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…but it looks as though Baltimore Brass is no longer selling (new) Meinl-Westons and is now a Miraphone dealer instead? Did this have something to do with the Buffet takeover? I know Dave lurks here but rarely posts. Does anybody know anything?

I suspect that the new, larger Buffet Group may not be one of the happiest places on Earth, but that's only a guess. If Buffet Group, who already owned the Besson brand whose low brass was being made at the Marktneukirchen factory, decided that they were going to concentrate on making more Bessons and less Meinl-Weston/B&S instruments, then Meinl-Weston and B&S dealers would have a much harder time getting the instruments they want to represent and sell. And, with the Buffet acquisition, if earlier agreements ceased and dealers found that they had to pay more and wait much longer to get instruments, then there would be less incentive for them to do so.

On the other hand, Miraphone, as far as I know, is still the same independent company that was started in Germany in the late 1940's, which probably makes for a lot of stability.

I wish them all well.

Buffet-Crampon cannot even get their parts program on stream. I honestly don't know how they will ever handle any increase in business or more product lines.

Think I'm kidding? Just try to buy something as simple as Besson 983 or Prestige valve guides.

DP wrote:pfft....why not telephone them, and ask them?

Call them (Baltimore Brass) and ask them. Then observe how many other large dealers (for example one here on the west coast) have dropped Meinl-Weston. Ask them about the financial and operational reasons.

While you are at it, call your favorite tuba repair shop, and ask about getting repair parts for MW tubas (or in general any brass instrument made by any of the brands in the Meinl-Weston / B&S group). For example, a local french horn was out of use for about 6 months, because the repair shop was unable to get the small screws required for the valves through Besson; fortunately, I was able to locate screws of that very unusual thread pitch (M2.3 !) in my machine shop, and the horn is now back to being played.

I have been waiting for some repair parts for our MW 25 BBb horn for nearly a year now (11 months). Fortunately, the horn is playable. I'll probably try to order the repair parts through a repair shop in Germany, and have them shipped to relatives there (in Germany , Meinl-Weston continues to distribute parts directly, without having to go through the worldwide Besson operation).

Meinl-Weston seems to make really nice instruments, and according to second-hand information they are coming to the US in good quantities. From all I can see, Besson is in the process of ruining both the dealer network and the repair shops though. That's one of the reasons why my son is now playing a Miraphone Bruckner instead of a MW Tuono.

On the flip side, it looks like Dillon's now sells MW tubas. I'm not sure when that started up again, but it seems like relatively recently (a year or so?), MW tubas weren't listed on the Dillon's site. Maybe they've been back there for longer than I realize.

bort wrote:On the flip side, it looks like Dillon's now sells MW tubas. I'm not sure when that started up again, but it seems like relatively recently (a year or so?), MW tubas weren't listed on the Dillon's site. Maybe they've been back there for longer than I realize.

Hi-
Just thinking that since Dillon Music was/is a Besson dealer, now that M/W & B&S have been acquired by Besson, they can now sell these instruments...
Do they have them in stock? Call Matt.

Lots of changes--for example, even Cerveny tubas in CC are not listed on the Dillon Music site currently. Other stores too seem to only carry a couple of models... a new trend? Who knows.....

For those who attended the Army Tuba Conference or plan to attend the ITEC at IU in May, observe & ask around.....

Mark

Aah, makes sense. I can't get it through my head that Besson and MW are the same now.

Cerveny tubas, even when they were listed on the Dillon's site were always special order. I think it was too expensive to keep them around.

To clarify: We did not buy a Miraphone Bruckner rather than a MW Tuono because I like or dislike the way Buffet runs their business. Instead, there were a whole lot of reasons to go with the Bruckner. Some of them are practical (the Bruckner is a bit smaller, easier for a medium-size tuba player, and also a bit cheaper), some of them are psychological (my son's older buddy also has a Bruckner, and it's nice for the two young men to have the same instrument, no rivalry there), some are logistical (there was no Tuono on the west coast at the time, partly because major dealers had dropped MW), some were fear of the unknown (at that time, nobody on the west coast had actually seen a Tuono in the flesh, except for one that was a dog). The fact that repair parts were then (and remain today) difficult to get was just another small reason.

The Bruckner is a great horn, and the Tuono is also great, and in some way even better. My son has recently had the opportunity to play the two side-by-side, and in retrospect we should maybe have waited for a Tuono to show up, but we were in a hurry at the time.

Good morning,
I have been following this post and wanted to "chime in" if I may. As explained in a prior post, Buffet Group acquired the B&S group and because of the already existing distribution set up in North America, all distribution of their product was given to Buffet Group USA which I am now the President & CEO of. We are nothing but dedicated to develop and continue the distribution of these great brands. Our team is dedicated and takes pride in making sure this is done in a professional and practical manner but most importantly with the musician's and instrument's final owner in mind. This is what I must make sure happen, and when I read these kind of posts, it obviously does not please me.

We have started the integration of B&S instruments in January 2013 and have tried our best to make it as seamless as possible. At the end any "changes" of any kind but most particularly distribution ones are always challenging. No matter who you are. You will be faced with having to make choices and take decisions which will please some and not so much others. At the end, the only goal I personally have in mind is to succeed in making sure the incredible legacy built by the Meinl family for over 7 generations and with Mr. Gerhard Meinl leading the company for the most recent years . This is a huge task and not easy "shoes to fill" but I am determined to make sure it is done. Because it is my job but also by respect to Mr. Meinl and the workers at the factories who have designed and are putting all there expertise and talent into making these finest instruments. This is where I come from, the bench (on the woodwind side making oboes and clarinets) and it is extremely important for me to make sure that Tradition stays alive and i will continue to work at it every day as I did since I started in this industry in 1984. Many things have changed but the one that did not is Tradition and Craftsmanship. This is what our brands are all about and the reason why we are all passionate about what we are doing, as you all are playing the instruments.

As previously mentioned on this forum, you are welcome to contact me directly at francois.kloc@buffet-group.com" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank if you feel that something is not going the way it should and I will make sure every efforts are made to fix the issue.

Getting parts have been an issue and this one of my top priority to fix. I have hired an additional person in order to make sure we stay on top of things and improvements are made daily. Not fast enough for me and I will only be satisfied when ALL the issues are fixed and we can serve our customers and the many repair people out there on a timely manner. Our luck (all manufactures) is the fact that these repair people are very skilled and can find a solution to make it work. However, this should not be the case and parts should be readily available.

Today, I will have a meeting with my Warehouse manager and will review everything so I can discuss the issues better with my colleagues in Europe during the Frankfurt fair.

I apologize for the long Post and thank you for taking the time to read it,

Best Regards,

Francois KLOC
President & CEO
Buffet Group USA