TubeNet

Hey guys,

So I've been gigging quite a bit lately as a bassist and tuba player, and most of you know me as a euphonium player.

About three years ago, my Willson 2900 was stolen, and I didn't use the insurance money to replace it, because in the ten years I owned that horn, I might have made $500, while my basses and tuba, all costing me MAYBE $2,000 altogether have kept a roof over my head.

I've been getting lots of calls for musical theatre gigs lately, and I know that getting a call for Wicked is just around the corner, and I don't own either a fretless or five string fretted bass (both of which are required for the show).

While out shopping around for some new basses, I came across an old, beat up Besson euphonium for $800. The horn sounds surprisingly very well, is in tune, and playing a euph for the first time since my Willson was stolen was actually an awesome experience.

But my conundrum is that I don't think I can justify the money for an instrument that doesn't put food on the table with my current income.

What kind of advice can TubeNet give me?

BopEuph wrote:What kind of advice can TubeNet give me?

As a non-professional musician (I think I made $100, once, many years ago?), I think you have to look at it separately from being an income-producing tool. If you CAN make money with it, great.

Otherwise, you surely make some sort of allowances to yourself for various hobbies, necessities, and fun things -- that's just part of life, and you'd go crazy without it. Myself, tuba is my hobby. I don't spend money on very much on other hobbies, as some would with golf, gym memberships, sports equipment, books, clothes, etc. If you can justify buying the euph as part of your hobby and leisure allowances, then I say go for it. And if you can't then I think it's okay to pass as well. Sounds like a good price, but perhaps not unheard of (although, I'm no expert!). Worst case, it's only an instrument, they made more!

Old horns will always be for sale, but good paying gigs are hard to find. The money you'll earn will allow you to buy your needs as well as your wants. I was a freelance musician for 30 years and the money I earned provided for the needs and wants of my family and I never regretted by choices. Question: Are you buying a toy or a tool?

Thanks.

I should have mentioned that with my current income, I really have to choose right now between the bass or the euphonium. I guess my justification for buying the euph would be that I'm actually considering buying the bass new, and that probably means I can get the instrument whenever I just happen to have the money for it.

At the same time, an Ampeg Baby Bass just went for sale locally, and while it's $1800, I can't get into salsa playing without one of those instruments...nobody likes you to play electric bass in that genre.

Here's the horn in question:



Compensating 4 valve, serial 551423 if there's anybody that can glean some information from that...because I've tried and can't.

DaveWright wrote: Question: Are you buying a toy or a tool?

That's a good question. As a freelancer, it's been hard getting into the scene and making enough bread. However, playing euphonium has always been easier to me than playing any other instrument; I feel like not having my Willson is like having lost a limb.

bloke wrote:Buy a Packer 2-series or 3-series euphonium or a Jinbao euphonium.

You know, my China tour last year for Chicago the Musical, I managed to get JP to loan me one of their Bb tubas for the tour, and that thing played great! I was surprised.

bloke wrote:Keep your eyes peeled for your Willson. It may eventually show up.

I looked and looked for the first year and eventually gave up. Every now and then I get a message from someone asking if a horn they came across is mine, but it's never been.

bloke wrote:...and look on the bright side: The government steals more than the value of that euphonium from you every very months.

Good point.

The only instrument I've ever seen that looked like that was a Besson Imperial euphonium and it was a really good horn. The intonation on these things can be challenging but the sound can be really special. I'd say play before you buy. Only you can determine if the finances work out. The picture is kinda blurry but if the horn plays well and is in good shape (which seems to be the case from the blurry picture) then $800 seems like a pretty good price to me. If I had the cash, I'd probably snap it up if the horn worked for me. Good luck!

BopEuph wrote: I've been getting lots of calls for musical theatre gigs lately, and I know that getting a call for Wicked is just around the corner, and I don't own either a fretless or five string fretted bass (both of which are required for the show).

Going from a 4 string to a 5 string fretted bass will take anywhere from a week to a month to get fully adjusted to the different feel. At the end of the day, some people still prefer the 4 string and use a Hipshot or similar device unless they have the time for a drop D or other tuning.
Fretless basses are entirely different animals altogether. I have heard a number of good bassists try to play them, and have serious pitch issues. They require a very different approach and considerable dedicated practice. Fretless is not something you could pick up in a week or two, but could be well worth the years of required effort.

Jay Bertolet wrote:The picture is kinda blurry but if the horn plays well and is in good shape (which seems to be the case from the blurry picture) then $800 seems like a pretty good price to me. If I had the cash, I'd probably snap it up if the horn worked for me. Good luck!

Yeah, and the embed didn't seem to work properly. If you look at the original image link, it looks a bit better.

The horn does play well, and top line A is surprisingly in tune.

I am on a good gig that I can afford the horn, but I would have to choose between this and a five string bass.

MartyNeilan wrote:Going from a 4 string to a 5 string fretted bass will take anywhere from a week to a month to get fully adjusted to the different feel.

I do borrow 5 stringers when I have the need come up. It's not going to be a hard switch for me.

MartyNeilan wrote:Fretless basses are entirely different animals altogether.

Yeah, but being an upright player as well as an electric, it should be an easier change for me than most electric players. This is also the reason why I grabbed a fretless before worrying about a five string, so I can have more time on it (and, frankly, I'm just excited to get more of a Jaco tone!).

In my humble opinion as a tuba/bass doubler, I would say get the bass if that's what is making you the money. Buy the bass. Make money with it. Use that money to buy the euphonium.

The Squier Vintage Modified 5 string is a pretty good bass for the $329 it would cost you. I have toyed with getting one, but I have a seven string and a six string (from Rondo Music for $99...that sounded great with a few mods)...that I don't play enough.

I don't know the Wicked book at all, but could you get away with a 4 banger tuned BEAD? I use a hipshot D tuner on my main Musicman axe, and it works very well if you only need to drop to D....but it is a pain to tune.

I bought an EUB a few years ago and used it during a theater gig last year. I am a terrible upright player....but man the NS CRT sounded awesome through a walkabout Scout.

jc

Don't forget that this purchase would be tax deductible, since you are a professional. Uncle Sam would, therefore, be contributing to the purchase based on whatever your tax rate might be.

More like a Bessondrum.

Buy the instrument first that will earn enough income, that after a good run, you can save a little money and purchase the next instrument that may not earn money as a personal reward for having worked so hard.

Thanks for the wisdom, guys. I posted this in both TubeNet and TalkBass, and this seems to be the majority response. It's a good idea. And, as someone mentioned to me somewhere (either on one of the forums or in person), I learned yesterday that my chops are still around 90%, even though I haven't picked up a euph since mine was stolen. That means I can worry about the horn after I get a(n unlikely) call. I guess all that gigging on NOLA style tuba playing keeps my other brass chops up!

As for the Squier VM, I was set on getting one and then Sire just released their Marcus Miller signature basses, which are getting rave reviews. I can get one for about $450, and judging from the reviews I've seen, it would be an incredibly competent bass, and the only weak link is the tuners...and possibly the bridge.

As for a BEAD tuning, I doubt it. I've seen that book before, and the bass part is all over the neck. When I auditioned for the Airmen of Note last year, I actually borrowed a five string not because of the range of one of the excerpts, but because it was impossible to play at tempo with all of the shifting.