Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 27, 2000 at 06:55:44:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Miraphone 186 C tuba for sale posted by Dave on June 26, 2000 at 22:33:27:
Well, Joe S. pointed out awhile back that there wasn't enough controversy on the BBS lately so I guess I'll just have to oblige him here.
I'm really surprised by your comments. My opinion is that this is a totally reasonable question to ask. It has happened in the past, and with all makes and models, that an inexperienced buyer got stuck with a bad horn. I see this with students all the time. It would be great if all tuba sellers' sole motivation for selling their tubas were just to "try something different", much like the new car every year syndrome you mention. But I think that the purchase of a used car is a valid example of how you might buy a used tuba. If somebody simply listed their car as "1969 Chevrolet", wouldn't you want to know which model it was. There would be a big difference between a Nova and a Corvette (as in student horn vs. professional horn). Wouldn't you also want to know what options it has. And almost certainly, wouldn't you want to know why the seller was selling the car? If the car is so great, why is the seller selling it? As a tuba buyer, I'm much more likely to be interested in a tuba that is sold because the seller "wanted to try something different" or "they needed the money" or "they found something much better for them". If the response is "I don't like the tuba", or there is some sort of mechanical problem with the horn, or the intonation is a problem, that tells me something as well. I just don't know many folks who can afford to make mistakes in a purchase that is usually in the 5 figure arena.
Being a current tuba seller myself, I included my reasons for selling the tuba in all my posts about it. I felt the information was relevant to the decision process. And I encourage other sellers to include that information as well. My guess is that if you sell a used tuba with alot of hype, but don't describe the problems adequately or at all, all you're going to get is an unhappy buyer and a bad situation that is going to end up making only the lawyers and shipping company happy.
My opinion for what its worth...