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My tuba anger for the week:

Needing to take an Army physical fitness test after not being very active for 5 months. I totally failed my run last week ... but passed this morning. I spent all my time this last week running and working out and didn't practice very much at all since I was so wiped and not in the right mindset to do any productive practicing.

Miraphone 282. Find a used one, they're great.

Hi-
Go try the Big Mouth Brass J-734LQ 3/4 BBb 4 front action piston tuba-16" bell, bore .730/.750--I have the CC version (J-834LQ) and a friend of mine locally has the BBb version which I have tried--the BBb is a terrific horn with a terrific price and is well made -a professional BBb 3/4 at a price schools can afford-go try it! And-----unless you gave actually tried the horn--don't say it isn't any good--play it first, then add your comments......
Mark

Eb!!! We need more Eb!!!

Grooving for Heaven wrote:I think you're missing the point of what the Jr High band director is asking for. Basically they want a 4 Valve version of the yamaha 105, for similar money

Weingrill & Nirschl

But really......More Eb

Grooving for Heaven wrote:those are on my list of horns I would like to play, but I'm not sure who handles them.

Don't you just hate it

Grooving for Heaven wrote:As I said before, I can't recommend any chinese horns to schools until I see evidence that parts are available in a timely manner

+1

I think this is a completely valid argument. Many years ago, I remember having a conversation with a respected repair tech in our area who told me that he would never work on certain brands of instruments. It was about the time that St. Pete and the crop of Indian instruments were hitting the market. He told me a horror story about one of those instruments needing to have a ferrule taken apart to remove a dent plus fix another problem. When the ferrule was taken apart, other joints also fell apart. The horn was so poorly assembled that the repairman had to spend a ton of extra time just getting the parts to fit back together well enough that his reputation wasn't damaged when he gave the horn back to the customer.

The quality of construction, availability of parts, and ease of repair are all factors in purchasing a horn for school use and will rarely reveal themselves during a playtest. Others have suggested that today's Chinese horns are yesterday's Japanese horns. That may eventually be true but it isn't today.

It's not a "little" tuba ..... it's a @#$^%&ing euphonium !!!!!

Hi-
BTW, what country is the Yamaha 105 made in?
Mark

Missouri wrote:Yamaha instruments are consistent

ehhhh

I'm angry that there aren't enough hours in the day to practice my horn, and fix school horns, and pick up 2 new instruments. And do schoolwork, but that's kinda secondary...

hrender wrote:From the Yamaha website:

Xiaoshan Yamaha Musical Instrument Co., Ltd.
Location / Foundation: 777 NO.6 Hongtai Road Xiaoshan Economic & Technical Development Zone Hangzhou Zhejiang (P.C.311232), China/ 1997
Tel / Fax: (86) 571-82833018 / (86) 571-82833016
Business: Manufacturing and assembly of wind instruments and marching drums

Accurate data is a good thing.

That's interesting information to have, thanks for posting. I wonder if the Japanese run their factories in China as differently as the native run factories in the same way that Japanese car factories in the US are run quite differently than American car factories. While having limited firsthand knowledge of the specifics of how manufacturers get tuba parts for assembly or who assembles them, I have always imagined it works very much like the car industry. As long as the parts meet specifications, the cheapest parts are generally used. Once acquired, those parts are assembled by whomever the company decides to do the job. For what reason they decide is the question. Do they choose because it costs less? Because the quality is higher? These are the corporate decisions that determine a company's reputation with their customers. I don't think anybody is stating or even implying that folks of any race/nationality can't produce quality products. However, the company that makes the decisions that dictate construction parameters does control the final outcome and that product is what the players ultimately hold in their hands and judge.

I remember very well all the scoffing that went on when Yamaha starting producing tubas, mostly copies of Besson instruments. I was in college back then and I eventually bought a Yamaha product for my use. Yes, it was cheaper than my other options at the time. But it also was made very well. The quality was high and the parts and repairs were readily available, even at the beginning. I think Yamaha proves it can be done right. Even as far as establishing factories in many parts of the world. I just don't hear (nor have I personally experienced) the complaints regarding Yamaha products as I do the various Chinese products. That is where things have to change if the various Chinese brands wish to be successful. I don't imagine these folks want to go out of business so the free market will solve things one way or another.

Fight fight fight!!

Missouri wrote:

Leto Cruise wrote:Fight fight fight!!

You support Chinese tubas. Do you also complain about the economy? Economical tubas don't help the economy!

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

Accident

KiltieTuba wrote:

Missouri wrote:

jonesmj wrote:Hi-
BTW, what country is the Yamaha 105 made in?
Mark

Jones, are you trying to start a fight? Yamaha instruments are consistent and I have never heard of one falling apart when you remove a slide.

You're kidding, right?

+1