Taking an oboe retreat…
Sunday August 17 2008
This week I’m up in Bellingham/Seattle visiting my good friend Peter Hurd of oboes.us (who has a billion oboes here at the moment, and a billion and a half English Horns!) and working on some excerpts. Why did Mendelssohn and Rossini write such ridiculously tough stuff? Mendelssohn 3 is not coming along as fast as I need it.
On the upside, I picked up— A NEW… OBOE…!!! I bought my friend’s Howarth XL, a very fine instrument in mint condition. I’ve already named, him: Howard the Howarth. Fitting, eh?
Suvayd
Aug 18, 2008
Hey, Cooper, i’m getting a little bit confused here: just how many oboes do you own at this point??? Being a regular reader of your blog, I seem to remember several instances since last year where you said you’d chosen a new instrument, one being another Howarth a few weeks ago… As an ‘outsider’, I’m wondering: how many oboes does an oboist usually own?
Just curious… and BTW, I do think Howard is a pretty cute name for your new pal. 
Alan Lynch
Aug 25, 2008
Hey Cooper, I also just bought a Howarth XL in cocabola at the IDRS convention. It’s a fantastic oboe and I can also put myself into the “Loree royal convert” category. It is worth mentioning that I did buy a used c+3 Loree AK too at the convention. They both have distinct personalities, but for orchestral use I definitely lean towards the Howarth. The good news is, the Howarth is indeed reed-friendly. Enjoy your new toy, as I’m sure you won’t be finding anything better soon. Make sure to tell us how it affects your reed making. I had to adjust my current reeds a bit to get it to its full potential, although I still need more time to experiment with this. Also, the craftsmanship is phenomenal - I especially like the cocabola screwdriver =) ! ~ Alan
PS: (to answer Suvayd’s question) I sold my royal, so now I own two oboes. Two or three is normal since it is always nice to have a backup/resin oboe - although the nice folks at Howarth were telling me that Martin Schuring just bought another Howarth XL to make his second or third… apparently it sounds darker (common in new oboes)
migfyss
Jan 24, 2010
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Aug 17, 2008
Cooper,
I think Joe Robinson has opened a coffee shop somewhere up there. You might want to check it out. Last I heard he had settled in Blaine, just south of the Canadian border. Peter would probably know something about this.
Best,
john
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