Posted by Matt G on November 20, 2001 at 07:18:42:
In Reply to: Testing a Tuba posted by CC in my sights on November 20, 2001 at 06:52:42:
I would approach your situation this way:
1)Look only among the 4/4 CC tubas, for they will service your musical needs the best.
2)Go to a shop with plenty of horns, most of the one's in the shops section should serve you well.
3)If possible take a honest friend who can help pick out a horn that sounds best for you. This way you can have three ears helping make the decision (you, your friends, and the saleperson).
4)Look for the horn that feels the best to you at extreme dynamics, extreme ranges and so on.
5)Take a tuner to check to make sure the horns you narrow down to have a decent scale.
6)Take your time and "audition" the horns. Narrow it down from the field to a few choices and then go back to them fresh and be even more discriminating.
7)DO NOT go into the situation like it will be the last tuba you ever buy. This may make the situation too stressful, and if you are coming back from many years off from playing, what feels good now may not work for you as well 5 years from now.
8)With number 7 in mind, buy something that has the highest value to quality ratio. This way you'll have money for music and mouthpieces, as the horn you may decide on may respond better with a mouthpiece other than what you are used to.
9)If you are going to have to travel to a store keep this in mind. Before you decide on a store to go to, talk to the "tuba guy" on the phone and see if this saleperson would help you the best. Call every store and see what vibe you get. Luckily for us tuba players, however, almost all of the salespeople we will deal with are honest and will try to get us into what suits us best.
10)Schedule a good bit of time for the selection process, and HAVE FUN!
Good Luck,
Matt G
p.s. If you want a recommendation of where I would go, drop me an email and I'll tell you where I would go and why. (Hint: another Matt works there.)