Posted by Dale Phelps on July 05, 1999 at 10:31:04:
I think the constant "play-test-a-lot-before-you-buy-to-make-sure-it-works-for-you" thread is something that bears discussion. While it makes sense, obviously it is not always 100% practical.
Take for example mouthpiece trials. Many of us have bought a new mouthpiece, tried it for a week or two, and thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then, a realization sets in - over time - that this one doesn't really work well "for me" after all. This sucks, especially when you lay out 80+ clams and it doesn't make you happy. Obviously it sucks way worse when you have the same experience with a new tuba. Just as you simply cannot always tell when a mouthpiece won't work for you until you play on it a lot (more than a week or two or three) you sometimes cannot tell whether a horn works for you in the first week or two or three of playing it. In the case of horns, "trial periods" are (in my understanding) designed to determine if the horn is "as represented", or perhaps to immediately sort out lemons, but certainly not compatability for life. Sure, there are mouthpieces that "obviously" don't work as soon as you put your face to them, just like there are tubas that won't work for you at the particular moment you sit down with them. But certain things take time, and I am not sure the average pvt party seller should be held hostage by the degree of learning curve their buyer might need. Comments? Oh, by the way, if I deserve a flame, go ahead and do it privately...thass what my address is posted for.......