Posted by Lee A. Stofer, Jr. on August 18, 2001 at 15:58:15:
In Reply to: Why are Tubas SO expensive? posted by confused on August 17, 2001 at 23:08:10:
Confused,
Only some tubas are SO expensive, and that is only because some people are willing to pay that much. But, for sake of comparison, consider this. I've been told by a manufacturer who hand-builds tubas that his standard 4/4 BBb tuba with 4 rotary valves takes a minimum of 380 man-hours to build. A CC model would be more. Multiply that by a decent wage for a master builder and highly-skilled help, his overhead, import charges, the importer's- and dealer's costs, and mark-up for some sort of profit margin for all involved, and you'll wonder how most tubas are so inexpensive.
-Lee Stofer