Re: How did you afford your horn?


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Posted by Rick Denney on May 08, 2003 at 23:39:51:

In Reply to: How did you afford your horn? posted by Broke on May 08, 2003 at 18:31:43:

One key element in the affordability of my own fleet is this: BBb. My Holton 6/4 BBb doesn't have silver plate or a fifth valve, and it has a myriad of small dents in addition to the usual shoddy Holton workmanship of that era, but I think it plays about as good as the better CC grand orchestral tubas and cost no more than two-thirds of what the same instrument would have cost in CC.

Another element is patience. You can buy a world-class tuba right now and pay a high price, or you can wait for the great tuba to come along for a price you can afford. My interest turned towards a BAT four years before the Holton came my way, and I was quite lucky to get it.

An understanding and generous wife is a real plus, too.

But the biggest element is waiting until mid-life, when earning power finally surpassed spending priorities.

Unfortunately, few of those factors are available to budding professional tuba players. Being in a hurry always costs more.

Rick "who has only paid for one of his tubas with gig earnings" Denney


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