TubeNet

I just wanted to publicly thank Mr. Campbell, Mr. Rideout, and Mr. Keiser for being very accommodating and helpful to me on my trip up to Custom Music this week. Even though I am a "nobody" in the tuba world, I didn't feel that way being around these guys.

Clay

Ha Ha!
You are right about that.
Now, pardon me while I clean the coffee off my
monitor.

hmm.. customer service truly 'custom' to their target audience.

harold wrote: Personally, for what I would be spending at Custom Music, I would expect them to provide whiskey and hookers.

What would you need these guys for?

harold wrote:You weren't a nobody. You were a customer potentially willing to spend thousands of dollars on a piece of their inventory on which they would make a substantial profit

That is true, but they don't have to be nice, if I want a B&S tuba they are just about my only option.

You need to make sure they think that you are considering something other than a B&S horn (or that you are considering purchasing one used from a private seller). It may very well be that they assume that you are, so that's why they're so nice...

Just a hunch, but I believe that the "higher-up" you are in the tuba world, the less better they will treat you. They believe that the only choice a PRO would have is one of their tubas (a B&S or Hirsbrunner). If you are "lower-down" then they must assume that you are considering a lower price tag (ie lower quality in their mind) instrument.

My teacher went there and they did not treat her well at all. They must have known that she was a PRO and that she wasn't considering anything other than one of their instruments. However, when I went down there, they treated me well, since I was considering a large variety of instruments.

Heck, this morning on my cell phone after feeding 2 horses and leaning against a redwood tree I bought from Custom a Hirs HB 12 F tuba. Haven't seen it, haven't played it; just wanted a 2 step 5th valve so I wouldn't need to learn new fingerings. I'll work out the rest later.