Posted by Rick Denney on July 04, 2000 at 10:25:25:
In Reply to: Re: Re: What's wrong with St. Petersburg Tubas posted by Jay Bertolet on July 04, 2000 at 07:52:12:
As a relative newcomer, I suppose I'm part of the problem, and (after this post, of course) take the criticism to heart. But even though I've read a good part of the archives, the subject of affordable tubas still attracts me for some reason.
There have been many discussions of the differences between this or that 5-figure York-o-phone. And one of the best things about this list is the participation of those who can legitimately justify owning such works of art.
Why does the subject of Russian tubas come up so frequently? Because they are at a price point that attracts those who *knew* they could not afford a tuba of their own. They greatly expand the size of the group doing the discussing. It is the same reason that ebay specials get so frequently discussed, and they may perhaps be an even riskier purchase in many cases.
Another reason is that there is much to discuss, even if it's all been said before. Seen recently on the Russian Camera Forum: Why don't owners of Mamiyas (a fine Japanese medium-format professional camera) have a forum like ours? Because it would have no reason to exist: "I bought my Mamiya 645AF today. It worked. The lens worked. The film advance worked. The shutter action was even. The glass was clean. The pictures were perfect." Yawn. The Russian Camera Forum is like a support group.
Rick "For some, there is satisfaction in making a piece of junk work" Denney