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Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:08 am
by SousaSaver
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 12:49 pm
by SousaSaver
True - I just know that Goodgigs is into plastic horns. I thought this might be up his alley.
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 12:51 pm
by Homerun
It says it's sold out. Anyone know a price? This could be fun if you had some money to waste.
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:01 pm
by SousaSaver
The site lists the price as 49.95 British Pounds. The exchange rate (at the time of this posting) is $1.57 dollars for every BP.
So the cost is roughly $79.00 before shipping or import duties. That is still pretty cheap.
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:02 pm
by imperialbari
Skærmbillede 2010-11-27 kl. 18.56.04.png
Pounds49.95 is just short of $80 minus VAT plus shipping and US taxes for you.
At that price I had bought one, if they were available. If the slide is smooth, it might be a good beginners’ instrument.
Klaus
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 4:05 pm
by Donn
From what I have read, they're sold out because, not only are they cheap, they really work pretty well. Currently no way to get them in North America, but they're working on it.
It will be interesting to see where they go with it. Valves? Special bells with glass reinforced polycarbonate, for the professional who needs more projection?
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 4:50 pm
by imperialbari
goodgigs wrote:Just think people,
In a few years some chineese toy maker may offer plastic CSO York tubas for under $1000.00.

Yes, and the bell will be and LCD screen displaying an aquarium, so that the listeners will be entertained while the music plays. Or maybe it will display a team of 16 doing synchronised swimming in the outfit of your choice.
Klaus
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:21 pm
by bort
ben wrote:Cheap trombone? sounds like something Bort may look into, but the bore is a might bit small for me.
Looks like a neat little toy, but if I were to buy 1 just trombone, this wouldn't be it. I'd rather have something more real. Price is right though, not surprised he sold out!
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:43 pm
by Donn
bort wrote:
Looks like a neat little toy, but if I were to buy 1 just trombone, this wouldn't be it.
Good thinking, man, I'd hold out for one with a valve.
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:55 pm
by Chadtuba
Donn wrote:bort wrote:
Looks like a neat little toy, but if I were to buy 1 just trombone, this wouldn't be it.
Good thinking, man, I'd hold out for one with a valve.
Hold out for A valve, heck I'm holding out for the double trigger 10.5" bell large bore bass bone. And I'm sure that Bob will be holding out for the contra-bone

Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 6:37 pm
by Donn
Chadtuba wrote:And I'm sure that Bob will be holding out for the contra-bone
That might not be as absurd as it sounds. There is a rumor of an F bass. Could have just been a joke, but if you put yourself in their shoes - they've figured out how to make instruments out of this material, with 1 moving part, a slide. To make a bass trombone, you either 1) inflate a Bb tenor and add a valve, or 2) double the slide on a real bass in F. The latter might take a lot less engineering.
Why bother with bass trombone? Because (brass) bass trombone is too heavy, I know someone who had to give it up and I'm sure that happens all too often. Given an alternative that's lighter, shorter (double slide), and less complicated (without the infinite combination of slide positions with 2 valves), I'd be willing to drop a couple hundred on it.
From there to Bb below is just a matter of whether there's any real market for contrabass trombones.
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:18 pm
by SousaSaver
That's right Bloke. I have found it infinitely easier to repair Conn fiber than to repair King fiber bodies.
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:27 pm
by bort
I should clarify my comment -- seems like a neat toy, but I'd rather have something made out of metal.

Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 10:59 pm
by iiipopes
Blue. It has to be blue. Or maybe maroon would be nice. In any event, it would be nothing without getting a matching or contrasting Kelly mouthpiece to go with it!
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:12 am
by imperialbari
Yup, give them some cane Citizen Kane! I am with you regarding the one video I watched rather telling a funky rhythm story than displaying smooth melodies.
I have a former student travelling the world. I cannot do that as I don’t walk well, so I travel through some novelties among instruments.
Ivory has been outlawed for recorders for very good reasons (just ask Wade). Mass produced plastic recorders, at least the best ones, are better beginner instruments than the wooden ones I stated on in a previous millennium. But they cannot replace ivory recorders. Within the last year a French high end maker has started making altos in resin. I have both the the 440 and the 415 version, both with wooden blocks. The fine about them, is that they are fine tuned like high end instruments, but at around 30% of the price. That is possible because they stay in tune. Wooden instruments shall be played over a period to adapt to moisture, and as they change ever so little in shape, they need retuning again and again. And they sound like a costly hardwood recorder, not quite as bright and brittle as ivory.
With trombones the sound is important, but if the hand slide isn’t top notch (that is NO notches), then they are not really playable. if you want smoothness. If they are not brown or one of the pastels, I am not too picky about the colour. OK, a certain green may trigger a bad nausea.
If these plastic trombones return to the market, I need to buy one just to know about them. If they are good, I need to buy a couple for my favourite brass twins, thirty months old in this video, the language is Norwegian:
http://www.youtube.com/user/sondringen# ... 0O0PBDbSdY
Klaus
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:18 am
by SousaSaver
Goodgigs -
Could you post the links to those youtube videos?
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:59 am
by bort
Brian, I think you might have some high expectations for YouTube videos!

Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:47 pm
by Tulanetubaboy
If they made a plastic tuba that didn't cost too much I would totally buy it just for fun!
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 11:24 pm
by The Big Ben
Tulanetubaboy wrote:If they made a plastic tuba that didn't cost too much I would totally buy it just for fun!
Well, if you could find someone to bankroll Brian (goodgigs), you could have one. Wouldn't be dirt cheap but would cost "less" and be pretty tough. If Brian would post a link to him playing his creation, you could hear that a plastic tuba works pretty good!
Re: Plastic Instruments
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 11:50 pm
by imperialbari
Translucent CC tuba 4FP by Brian Kane.jpg
Transparent sound?
Klaus