controlled electric keys? Such instrument could have all the keypads mapped to a single midi key, so high register cross fingering wouldnt exist anymore. I guess the most practical for a prototype would be a metal bass 'clarinet' as its cylindrical and with good range.

[@1015SaturdayNight]

Please please please check stolen instrument lists in case this was stolen and see if the original owner is looking for this instrument 😢

[@Jwellsuhhuh]

Where do you find stolen instrument lists lol

[@SaxSon]

Thank you so much for pointing this out - it didn't even cross my mind to check this (I suppose I just assumed this was acquired through safe means). I have spent some time looking at stolen instrument lists in the UK and city-wide for Manchester and, thankfully, I can't see this model oboe, or serial number. I'll keep my eyes peeled, though, and hopefully there's been no foul play with this instrument. Thanks again for bringing this up!

[@kinjaboy]

@@SaxSon Try contacting local Howarth dealers; they might have more information.

[@theresamnsota3925]

The International Double Reed Society publishes a stolen instrument list for double reed players.

[@sgreatwood]

That was my first thought - I found a Howarth oboe in a secondhand shop years ago, also listed as a clarinet. Was definitely stolen, as I was doing a teaching placement at the time, with the owner!

[@dees3179]

Hell of a bargain. I have a howarth, it’s built like a tank. So was the previous one! Excellent find, well done mum. Repair team are excellent at howarth.

[@databits]

Enjoyed your video! Nice find there! :D

[@so_much_for_jj]

bRuh I would die of happiness on the SPOT if I saw an oboe/English horn for sale at a secondhand shop!!! I love oboes so much and I have an amazing Yamaha oboe but I would totally collect double reed/oboe family instruments if I had the money! I’m fully broke with no job (dw I’m still a high schooler so I don’t need one to live off of lol) but I have 2 oboes, my wooden Yamaha one and my old resin student model, and honestly one of my biggest wishes is to collect more! If I had an English horn, I would name it Mourning Dove :)

[@so_much_for_jj]

My old oboe is named Bentley “Old Reliable” because I had it for 5 years playing every week with no major issues besides a bent Eb key (hence the name Bent-lEy lol). I haven’t come up with a name for my current one, but I’m hoping to think of a good one too!

[@blakeefkeman9412]

I love my Fox but I would kill to get my hands on a Howarth

[@chichow08]

That’s an excellent find. I found a Conn (with a straight neck) C Melody Saxophone for $10 at the flea market. All I had to do was buy a Tenor Sax mouthpiece and reed for it. It played well, too (for a brass player playing a Saxophone).

[@MusicMediccom]

Cool video!

[@neuron_star]

This is the exact oboe I play on (minus the thumb plate beneath the octave key, that's cool) and from the video, it looks like you got something really great! Like you said if anyone wants to play on it, you might want to bring it to a pro to check it's adjustment. They would also have a reed to test the sound. Otherwise congratulations! I wish my 4k S40C was only 35 pounds 😂😭

[@wiejetze8397]

I don't play oboe but I'm an instrument lover and semi collector and player of several instruments. Stories like that are almost unbelievable. Praises to your mum! Sometimes the luck is on your side. Really mysterious how anybody could sell this oboe for this ridiculous price... However... my concratulations to this bargain and thank you for sharing this experience with us! It's a nice christmas gift, isn't it. And a wonderful christmas tale too!

[@Shkibs]

so that's how Lockpicking Lawyer looks like!

[@keefe_p]

we usually wouldn't use half the buttons on it lol tbf it is odd looking

[@imbored4412]

i own a s40c and its amazing

[@whomadethis_name]

If only I could get a Tenor sax for 20 bucks

[@theresamnsota3925]

As a saxophone player, you should consider learning the oboe. The fingering is almost the same…however F and F# are “backwards” in the right hand. At least that’s what I found in woodwinds methods as an oboe player.

[@sameash3153]

Second hand shops do this a lot. They have no idea how much instruments are worth, they always give the sellers low offers, and if the sellers are desperate they will take it. Of course the flip side of this is you often have no idea whether any of the instruments are in playing condition. But even so, cost of the instrument and repairs may be cheaper (usually are unless the instrument is totally trashed) than new instruments

[@michaelshelley1289]

this gives you a reason to learn the instrument!!! it is a wonderful horn......please enjoy it!!!

[@dcallan812]

It might be worth getting it sorted out and serviced. BUT keep the receipt to show the new owner. It might give it more of a premium.

[@Nyomin09]

This is so funny, considering i play clarinet and saxophone and button placements aren't very different, i completely understand this instrument, but to watch you be confused gave me a good laugh

[@SaxSon]

I play clarinet and saxophone too! I suppose the main finger holes make sense to me, but there are so many side keys that I couldn't figure out... Oboe hurts my brain haha! Glad to have provided a laugh, and thanks for watching :)

[@cassio2999]

What did you sell it for??

[@romanchomenko2912]

You need to observe the whole system for cracking Black African wood is notoriously when different temperatures change so using a powerful magnifying glass. A service by Howorth will cost you 1000 pounds.

