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I am curious as to why Custom Music International doesn't offer either the B&S GR51 or GR55? I realize there is a lot of stencil switching and swapping of tuba designs between one maker and another; I am still climbing the learning curve of tuba makers and respective models.

Being in the middle of Montana, I do not readily have access to any music instrument show rooms where I could evaluate different tubas. On the B&S website, I was surprised to discover through their dealer locator that Eckroth Music here in Billings and Bozeman carry the B&S line of tubas. Having made this discovery, I would be very pleasantly surprised if they did have either the GR51, GR55 or even a PT - 1, PT - 2P or PT 605 for me to view and evaluate. I notice the PT series also carries the moniker of 'Perantucci' - this may be another layer of nomenclature to fathom.

TNFJ what is your venerable opinion of all this?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Did you actually call Custom Music and ask?

cjk wrote:Did you actually call Custom Music and ask?

+1
I've found Custom Music isn't always necessarily up-to-date on their website.

Many years ago, I posed the same question here after calls to Custom were not very productive, to put it mildly. (I ended up going to Bob Tucci in Europe for information.) I alluded to the ruckus I caused back then in another recent thread.

I bought a beautiful GR55 from Custom Music just recently and found it to be a wonderful experience. It's an incredible horn which gets a terrific workout everyday. You can hear it on the new CD, "Raggin' at Greenfield Village" available at http://www.ragtimeband.org" target="_blank

RevRob -

You just might know someone who is a B&S dealer...

I'm just saying...

Say more, BRSousa.

Rev Rob wrote:I am curious as to why Custom Music International doesn't offer either the B&S GR51 or GR55? I realize there is a lot of stencil switching and swapping of tuba designs between one maker and another; I am still climbing the learning curve of tuba makers and respective models.

Being in the middle of Montana, I do not readily have access to any music instrument show rooms where I could evaluate different tubas. On the B&S website, I was surprised to discover through their dealer locator that Eckroth Music here in Billings and Bozeman carry the B&S line of tubas. Having made this discovery, I would be very pleasantly surprised if they did have either the GR51, GR55 or even a PT - 1, PT - 2P or PT 605 for me to view and evaluate. I notice the PT series also carries the moniker of 'Perantucci' - this may be another layer of nomenclature to fathom.

TNFJ what is your venerable opinion of all this?
Inquiring minds want to know.

My wife works for a music store chain, and any time I have been in any of their stores they (might) have ONE Accent tuba on the floor for display/trial/sale.

I was in their warehouse a few weeks ago and just happened to be there when a truck was unloading a shipment from... B&S. There must have been 20 tuba-sized boxes coming off the truck. I asked my wife about it and she said "oh, sure we carry B&S." Of course they CARRY it, but don't STOCK it, and that is the difference; their company will sell you any B&S product you like as long as you don't want to try it first. All of those instruments were ordered sight unseen by schools.

J Calkin is right, Eckroth's will not have anything other than one BBb Accent on display. They cater to the individual student musician that is in the early stages of development. They are dealer for any line of instrument you care to "Order". And only serve the school market. Our region/market isn't large enough to support the specialty niches of low brass. Especially beyond and entry level school quality budget.

Those horns have US and European model numbers. I visited the Custom Music store in 2010 and the US model numbers were in stock and made available to try. I purchased the GR51 on the trip, as the PT-605.

The bell is marked with both names.

bloke wrote:I find it amazing that stores are open in America that allow people to spit into, scratch, and dent $5K - $15K (dealer cost) giant pieces of nearly foil-thin metal that need to be represented as "brand new" until they are sold.

Don't misunderstand me; I'm not putting down the handful of tuba outlets in the nation. I just find it astonishing how much they much love tubas, because I see the "new tuba" thing as a very challenging way to make a profit.

I would hope that the prospective purchasers of tubas, who travel to these dedicated dealers - who love music and the instruments which produce music - would be as considerate and caring of the instruments they try, as the dealer is generous, in the offering of time and capital outlay - by providing the tuba for them to evaluate.

I have been to a musical instrument dealer who did generously offer me the time and tubas to play. He mentioned how he had cautioned a person who was evaluating an F tuba to be careful not to stand the tuba on the bell as it was rather unstable and unbalanced in such a position. The person did so anyway and this brand new tuba fell over. I wonder if he walked out of the store with out making a purchase or offering to pay for the repair of the damage he was responsible, after being cautioned not to stand the tuba on its bell.

Purchaser and provider, is a partnership where each should strive to be as considerate and courteous as the other. When this happens, it is a rewarding experience for both parties and the craft and art of tuba playing and music in general continues on.