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Old oboe - Adler Paris France?

Cholm468

Hello all,
I just picked up an older wood oboe. The only markings it has are a 5-digit SN, and a trade name on the bell. Adler Paris France, and a spread eagle. I've not been able to locate any info on this maker, except one similarly-described instrument in the National Music Museum at USD.

Any info or estimate of age?
 

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Based solely on the keywork I'd put it in the early 1900s or late 1800s-I bought a Puchner oboe on ebay recently with somewhat similar keywork to this one, except it had automatic octave keys and none of the right hand keys were plateaux, and it also has a low Bb compared to your B-that one is from the 1920s or 30s according to the seller.
The NMM one you mentioned has a significantly simpler key system than yours, and is probably by Frederic Guillaume Adler, who seems to have been active in the middle 3rd of the 19th century-it's possible that he was around later, though, or had a child or apprentice keeping his workshop going.
(I will note after I posted this I found a reference to him dying in 1854. If an oboe's got that complex of a keywork system, it's either top of the line from the last few years of his life, or made by a successor to him. Either that or someone confused two Adlers in what I've managed to find online.)
 
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Cool!

Truth be told, I am not an oboe player and dont know very much about keywork. What would this set of keywork be considered (terminology) and is it something that would be suitable to use, for instance, by a student in a school band?
 
It might be fairly good for a student, but there's a few caveats first.
First off: given its age, this might be made to high pitch, I *highly* recommend having an oboist or repairman check that first. If it's high pitch it can't be used with a modern ensemble.
Secondly, it's not a full conservatory system, it might be better for a student a little while down the road to look at an oboe with a low Bb and left hand F. (It might be a thumbplate system, also, I can't see the back, if it is it has a large plate on the back. Some teachers dislike that system, apparently; it's mainly used in europe.)

Basically taking it to a tech or a good oboist to evaluate it seems like the best option for that. If it's high pitch it's not useable for much other than a museum piece or for playing in a Historically Informed Performance group. (Which wouldn't be in a school band, other than in some colleges.)
 
Hmm. I've went out to our library and found our copy of the New Langwill Index, the only Adler in Paris is in fact F. G. Adler, who died in 1854, who was then succeded by G. Schubert until 1857. Probably from tail end of that period if Paris.
 
Cholm468 said:
Cool!

Truth be told, I am not an oboe player and dont know very much about keywork. What would this set of keywork be considered (terminology) and is it something that would be suitable to use, for instance, by a student in a school band?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I just realized I didn't answer your first question, just the second.
This is a Triebert system 6. Nowadays, most oboes are 6bis ("Conservatory") system. Main difference is ring keys vs plateaux keys.
 
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