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I saw the post about the items besides the tuba stolen from us at Dillon Music. Thank you to the real Tuba/Euphers that care and make the conferences fun for us Vendors to attend. It's a shame that a few bad apples have to exist in our community and that at least one of them came to the Army Tuba Euphonium Conference in 2007. I hate having to rudely look around as someone is talkng wth me and asking me questions. Most of you realize that I am not trying to be rude but just trying to prevent merchandise from walking away as it did this past Saturday (27 Jan '07).

Yes. Someone managed to walk away with a Miraphone BB282-4V having serial number 9042868 engraved on bell just below the Miraphone logo. It is a 4 rotor BBb tuba with a 16.5" upright bell and was in lacquer finish. Anyone knows who did that, can please call Dillon Music at (732) 634-3399. I personally will reward the person who gives us the name of the person who stole it with a free Chem clean and service.

please do the right thing and relay any info you have to Matt at that number. even if you do is anonymously from a payphone.

Hopefully this theft doesn't fall under the curse of "no snitchin'" like some of my stuff has. Good luck.

Sou

Captain Sousie wrote:Hopefully this theft doesn't fall under the curse of "no snitchin'" like some of my stuff has. Good luck.
Sou

I can tell you this. If I knew who stole the tuba, I'd snitch in a hurry. This gives all of us a black eye, especially those who attended the conference. I was there. I didn't see anything. My eyes were pretty squarely on the Rudy Meinl 5/4 that Lee Stofer had there.

I agree with everyone, it's truly sad... Other than selling to a pawn shop that doesn't know any better, where would this horn likely turn up???

It also seems strange to me that there is not a better way of keeping track of these very expensive horns. It's too late now but maybe next year they'll arrange for video surveillance??? It could be announced and posted everywhere that everyone is on camera. It almost sounds too simple...

Granted, I have never been and don't know the details of the event. Was the horn taken from a large conference room??? It's easy to imagine a mouthpiece slipping into a pocket, but how does one walk away with a tuba!!!


Sorry for the RANT, Tim

Teachers, in particular, should pay attention. This is not that common a model, and any teacher whose student turns up with a new Miraphone 282 should know what to do immediately. New tubas are big events in my circle of friends.

I was one of those who walked up to Matt when he was conducting a hasty inventory after the discovery had been made. He was obviously preoccupied, but still laughed at my lame joke. (I didn't find out until later what was preoccupying him). Now, that's professionalism.

For a long time I haven't given a second thought to picking up a tuba at the Army conference and giving it a try. That may be a rarer privelege in the future. One suggestion for the Army folks, if it's not too burdensome: Official name tags. That would at once separate the conference attendees from the opportunists off the street, and it would be a bit harder to be anonymous. But it would be more work.

Rick "who would gladly serve a shift as a volunteer security goon" Denney

I think WWBW used to have a "check your horn at the door" policy...maybe that would work well here? Unless you brought the horn in with you or bought it, you'd better have a damn good reason for leaving with it.

BUMP!

Bob1062 wrote:

bort wrote:I think WWBW used to have a "check your horn at the door" policy...maybe that would work well here? Unless you brought the horn in with you or bought it, you'd better have a damn good reason for leaving with it.

I've walked in with 2 horns without any problems at all; I don't even remember the security guy saying anything to me at all.

Just going off of second-hand info...and I'm not saying it's a problem. In fact, quite the opposite. Would you really care if you had to "check in" if you were bringing a horn into the "elephant room"?

Josh642 wrote:I think not allowing any horns with a price tag on them outside would work great. Since the conferece is on a military base, Im pretty sure anyone would think twice about taking anything with some MP's at the door checkin.

The MP's have other duties. This will be our problem to solve, and those of us who benefit so much from this conference and the wonderfully informal atmosphere of the Elephant Room should be willing to volunteer to help do what it takes to solve the problem. If we have to depend on the military guys to solve this problem for us, the good Colonel might decide the conference isn't such a wondrous thing after all. That we must avoid.

Like I said, I'd be happy to work a shift as a security goon, and I hope I would not be the only one. But we want the vendors to still have the freedom to trust their trustworthy customers even while monitoring those who have not yet earned that trust.

Rick "thinking it's up to the vendors to decide what, if anything, to do" Denney

I've wanted to go to this conference, but am always in the middle of getting ready for concert band contest. So.....................

Is there a registation process?

I'm asking because I'm wandering if there is a chance that a local thug got in and took the tuba to one of the local pawn shops as opposed to one of our good tuba/euphonium gentlefolk who turned to the dark side?

Tom Mason

Tom Mason wrote:Is there a registation process?

The registration is not enforced, and there's no way to identify those who have or have not registered. It's really just writing your name and address down in a guestbook. Official name tags would help, but that would require someone to operate the registration desk--another role that should be filled by non-military volunteers, in my view, if it is determined to be necessary. I would work a shift at the registration desk.

It is possible for a non-tuba-player to enter the exhibit. But I'm sorta surprised that the instrument was stolen from Dillon's booth if that's the case. There is only one entrance close to that booth, and it is pretty closely watched. Plus, the Bb tubas at the Dillon booth are usually not at that end of their booth.

The two-number tag systems sounds interesting. Again, if the vendors think it is necessary, the labor should be borne by volunteers. We benefit from this concert and the military guys already have enough to do to bring it to us. The tricky part is controlling the exits while still allowing people to find quiet corners to try out instruments.

It is the vendors whose property is at risk, so it's up to them to decide what protection they need, and I think up to us to provide it.

Rick "who hopes the missing instrument turns up" Denney

BUMP(draft)

Phooey.

If it was someone who has realized he, uh, goofed up, that tuba is going to sit in a closet in his house for quite some time to come. It won't surface at a pawn shop or at a school or at a community band, or in a military band. However I hope someone has the courage to snitch on the rat because the rat has dealt a severe blow to the entire tuba community.

Phooey.

MA

MaryAnn wrote: I hope someone has the courage to snitch on the rat because the rat has dealt a severe blow to the entire tuba community.
MA

Unfortunately, you are soooo right!

In our hearts and minds. BUMP up the volume!

snufflelufigus wrote:Well, a quick solution might be to get those tags that they use at the clothing stores. Seems kind of dumb to have to do that... but if idiots want to steal you need to figure something out. Maybe even some kind of video surveilance devices to watch the horns. Or just chain them up like people do to laptops. If you want to play one you have to leave your ID.

Sadly, some of those solutions are already present at Dillon Music (video surveilance, and then recently the security tag system with the gate near the door). I'm not sure these solutions could work in a conference. Too many doors, too much space to cover.