AW Imperial Oboe

Rediscover tradition with the Imperial oboe. The Imperial is designed to satisfy musicians who value clarity of expression. The bore design harks back to the traditional instruments of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Whether your artistic home is Cleveland, London or Munich, you will find the Imperial oboe to be your artistic compass.

The Imperial oboe is a semi-automatic Conservatoire system oboe made with the highest quality materials. Sturdy nickel silver keys are plated with a thick layer of silver plate. The wooden bodies are made from selected seasoned blackwood with tenons and sockets lined with precision metal linings. Pads, springs and screws are made from the highest quality materials. The Imperial oboe is supplied in a quality leather-bound case.


AW Imperial oboe features:

  1. Full Gillet Conservatory system with 3rd octave key i.e.FULL PROFESSIONAL CONSERVATOIRE SYSTEM with semi-automatic octave keys
  2. Body in seasoned Grenadilla wood
  3. Metal tenon socket linings and tenon protectors
  4. Robust nickel silver keys with thick silver plating
  5. Undercut tone holes
  6. Larger bore than REGAL model for traditional projection and sound
  7. Supplied in classic style wood/leather case with synthetic case cover
  8. Traditional French tuning scale
  9. Rich ‘blooming’ sound
  10. 1 year warranty

What is the difference between the Imperial and Regal?

REGAL

  • The tone holes for low D and low C are positioned higher on the bottom joint
  • The bell has a special key with 2 adjusting screws. There is a link from the low B key to the bell key to open the bell vent pad ( the lowest pad on the oboe bell) for low B as well as low Bb. Most oboes only open the bell vent for low Bb. ( like the Imperial). Please note: this is the same as Marigaux oboes and Josef (Japan) oboes.
  • The Regal has an adjustable thumb rest
  • The Regal has a more expensive looking case (snakeskin pattern leather)
  • The Regal has narrow undercutting of the tone holes
  • The Regal has a narrow bore

IMPERIAL

  • The imperial is a full professional model oboe like the Regal, except it has a standard bell key
  • The key work system is a full Conservatoire system (like the Regal)
  • The bore is a fraction wider than the Regal
  • The undercutting of the tone holes is steeper (wider) than the Regal
  • Both oboes are made of the same sourced African blackwood (from German supplier)
  • Both oboes have keys made from the same materials and the same silver plate