Re: Re: Tuba Exchange in the New York Times


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by dw on February 15, 2002 at 10:02:52:

In Reply to: Re: Tuba Exchange in the New York Times posted by hmmmmm.... on February 15, 2002 at 00:02:32:

Are there cheaper horns than the St. Pete? The answer is YES. The Weril for instance. It has been promoted heavily here. Are parts readily available? and where is it made? How long have the Brazilians been in the tuba business? So is the Chinese instrument so bad now? How far behind the Brazilians are they?

We used to bad mouth anything made in Taiwan. The majority of student line saxophones are made there. They make a pretty good instrument for less money - and that's what it's all about! So when will they make a tuba? and for how much less? If schools spent as much money as each of us on tubas, they would have nothing left for the other instruments they need.

Some of you are old enough to remember when brand "Y" or Yamaha was thought of in the same manner. Ask most band instrument repair guys how much they like working on the Yamaha euphs or tubas even now. The valves still fit too tight, the valve guides shear off, the soldering is not the best, the bells are stiff and difficult to remove dents. The only Yamahas I like working on are flutes and saxophones, and some of them are made in Taiwan. Jupiter has copied the Yamaha which were copies of other instruments. Jupiter has the largest band instrument manufacturing plant in the world and its located on mainland China. Are chinese instruments bad if you buy a Jupiter?

For what it's worth, I think the bias against the St. Petersburg tubas has more to do with the bias against the person who imports and sells the instruments than with the horn itself. If Dave Fedderly or Steve Dillon were to import the instrument, what might you think of them then????


Follow Ups: