Posted by Tim Cary on July 27, 1999 at 12:11:50:
In Reply to: St Petersburg Horns posted by Michael Silvani on July 26, 1999 at 13:36:55:
I would have to agree with your post about St. Pete's. They play very well for the money, and they do have a good sound. Some of the local schools in my area have purchased them and are very pleased with the horns. BTW, the students at these schools are very proficient at abusing tubas, and the St. Pete's are holding up well despite their efforts.
I see a lot of trashing of horns on this page, and it is unfair to compare a St. Pete to a B&S, Hirsbrunner or Willson. The Tuba Exchange even states this when they sell them, that they aren't Yorkbrunners but give a good value for the price. When I was trying horns, I went to Custom and tried some B&S horns (PT-3, PT-3P, PT-4) and found them to be very inconsistant between different horns of the same model; one was vey good, and one could be rated mediocre at best. I also tried VMI horns, and the only one I liked was the Mel Culbertson model, but for as well as it played, it had some pitch problems (I tried this from a road rep., not Custom). What I ended up was buying a Kalison D.S., another much maligned horn on this page. At the time, it was an excellent buy for me, and while it wasn't a Hirsbrunner, it cost half as much. It gives me the sound I need and works well for me in a variety of ensembles.
What matters most is whether a horn works for the player, and that the person buying the horn feels that they got a good value for a fair price. Not everyone can afford high end horns, and a mid or lower tier horn often will do the job. A lot of us out here may never be auditioning for major orchestras, and the lower priced horns often fit the bill for the other types of groups out there (quintets, bands, church orchestras, etc.).