[@laurenwilcox9656]

Can? Can I have it? I've wanted one of these since I started playing seriously. ❤️

[@davidnaden]

An excellent find, but you undersold yourself. No matter, as congratulations are in order...

[@NeilABliss]

Fingering not that far from Sax.... so it's really just the embouchure...worth getting a reed. You can do it. A sax player that doubles oboe is a called musician.

[@franberrocal2798]

if only people cound diferences between oboe and clarinet

[@Gigglypeach]

TP means thumb plate, all British oboes are made with this, instead of the 'conservatoire' system of two overlapping keys favoured, well, everywhere else. The whole fingering system is different (more similar to flutes, saxes and recorders). Most models from any brand can be adapted to this system: I have a french oboe that Howarths added a thumb plate too. Professional oboes will have a dual system of both, which incorporates a few conservatoire fingerings and trill keys.

[@homeofcreation]

It was used in a nuclear explosion experiment and highly radioactive.

[@peterj2941]

😆 Goon on you

[@sifridbassoon]

I am sure it needs to be looked at by a good instrument repairman. double reed instruments are notorious for leaking air, and oboes in particular are very picky. if you think you might ever want to play it, get it checked out. a leaky oboe is tremendously frustrating to play. otherwise, congratulations!

[@colby722]

I'm confused on how this even happened. There is no way the second hand shop bought that for more than 50 bucks with a 30 dollar tag. So that means someone sold it for wayyyyyyyy less than they bought it for. And a 2012 instrument on top of all of it...

[@MadMajor86]

Could be an Estate sale. A friend of mine once bought a $2500 Flugelhorn for $50 from an Estate sale. He wanted to make a lamp out of it. I bought it from him for $50 + another item I had.

[@yufuyoshimura5426]

I have never seen such strange octave keys on the oboe. What does the third one even do? Is it a British thing?

[@SaxSon]

I believe that the "+TP" part of this model reflects the fact that there's an extra octave key/thumb plate (although that's pure conjecture). But perhaps it's a specific thing that Howarth does with their instruments? I can't for the life of me think about what that'd be used for, unless it's to go mega high on the instrument. Hopefully an oboe player will pass by the video and be able to help!

[@leonietzd6778]

I've played oboe for around 8 years,and even if I'm not a good player and I haven't came across a lot of different oboes in my life, I've never seen that either. I'm talking first about that plate, but well why not. But the octave keys are usually not positionned like that. There usally is thefirst one, and the scond (shorter) one over it. So I can't give an answer, just say tht its also confusing for some oboe players

[@leonietzd6778]

So I've een doing some reaserch vry quickly. As he said, TP is for thumb plate, and it has an effect on some fingering (C and B flat). From what I've seen it mainly exists in England which explains why I never heard about it (I live in France). And the position of the octave key also seems to be linked to the thumplate. When there's one the third octave key will be next to the first one, and over it without thumbplate.

[@erickcruz9608]

It's reminiscent of the Prestini system for oboe, which employs a similar thumbplate fingering system which allows you to play low B without having to make the usual fingering for it. It's typically seen in Prestini and Incagnioli oboe makers. They aren't very common.

[@tkat6442]

@@SaxSon the TP does stand for thumb plate, and is related to the fingerings for Bb and C (that's the lowermost touchpiece on the back). Because of how important that key is in that fingering system, both octave keys on the back, the 1st and 3rd as they're called, must be accessable from the thumbplate, so they are side by side, instead of one farther up than the other as on a conservatory (no thumbplate) system. Btw, the 2nd octave (sometimes called side octave) is operated by the side of the index finger, much like the high D# key on the saxophone. All oboes have a 1st and 2nd octave (unless they have a fully automatic octave mechanism, good for a sax, not so good for an oboe). 3rd octave is becoming more common in recent years but is not universal. A good oboe can get the high notes out fine without it, but having it gives you more fingering options, so you can choose fingerings for their suitability for a particular tone, response, or pitch as the need arises.

[@dylanmenzies3973]

I bought my Conn alto for $20 in a Goodwill store - the mouthpiece was stuck in the bore. Everyone comments what a great retro sound it has compared with modern altos. I use a bright metal mouthpiece to balance it out.

[@dudemaster8575]

I hope, that this instrument was somebody's grandfather, and it wasn't stolen.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

That's a great deal for everyone involved. Buy your mum dinner.

[@aliphamarrel1979]

If it's worth $4500 new, you could still sell it for a minimum $3000. That's a lot of money.

[@tonytramonti5828]

I’m polish, in my country I find a Tatamovich c200 clarineto worth 1.5 million pounds for 55p, I buy , I sell , now I have 2 whore house, a casino, and 2 polish sausage factories, I’m richest man in my town, like betman.

[@HahnJames]

Half of 3650 is 1825.

[@SaxSon]

Ha! Yes, while I was editing I realised how far off I was! Maths was never my strong suit 😜

[@fabmanly1070]

Wow my 15 year old son is looking for one. How much did you want. Could you pack and send it down to New Zealand.

[@catesandy]

Hey, as an Australian oboist I’d recommend you get a conservatoire model/ a student model without a thumb plate as they’re very uncommon across aus/nz and it would be very inconvenient to learn with as it uses a different fingering system!! Good luck :)