Oboe Rental Guide [2024] - Oboe Teacher Recommended
Introduction
If you are a beginner or intermediate student looking to play oboe in band and/or take private oboe lessons, you will likely need an oboe rental to get started. Unless you have access to a school instrument or the budget to purchase a new one, you will want to find an oboe rental online to get started.
As a professional oboist and private oboe instructor for the past 10+ years, this article is a guide to renting your first oboe. I will cover the difference between renting and buying an oboe (and when to consider each), suggested brands to avoid, recommended providers (that specialist in oboe and double reed instruments), and additional resources.
Key Take Aways
If you are just getting started, it is more cost effective to rent an oboe your first year and purchase an oboe in your second year, or later, when you get more serious.
If you are a student, ask your school program about borrowing an instrument. Many have them available.
I personally recommend Yamaha or Fox for beginners. I do not recommend Selmer or Juniper, as these instruments don’t play well, in my experience.
I recommend renting your oboe from a provider that specializes in double reeds such as Midwest Musical Imports, RDG Woodwinds, or Forrests Music. I am not affiliated with these companies—but I’ve used them extensively over the years and highly recommend them.
Table of Contents
What is an Oboe
An oboe is a common instrument in band and orchestra ensembles. As defined from the Oxford Languages oboe is “a woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body, and holes stopped by keys”. It is a woodwind instrument, which means you need to blow wind through the instrument to make sound.
The “mouthpiece” is a double reed. This is two pieces of cane tied together and scraped in a particular way to create a unique and beautiful sound. Double reeds can be temperamental and challenging as they are extremely thin, break easily, and change with altitude and weather. However, the instrument can be incredibly rewarding. With a well-maintained instrument, hand-made reeds, and the guidance of a private instructor, the instrument can be as easy to learn as any woodwind instrument.
Getting an Oboe on Loan from Your School
If you are a student in middle school, high school, or college, your band program should have instruments available to you that are free of charge. Not all music programs have the funding for instruments, but always start by asking!
It is important to keep in mind many school programs don’t have the funding for regular maintenance. While the school music program is a good place to start, keep in mind the instruments available may only be beginner instruments, they may not have been worked on in a while, and if they are wood, they may have cracks.
If possible, make sure your school instrument has been to a specialized double reed repair technician within the past year. If you aren’t sure, have your private teacher play-test your oboe and give you an idea of how well it is playing.
If you are an adult student, you may be able to borrow a school oboe from a local program, but most likely you will need to look for an oboe rental online.
Renting vs Buying: Oboe Rental Cost vs Oboe Cost (purchase an oboe)
Renting an Oboe
Renting an oboe can be very cost effective in the short term. However, after about a year or two of playing the oboe, if you are serious about continuing, you may want to consider purchasing an instrument.
The oboe rental cost is typically between $40-$150 per month. Beginner oboes will be around $40 per month and intermediate oboes start around $150 per month.
Purchasing an Oboe
The cost of a used beginner oboe will start around $1,500 USD. Used intermediate oboes typically range between $2,500-$3,500. You will want to spend at least $4,200 or more for an advanced high school or pre-college student.
Recommended Oboe Brands
Over the past 10+ years of teaching oboe lessons, I have found certain brands such as Selmer or Juniper to be cheap and difficult to play on. Therefore, if given a choice, there are particular oboe brands I recommend you rent.
Oboe brands for Beginners
For beginner oboe players, I recommend Yamaha or Fox. Always choose a plastic oboe to prevent cracking. Beginner oboists don’t need the dynamic range and tone of a wood oboe. The risk of cracking isn’t worth it. However, when possible, always rent an oboe with a Left-F. This is often excluded from beginner models. I find this unfortunate as I start teaching Left-F immediately in lessons. Otherwise the student has to re-learn these fingerings later.
Oboe Brands for Intermediate Players
For intermediate oboe players, I recommend Fox, Yamaha, Loree, or Howarth. Fox and Howarth tend to be great intermediate instruments. They have a fair price point, are easy to play on, and are a popular choice for most high school students and adult armatures!
Required Accessories
Most oboe rentals will come with the essential maintenance accessories. If your instrument doesn’t, be sure to also purchase the following:
Reed Case: While this is not usually included with an oboe rental, I believe an oboe reed case is required accessory. Storing your reeds in the “plastic tubes” that they come in will cause them to mold. A proper oboe reed case will provide airflow and help prolong the life of your oboe reeds.
Oboe Swab: It is essential you swab your oboe every single time you play. On wood oboes, this will prevent cracking, and on all oboes, it will prevent sticky keys, water in the keys, and help keep the oboe in good playing condition.
I don’t recommend feathers. The debris can get stuck in the keys and between the pads causing leaks. Instead, purchase a nice cotton swab or oboe silk swab. Be careful not to pull “pull through” swabs all the way through. They can get stuck (even though they are called “pull through” swabs).
Cork Grease: Putting some cork grease on the tendons every once in a while, will keep them from cracking. Cork grease can also be used on the cork of your reed to help it slip in and out of the reed-well with more ease.
Oboe Stand (optional): While an oboe stand is optional, it can be helpful for practice sessions. In general, you don’t want to place your oboe face down or key-side down on any kind of surface. This can bend the keys and cause the oboe not to play correctly.
Additional Resources for Oboe Playing
Here is a list of free articles I have written over the years for my own students.
List of Recommended Oboe Rental Providers – From a Professional Oboe Teacher
I recommend renting your oboe or English horn from the following specialized double reed companies. While there may be other cheaper options online, you get what you pay for. These online oboe rental providers will have the best models available and they will be in excellent playing condition.
Conclusion
An oboe rental can be a great way to get started with oboe lessons or your school band program. It is an incredible instrument with a unique and magical tone. Getting started on oboe can be challenging, so it is a good idea to borrow an oboe from your school program or rent an oboe online before making a large purchase. Even used oboes are quite expensive and it is a bit of a financial investment.
