Posted by Gary Swart on February 15, 2004 at 12:57:50:
In Reply to: Re: ?s on low budget tubas posted by Matt in Oakland on February 15, 2004 at 11:36:01:
I would second these comments. Fourth valve give some versitility, but really isn't that big of an asset in community band and similar groups. Do not sucker into one of the cheap Asian instruments. The usually don't play in tune and repairmen can't fix them. The popular auction is a real crapshoot when it comes to buying a tuba. Most of them are horns picked up in estate sales, or God knows where by dealers that know less than nothing about them. You might find a diamond in the rough, but even then, by the time it was put into good playing condition, you'd have much more than the bid price invested. Actually, it's more likely that the thing would be a real disaster. When a decent horn shows up, and they do, it will be bid on and the price will be as much as you would pay from a dealer you either know or who is recommended by those who are in the know. I appreciate the problem of trying to buy something as personal as a musical instrument without being able to play it first. That's what we pretty much have to do when our resources won't permit travel to the shops where there is a variety of instruments to choose from.