Howarth S20C Intermediate Oboe

Special Order Item
We only do the S20C model on special order. We stock the S40C model and highly encourage considering the upgrade as the S40C is a better overall instrument for most player’s needs.
If you are interested in this item, please contact us.
e-mail: music@kesslermusic.com
phone: Toll Free at 1-888-830-0474
– Mon-Fri 9:30-6:00 & Sat 9:30-4:00 West Coast Time

Description
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Howarth S20C Conservatory Intermediate Oboe

The Howarth oboes are the current best offering for players & parents who are in need of a high quality oboe but need to be conscience of the price. Howarth oboes are manufactured in London using exceptionally well seasoned Grenadilla wood and are built with impeccable quality. The Howarth S20C is the entry level conservatory oboe in their line and offers a perfect blend of value and quality.

Designed for the advancing student player who needs a great playing instrument without sacrifice, the S20C has an excellent tone and reliable tuning while offering the majority of the key mechanisms from the conservatory system. Key touches are left closed to make the S20C easier on players with smaller hands.

Material Configuration Options
The Howarth S20C is available in 4 material configurations. While Grenadilla wood is the “standard” for oboes, it also has the risk of cracking just like any wood instrument can. As a result, Howarth offers 4 configurations of materials that the S20C can be made in.

All Wood – The standard
All Wood with partial upper joint bore liner
Synthetic Upper Joint with Wood Lower Joint & Bell
All Synthetic body parts

While wood is the standard option, all 3 of the other options offer superior durability.

Additional Information

Conservatory Based Key System
The Howarth S20C features a modern conservatory key system with MANY of the professional features that customers and teachers are looking for. This model includes:

Left Hand F
Low Bb (with vent)
Triple Octave (semi-automatic, US standard)
Articulated C#

Optional Bore Liner (“Velvet Throat”)
The Howarth S20C is made from a wonderfully seasoned Grenadilla wood that we find exceptionally reliable. Regardless of the quality of the wood or maintenance, there is always the risk of cracking. How you care for your oboe can greatly decrease the risk of cracking, but unfortunately cannot fully eliminate it.

To combat the risk of cracking, Howarth offers an optional bore liner in the upper section of the upper joint to greatly reduce the risk of cracking. They refer to this as a “Velvet Throat”. We highly recommend the lined joint, so much so that it is the only way we stock the S20C oboe! Below is a cross section of a Howarth upper joint with the Velvet Throat partial bore liner installed:

As you can see in the illustration, the liner does not go through the entire joint, but instead through the upper part of the joint. This is because the heavy majority of cracks occur in this section of the joint. With the liner installed, we have not seen a single on of the Howarth oboes crack to date! This does not mean that they cannot crack, but with this option installed, along with proper maintenance by the player, the oboe should provide the perfect combination of durability and tonal performance! Models with the bore liner are denoted with a “-VT” in the official part number for the oboe.

Reed Recommendations
The Howarth S20C oboe is very reed friendly. Regardless of scrape or cut, any good quality reed should work well on the Howarth S20C. Generally, we recommend a more resonant cut reed such as our Kessler Custom Artist reeds in any strength.

American scrape reeds also work well for a more focused tone.

Professional Setup
Every Howarth S20C oboe we send out to a customer is not released from us unless it has been completely setup in our shop first. This is because the setup on any oboe is of the utmost importance! Sometimes, an instrument (regardless of who the manufacturer or the price point is) comes in needing 20 minutes of adjustments and then the very next one can require 2 hours!

This is why we perform our setup in our ProShop on your new Howarth S20C before delivering it to you. You trust us with your purchase and we want to make sure that you are rewarded by giving you your new oboe setup flawlessly!

Financing Available

Multiple Financing Options Available!

We have a myriad of different financing options available for your new instrument! From affordable monthly payments over a longer period of time to other options that can include 0% Interest or Deferred Interest options, we can help find a way to make the instrument of your dreams become the instrument of your reality! Give us a call!

United Midwest Savings Bank

UMWSB offers flexible, long term financing with term lengths of up to 60 months at an affordable 12.99% APR. Better yet, their financing has No Pre-Payment Penalty so you can pay off your balance at anytime and only pay for the interest for the length of time you had the loan! Minimum of $850 required for UMWSB Financing
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Synchrony

Synchrony Financial is one of the national leaders in consumer financing. With deferred interest options (Interest if waived if paid off in promotional term) and sometimes, they offer manufacturer partnered promotions to offer you an even better term length. Minimum of $299 required for Synchrony Financing
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