Loree went through a period where the quality went downhill. I'm packing in the oboe.I don't play it enough to justify keeping it and trying to keep my chops up and work reeds is just too much, on top of my other instruments (I'm typically hired for clarinet). So, you're buying an oboe from an oboe player, not a guy who runs a pawn shop. Serial number starts with I though it could be an H: over time, the serial letter prefix rubs off. This was my oboe, played in pit orchestras, when I got calls for it.