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As you may know, I am lucky enough to have a new handmade Neptune on order which I should be taking delivery later this year.

I am buying this mainly because a handmade Neptune in goldbrass has long been my 'dream tuba', and the opportunity has arisen to realise that dream. However, at the same time I still very much enjoy playing my 'old' Neptune and am currently debating if to retain that as well, or sell/exchange for the new tuba.

I can see pros and cons to keeping the 'old' Neptune.

I would appreciate thoughts to aid me decide on what 'for me' is a difficult decision - parting with a much cherished tuba, for one which should be even better.

Should I be sentimental and retain for back-up/second/nest-egg - or be logical and just move on???

the possibility of missing it is too great, and considering the challenge to replace, I would definately keep it- the only reason to part with this would be finances...a second , solid back up horn is always a good idea . Enjoy and good luck with the new horn. Post pics upon arrival !! jamsav

If you don't really, really, really need the money you'd get from selling the old horn, keep it! I have *always* regretted selling an instrument after it's gone.

Conventional wisdom, of course, is for your multiple tubas to be able to cover as many different situations as possible. From a purely practical standpoint, I find it difficult to justify keeping both a "good" and a "better" Neptune.

Unless, of course, the sentimental value alone is worth more to you than you could sell it for (or what you could purchase with the proceeds).

I don't think you have an intention of being a collector, so I say keep the old one for a year or two. At that point, you'll know if 1) you'll ever use it again and 2) which one you like better. If you're still undecided after that long, just sell it and take a crazy vacation somewhere.

If both instruments do the same thing in the same situations, then let them decide for you.

See which instrument finds its way into the car going to rehearsals and gigs. Give it a good year. If both do given the situation, keep both. If you find yourself never taking one of them to gigs or rehearsals, then at least you know you won't miss it.

I have tubas that I don't play very often, but they are all good at something none of the others are good at.

I owned a VMI-made Vespro about maybe a dozen-and-a-half years ago. I bought it because it did things my battered Miraphone didn't seem to do as well. Then, I had the Miraphone semi-overhauled. After a year or two, I found myself never taking the Vespro anywhere, and the Miraphone was the instrument that kept finding its way into the car. I sold the Vespro and never missed it.

But I wouldn't want to sell the Miraphone now--I know I would miss it even though I don't play it very much any more.

It takes a while for my feelings about instruments to emerge to the point where they are clear to me. I think those who regret selling instruments do so because they pressured themselves into selling before those feelings had emerged. (I realize that for some it was a financial necessity--which I know it is not for you.)

Rick "who would not assume that the new one will be better for you just because it's gold brass and handmade" Denney

I think that there is a point that is being missed. Why the preconception that the new one will be better than the old one? I say, compare the two for a reasonable amount of time (as long as the seller will allow for testing), before making any decisions. Handmade does not translate to better.

I am always a fan of keeping older horns. I've been lucky enough to be able to keep my CB50, even with the addition of the Kaiser. Although I don't play her other than in quintet, it still is like coming back to an old friend. You don't want to forget about your older friends just because you met someone new (is this dating advice or tuba advice?)
On one hand, the new one should be perfect. But, you have been playing on your older one for a while, and probably can get it to sound great without even having to think. I'd hold onto the old one for a while, and see who gets more use. That should be the final factor.

bloke is right. Despite the improved specs of the new one the old one may be better. Not all make-overs are as happy as the one bloke underwent himself:



K

Brian, I am just an honest and down to earth observer. The new wig fits bloke well, and as you may notice, he finally got his life indexed.

K

--

Rick Denney wrote:See which instrument finds its way into the car going to rehearsals and gigs. Give it a good year. If both do given the situation, keep both. If you find yourself never taking one of them to gigs or rehearsals, then at least you know you won't miss it.

Thanks for that advice Rick - sounds like a good strategy. You are obviously not called the 'Resident Genius' for nothing

I have once before been in the situation of having two tubas of the same model - then it was two Besson 981 Eb's, one belonging to me and one the brass band I played with at that time. I actually found that quite useful. It is a distance from my garage to my music room, so it was nice when out playing almost daily to leave one in the car boot (trunk to you Americans) and have the other in the house for practice. As I must play about 75% of gigs with Neptune, I might just try doing that again similar to suggested by 'tofu'.

If I prefer one much more than the other, or finances become tight (no-one knows what is around the corner), then I can always sell later

bloke wrote:Sometimes, the things about which we dream may not be quite as good as the dreams that we are already living.

Very profound 'bloke' - I have never thought of you as a philosopher!

I will just have to pray your reservations are unfounded, but then one has got to take chances in life in the hope of fulfilling dreams.

Tuba Guy wrote:You don't want to forget about your older friends just because you met someone new (is this dating advice or tuba advice?)

