Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 11, 1998 at 16:03:22:
In Reply to: Comparison Shopping - Where? posted by Alan Newman on December 10, 1998 at 14:09:26:
I know from experience that it is a 10 hour drive from Atlanta to Detroit. Why not go to Custom Music and try just about every tuba made? Admittedly, I haven't been there in years but I understand they still carry one of the largest stocks of new and used instruments. The cost of shipping one instrument could get you there, easily. I offer one caveat about Custom: NEVER buy a tuba there. Now, I know that others may have a different opinion of Custom Music than I, and I would invite you to ask tubists who have dealt with Custom and gather information about their experiences. My personal experience with Custom is that they are THE best place to try instruments out because they have the most to choose from. They are also THE most expensive place to buy from (I guess they have to pay for all those tubas somehow...). I think that the shrewd tuba consumer will go someplace like Custom to get a firm idea about what instrument they want to buy. After that, go to someplace like Brasswind, which seems to me to have the best prices around. Good luck!