TubeNet

A friend contacted me the other day wanting to know if a tuba was a good buy. He is looking at a schiller 5v CC just like mine.

However it's been in storage for 3 years in a run of the mill storage unit. What should he look for and will there be any difficulty with the rotors? Or can he simply oil her up and get to playing.

Thoughts?

In my opinion, there is a 50/50 chance there will be problems. Was it stored in a hard case or just thrown in the unit? Test the valves, look/listen for leaks, look for bent or broken things, etc. just like buying any other used tuba. Getting it repaired may be a problem.

My understanding is that is in it's original case.

The horn being stored should not present much of a problem unless it was put away with a lot of gunk in the rotors. If the rotors are stuck... take the horn to someone who knows how to deal with it rather than to exert force.

Aside from that... the quality of a three-year-old Schiller might not be a good bet. I suppose like some of the new instruments on the market they have improved. But... the reputation and performance of the Schillers has been less than stellar.

Don't buy the horn sight unseen unless you might be satisfied with parts for a bird bath.