It is starting to sound like dating advice

Rick Denney wrote:Rick "who would not assume that the new one will be better for you just because it's gold brass and handmade" Denney

I have been thinking about this statement today. Rick, why would you not make that assumption?

How many pros do you know who are playing standard Baer, or Fafner in preference to the handmade versions? Handmade models are as a rule better.

I cannot see why I should not expect a Neptune handmade by the top craftsman at B&S to be better than a standard one off the production line. Quite apart from the hand hammering, a one-off will no doubt get much closer attention to details. For B&S this is a 'show tuba' of their manufacturing, so they will no doubt want to get it as near perfect as possible. In any case I will be going over to the factory before it is finished and lacquered to test. If it did not play as well, or better than my existing Neptune, then I would want to know why!!!

The main unknown factor from my view is the effect of using gold brass, but I know that whenever I have played a gold brass tuba against a yellow brass one of the same model, I have always preferred the gold brass.

Neptune wrote:Handmade models are as a rule better.

Every rule has an exception. I'm not the only who suggested keeping an open mind.

This is actually quite a recent scenario for me. As most know, I bought a B&S F tuba with six valves. Though it was billed as a Symphonie model, it was a little newer, and probably one of the 3100 or 3099 models--I forget now which one. I bought it because there were some structural weaknesses to my 5-valved Symphonie--the fifth valve was too short and so on.

I had committed to selling the one I didn't prefer to someone else. I had both instruments for about a month or a bit more.

Let me tell you that deciding which one to keep and which one to sell was no trivial task. It was a gut-wrenching choice, in fact. I would have preferred about a year to decide, but I had committed to my wife and my own common sense that I would not tie up that much money for that long.

But then Ray Grim suggested the obvious: If they are both so good that I can't decide between them, I can hardly lose by just choosing one. In the end, I picked the 6-valve model because it was easier to play well. I sold the other one and I don't miss it, though it is comforting to know that the buyer has offered visitation if needed.

My point is that rules really mean nothing in the presence of the definite example. I have no reason to think the goldbrass handmade model will be anything less than stunning, both aesthetically and musically. I just know that sometimes the instruments that are not stunning aesthetically are sometimes surprisingly stunning musically. I think that's what Bloke meant by the dream you are now living.

Rick "let your ears decide, not your eyes" Denney

You ROCK, LJV !! That says it all.

Hope all is well.

Roger

Thanks for the responses guys!

I suppose I started this thread to see if opinion was that keeping the 'old' Neptune would be completely mad and have ended up getting the reverse feedback that being in a hurry to sell would be mad

I will keep you posted on the new handmade Neptune and if the 'gamble' pays off with the 'tuba of my dreams'???

PS This once again sounds like Tuba Guy's dating advice. Strange how our relationship with tubas can be like love-affairs right down to having individual preferences as mentioned by LJV. I only got to thinking about keeping the 'old' Neptune as it seems to be playing better than ever since I ordered the handmade one - she obviously doesn't want to loose me!!!

Neptune wrote: PS This once again sounds like Tuba Guy's dating advice. Strange how our relationship with tubas can be like love-affairs right down to having individual preferences as mentioned by LJV. I only got to thinking about keeping the 'old' Neptune as it seems to be playing better than ever since I ordered the handmade one - she obviously doesn't want to loose me!!!

Dude, it's all the same thing...I just gave up, and my tubas are great...They don't mind if I switch between 5 of them at will...

Hey Jon,

A Year ago I´d have gladly told You to just forget about that "old" horn, and would have offered my assistance to get rid of it at reasonable price.
Now it´s too late: I´m quite satisfied with my new BBb, sold the CC and am not looking back anymore.
A used Gronitz 5-valved 4/4 BBb that´s available right now has started to burn a hole into my wallet, though...
Hang in there. I´m convinced that new horn will serve You nicely.
But don´t give up on the old one, neither. People at B&S told me that there is no such thing as a "serial production Neptune" in terms of lesser quality. They´re ALL made on demand only, they´re not produced to collect dust on dealers´ shelves.
The working techniques applied will be different, as will be the material, but certainly not the quality of workmanship.
Good luck with your horn.

tubeast wrote:A Year ago I´d have gladly told You to just forget about that "old" horn, and would have offered my assistance to get rid of it at reasonable price.
Now it´s too late: I´m quite satisfied with my new BBb, sold the CC and am not looking back anymore.

Hey Hans, Pleased you are getting on so well with your Willson! I am sure that someone else will want my 'old' stellar Neptune if I do decide to sell

Jonathan "who is not considering about selling any further until after he has played the handmade Neptune to hear and feel how they compare"

tubeast wrote: A used Gronitz 5-valved 4/4 BBb that´s available right now has started to burn a hole into my wallet, though...

The one on the German tubaforum?