Re: Re: buying a tuba


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Posted by Rick Denney on January 10, 2003 at 12:43:11:

In Reply to: Re: buying a tuba posted by Will on January 09, 2003 at 23:32:10:

Sometimes you have to make your opportunities.

There are several approaches that meet the play-test first principle, even though you don't strictly play-test them first. One is that you buy from a trusted source. This is probably good enough for all but the very best players. Dr. S flew to Dillon to choose his instrument personally, but would he have gotten the same instrument with the same tweaks had he told Matt what he wanted and what he was concerned about? Probably, yes. Of course, Dr. S still flew there.

I live within easy striking distance of Baltimore Brass, but I bought my York Master from Chuck, who lives on the opposite coast. I mixed a visit to him with a business trip.

I sneaked into TMEA with borrowed badges to play tubas there when I lived in San Antonio, which is not close to any established tuba store. Thus, I played the horns I bought at that show beforehand (it helped that it was the last show of the season and therefore the demonstrators were available to take home at the end of the show).

I could drive to BWI and fly to San Jose, with enough notice, for about $300 round trip. That's about the farthest tuba dealer from me that is still in the U.S.

As for methods that don't involve testing first, but that still control risk, you can buy a horn on approval, test it in your own situation, and then either keep it or ship it back. You have to pay the cost of shipping, and if you send it back, it's probably going to be about the cost of flying to the store. I suspect that this method has been used by very many top professionals.

For instruments not expensive enough to justify such costs, just buy the dad-gum thing, and if it turns out not to be what you want, sell it. Then you can test it as long as you like, if you know how to take wonderful care of it. I have sold or traded four tubas in my life. Their combined cost was $6000. Their combined return (either in cash or trade) was at least $5800. And they weren't all used instruments, either. Two were new demonstrators, and a third was in like-new condition. Those were pretty cheap experiments in the grand scheme of things.

Countering this is that you have to calculate the cost of living with a disappointing instrument.

Living close to a large store has wonderful advantages. But it is risky, too. I've visited Baltimore Brass in person twice, and once I spent a ton of my wife's uncle's money, and the other time I spent a ton of my own. If I lived any closer it could be really ugly. A tuba store in town can drive you to financial ruin.

Rick "who really likes Matt but who could never afford to live in New Jersey" Denney


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