TubeNet

So, what's going on with Weril? The prices for the J680 tuba have gone through the roof ($3.6K at WWBW) but the tubas seem to be non-existant (WWBW: "2-3 weeks" which is WWBW code for "who the f--k knows"). Manufacturing issues? Distributor problems? What gives?

I've read somewhere that Gemstone Musical Instruments is purportedly the US distributor for Weril but there's not a word of that on their web-site. The Weril euphs and the J680 tubas were pretty well thought of around here and some of their other horns also seem to be improving. You'd think the would want to move some product.

Baltimore Brass used to sell Weril tubas, euphoniums and trombones... No sign of them on the BBC website now.

Hornguys list a Weril Euphonium as a "closeout".

Hmmm

http://www.weril.com/page1.aspx

works, even in English where I usually had to dig my way in Portuguese.

However the tuba line-up appears to have changed for the less useful:

http://tinyurl.com/43dcl7

Who would want to market these in the European or American markets of today:

J310 – ¾ Size CC Tuba
Bell Ø368mm (14½”)
Bore Ø17.00mm (0.670")

J330 - ¾ Size EEbTuba
Bell Ø368mm (14½”)
Bore Ø17.00mm (0.670")

This one would still be interesting as a lower priced Yamaha look-alike, but where are the Eb and BBb versions:

J681 – CC Compact Tuba
Bell Ø368mm (14½”)
Bore Ø17.00mm (0.670")
4 front action piston valves

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

Thank You Klaus. Indeed, the "US" version of the site does list Gemstone of Elkhart, IN, as the authorized US distributor for Weril. And, as Klaus notes, the well-known J680 BBb version appears on neither the US nor the Brazilian (corporate) page.

Doc Jim Fox of militarymusican.com is a Weril dealer. He is a gentleman to do business with, and will cut through the crap for you and tell you exactly how the land lays. I suggest you contact him if you're even remotely considering a Weril tuba. Yes, because of the cost of a tuba, it probably will have to be ordered, as very few retailers keep tubas in stock. But if it's the tuba you're after, it might be worth the wait.

Thanks. I tried to send him an e-mail from his site but received a delivery failure notice. Do you have the address?

Ahem...I have a Weril J681 on consignment at Baltimore Brass if you're interested.

Thanks but I'm interested in the BBb version (J680)

Doc Fox's email is info@militarymusican.com" target="_blank .

There is also a used BBb680 at bassclefbrass.com right now:

http://www.bassclefbrass.com/?view=show ... -6&lang=en" target="_blank

Werils used to be readily available to North American music dealers through DEG Music. I provided a number of tubas and euphoniums to customers, and life was good.

Then, Weril apparently decided that DEG was not marketing their instruments aggressively-enough, and the North American distributorship was at least briefly set up in Canada, which resulted in a decline in U.S. sales. Since that folded, I had been told that Weril was trying to direct North American sales from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I was recently visited by a Gemstone representative, who wanted to establish me as a Gemstone dealer. The line included Gemeinhardt flutes, Chinese flutes, W. Nirschl low brass (Indian-made, not to be confused with Meister Walter Nirschl instruments), but no mention was made of Weril instruments. If Gemstone now has the Weril line, this is very recent. I declined the offer, as I cannot, and will not make the minimum $40,000.00 investment in stock required by Gemstone, particularly when they would call the shots on what instruments I would stock. When DEG had the distributorship for Weril, I could just put in an order, receive the instruments within 3 days, sell them and pay DEG within 30 days. That arrangement was ideal, and a number of us were selling Werils.

I tend to think that the days of getting new Weril instruments at bargain prices are long gone. Due to the weak US Dollar, the tuba-selling market is as tough as the auto-selling market now. My prediction is that there will be less variety of instruments readily available, with most of them being either very expensive top-line professional instruments or Chinese- and Indian-made lower-priced instruments. If there were sufficient numbers of people in most US cities today willing and able to walk into a music store and pay $10,000.00-$14,000.00 for a new tuba, American music stores would have tubas in stock, and American manufacturing companies would be making plenty of professional tubas.

Lee Stofer wrote: I tend to think that the days of getting new Weril instruments at bargain prices are long gone. Due to the weak US Dollar, the tuba-selling market is as tough as the auto-selling market now.

I don't know if this supports or contradicts the above, but from a casual look at on-line retailers, a J680 lists around US $4K (Brazilian R$6.7K - currency is real, pron. something like "ray owl". Plural reais, pron. something like "ray ice", but most of the country would make the last sound "sh" instead of "s", and in some of the northeast you might hear just "ray eye" which I have to say makes it very hard to follow what people are saying.)

Donn,
I guess it is all in what you consider a bargain. When DEG had the Weril distributorship, I know that WW-BW and I were both offering Weril tubas for just over half of what you say the online retailers are now. And, the new ones I was selling were thoroughly chem-cleaned and tweaked to specs before I sold them. At $4K today, I doubt that online retailers (or anyone else) are prepping them that way.