Re: Re: If handmade is better - why?


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Posted by Chuck(G) on September 06, 2002 at 10:43:40:

In Reply to: Re: If handmade is better - why? posted by Mary Ann on September 06, 2002 at 09:40:53:

Mary Ann, I think you've hit the nail on the head. It pretty much boils down to quality workmanship, not to the actual hand-production of parts like bottom bows.

Yamaha boasts a pretty impressive track record for turning out wind instruments that don't vary much from unit to unit. But this is mostly the product of their production engineering and use of technology.

When one disassembles a large instrument like a tuba, it's always surprising to see gaps between parts within ferrules, terrible soldering jobs and the occasional pinhole leak. Quite often, an instrument after being pulled apart and reconditioned and carefully reassembled will play better than it did when it left the factory. The "bell held on by lacquer" is not terribly uncommon in a production instrument.

While there's something to be said for the charm of "we haven't changed production methods in over a century" manufacturers, there's also a lot to be said for technology that allows a manufacturer to monitor the quality of that production.

With strings, I've seen certificates shipped with new instruments that have sign-offs by the people responsible for their construction, but I don't think it's at all common with a tuba; something that essentially says "I built this thing and I'm willing to put my name on the line".

Maybe that's a fear of the manufacturers of starting a "Never get a horn built by Otto" trend?


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