Posted by Matt on June 10, 1999 at 21:38:32:
In Reply to: Buying a Tuba: New vs. Used posted by Steve Marcus on June 10, 1999 at 06:30:35:
Hi Steve. I'm glad to hear that everything is coming together so that you can go searching for that dream horn. I've watched your posts for years, and we got to meet at ITEC. You've narrowed down the types of CC's you are interested in. I didn't quite have what you were looking for, but thanks for giving me a chance. I'd like to share a little experience from the repair and sales side of the equation that may be of help to others.
New versus used. A used horn owned by a good and/or anal retentive player, will likely have whatever bugs worked out and maybe a few modifications (cut slides, etc) to help it play better than a new one. But if you (whomever) can't stand the idea that you may not have the best (for you) 'Wonderblat 2001' tuba, you need to go to a store that has several new ones in stock and pick one out of a batch. On the other hand, if you have enough experience with different horns that you can tell a used '2001' is a good horn at a good price, you can save money over a new horn. However, you may one day play someone else's "Wonderblat 2001' and like it more than yours. Can you live with the fact you got a good horn at a good price, or will the idea that someone else has one you think is better than yours, drive you crazy? If you can't stand it, better wait until a whole new batch just arrived and fly right out to pick yours. Of course someone else will likely think your "best" one was not so hot.
New horns seldom need more than a simple 30 minute repair during their warranty period. Never waste your money on an extended warranty. So warranty is a minor issue. If it had leaky valves, or other defect that affected the way it played, would you have chosen that horn as a geat player? I think not!
Conclusion; if you really like a horn, it fits you well, it plays reasonably in tune for you, you like the sound, you like how it responds, and you can afford it, get THAT horn. If you have to put an extra thousand on the credit card to get the one you really liked, what is that over the average 20 years between overhauls on a tuba? Of course a person has to be a responsible individual and not go shopping for an expensive tuba when the family is doing without. "Buy the best horn you can afford."
Well, that's just my opinion. Matt