Posted by Ken Sturgeon on June 25, 2001 at 12:35:04:
In Reply to: Decisions, Decisions........... posted by Matt Goosen on June 25, 2001 at 00:22:48:
You might consider the cost of having the horns shipped to you if you can't make it out to Detroit. It can be costly depending on where you live. Figure at least a hundred bucks each way by truck. When I had Custom ship out a horn that I tried, they required me to give them the FULL price in advance as a deposit. So if your parents don't have the cash or a credit card with a high minimum, paying for a plane ticket may be your least expensive option. The advantage of going there is that you can try both horns side by side. You could also have one of the staff play while you listen from a distance and also have them listen to you from a distance. This will give you a RUFF idea of what the tubas sound like "out front." Also take their opinions with a grain of salt. Remember their objective is to sell you a tuba and if you end up not liking either one, don't let them pressure you into buying those tubas from them. There are alot of horns to choose from and in my experience, other vendors are bit more reasonable in their horn shipping/trial periods. I realize Custom has a corner on the Nirchl and B&S market but you should know your options. Dave Fedderly of Baltimore Brass ships by Amtrak which is much, much cheaper. You just need to pick it up at the train station. Brasswind will ship to your home with only a 10% deposit of the instrument cost and can ship via FedEx "3 day saver." I think all have a one week trial period. Someone also mentioned seeing if you can find a good used instrument of the one's your looking for. That is also a good option if you can find something you like. I wish you the best in your quest for THE HORN for you. I'm in no way trying to be negative about the process of buying a tuba or bash on Custom Music. They are, however, a business as well as all the vendors are. Some vendors are just more helpful than others. These are my experiences and I hope yours are all good ones. Again, happy hunting!
Ken Sturgeon