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Two words come to mind-- Road Trip!!

There's no substitute for going where the tubas are. There are many threads in the archives here discussing many fine outlets. I made trips to both Dillons in NJ and WWBW in Indiana before picking a new horn, and I would highly recommend either. There are a number of other places that also have great reputations. Having 10-20 different horns to play side-by-side is an eye and ear opening experience. I left the store with a different horn than I expected to buy going in, and I suspect I am not alone in that experience.

rwiegand wrote:Two words come to mind-- Road Trip!!

Ditto. Go where the tubas are.

I just wish I could go along, as I'm on the way!

TubaKanyon wrote:Anyone on here from the southwest US? Any ideas of places in Texas like maybe the metroplex or anything? All the good places seem to be up north...

There really is no place in Texas or your vicinity that has a good selection of instruments to try. Brook Mays in Dallas attempted to establish something a few years ago, but it did not work out.

The closes music store to you where the proprietor is tuba-savvy is Mid-South Music in Memphis. But he does not keep tubas in stock except for perhaps one or two. If he has something, he'll contact you, because you've already told him of your interest.

But considering that you will spend many thousands on a tuba, a trip to "where the tubas are" seems a reasonable overhead expense. You have two possible directions. One is to northern Indiana to visit the Brasswind. That is a long day's drive from Arkansas. Call Roger Lewis first to see what he has in stock. I was there a month or two back and they had a moderate selection of good tubas.

The other direction is to I-95. Baltimore Brass and Dillon Music are both close to I-95 and they are about five hours apart. It would be quite easy to catch a cheap fare on Southwest to BWI airport in Baltimore, rent a car, and spend a day each in Baltimore and Woodbridge, for a three or four-day trip. If you are going to spend 8 or 10 grand for a tuba, such a trip is not unreasonable.

An excellent alternative at this moment is to hit one of the big conferences. ITEA's annual conference is in Denver and is only three weeks from now. The exhibit will have all the well-known tuba dealers and manufacturers represented. Check around--maybe someone from your area is going and you can share gas with them.

www.iteaonline.org

The other big conference of the year is the Army Tuba Conference in the DC area in late January. Probably not timely for your situation.

Rick "who in your shoes would make sure to be in Denver in three weeks" Denney

I'd second the idea of flying to Baltimore and then road-tripping up to NJ to go to Dillon's. It's about a 3-hour drive. Also, Dillon's is very close to a train station, so you can likely rail it up from Baltimore (do some research first, I've never tried it.)

As others have said try to take a trip to Baltimore Brass.
They should have a few for you to play test.
Check out these pictures You should have fun. Allow lots of time. http://www.baltimorebrass.net/images/sh ... dstuba.jpg
Good luck

bort wrote:I'd second the idea of flying to Baltimore and then road-tripping up to NJ to go to Dillon's. It's about a 3-hour drive. Also, Dillon's is very close to a train station, so you can likely rail it up from Baltimore (do some research first, I've never tried it.)

Taking the train from Baltimore to Dillons will require going into Newark and changing from Amtrak to New Jersey Transit (to Bay Head). At least I think that's how it works. Doesn't look too complicated, but I'm not sure it will take any less time than driving, depending on the time of day.

The drive from Baltimore to Woodbridge can be easy or monstrous depending on the time of day and any incidents. It might always seem monstrous to someone from Arkansas (or just about anywhere else).

My estimate of five hours included normal traffic and the usual number of rest stops to unwind. There are about ten bucks worth of tolls, including the Delaware We Expect Everyone Else To Fund Our Highway System Using Ten Miles Of I-95 tax.

Rick "who has made the trip many times, but still drives it like a Texan" Denney

I flew into BWI last December for a trip to Virginia....and even though I "used to was" a big city gal....I didn't enjoy the culture shock. I can read a road map just fine but it still wasn't much fun. Someone without big city driving experience can get chewed up driving in that area.

I vote for driving to WWBW, or at least know what you could be in for with the DC/Baltimore/NJ driving experience. Like, take a navigator so at least you aren't trying to read the stoopid map laid out on the steering column while you're going 75, and saying "was that just my exit? Why is the road turning south now?"

MA

Rick Denney wrote:Rick "who has made the trip many times, but still drives it like a Texan" Denney

So...what's "driving like a Texan"?

Rick Denney wrote:including the Delaware We Expect Everyone Else To Fund Our Highway System Using Ten Miles Of I-95 tax

Hey, when your state's only about ten miles wide, you have to make the most of it. We fund our Tax-free Shopping with that money, too.

Rick Denney wrote:The other big conference of the year is the Army Tuba Conference in the DC area in late January. Probably not timely for your situation.

I took my son to The Bltimore Brass Company in december. He got to play nearly a dozen tubas. Then in January we spent time at the Army Tuba Conference and he got A LOT of time with another ten or so.
If you are looking to do this soon, I recommend the road trip up the I-95 corridore.
If you can, do it between the 20th and 23rd. The Potomac Euphonium-Tuba Competition at George Mason University will have many vendors including (they were there last year) Dillon and BBC. After you play what they have there they could let you now what they still have "at home" and decide to continue or cut short your trip. This could limit you to just a trip to DC. The information with maps and hotel info is as follows:

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/music/po ... index.html

bort wrote:

Rick Denney wrote:Rick "who has made the trip many times, but still drives it like a Texan" Denney

So...what's "driving like a Texan"?

I should have been more specific. I meant, driving like someone from San Antonio, or, in my aggressive moods, like someone from Houston. NEVER like someone from Dallas.

Rick "who thinks the typical Dallas driver will end up in a crumpled heap on the New Jersey Turnpike" Denney

bort wrote:

Rick Denney wrote:Rick "who has made the trip many times, but still drives it like a Texan" Denney

So...what's "driving like a Texan"?

When I was a kid, living in the Texas panhandle, it was 35 miles to the nearest grocery store and 80 miles to the nearest hospital. If it was not an emergency, we could make the hospital in less than an hour. That is one element of driving like a Texan.

If you live in Houston and want to drive to Los Angelese on I-10, half the drive is in the state of Texas. Well, let me rephrase that: half of the distance is in the state of Texas.

Mark wrote:When I was a kid, living in the Texas panhandle, it was 35 miles to the nearest grocery store and 80 miles to the nearest hospital. If it was not an emergency, we could make the hospital in less than an hour. That is one element of driving like a Texan.

If you live in Houston and want to drive to Los Angelese on I-10, half the drive is in the state of Texas. Well, let me rephrase that: half of the distance is in the state of Texas.

Going fast on an empty road is a luxury not afforded to many who drive in the northeast corridor, either because of traffic or terrain. So, they go fast on a crowded road. That is similar to Houston. In Houston, if you drive fast, and if you are assertive without being a jerk, other drivers will usually yield. If they think you'll get in their way, they won't.

In Dallas, if they think you are doing the wrong thing, which is anything they happen not to be doing at the time, they'll enforce what they see are their rights even if the result is death and destruction. Sorta like when Edgar told the Bug "over my dead body". Like the Bug, most drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike will agree to those terms.

In San Antonio, you have to damp everything about about 15% compared with Houston or Dallas.

As to Austin, I'll quote columnist Mike Kelly from many years ago, "Austin was trying so hard not be like Houston that one day they discovered they were like Dallas."

El Paso is like San Antonio but with an even lower probability of the other guy being insured.

Amarillo and Lubbock are the aforementioned going fast on empty roads. Put the typical high-plains driver in mountains, and you'll get the typical New Mexico perception of Texan drivers--"90 on the flats and 15 in the mountains".

Rick "who thinks only Houston driving is any preparation for I-95" Denney