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Hi All, I'm thinking about buying a horn from Mack Brass. Anyone willing to share what they think about their horns, sales and service etc? I appreciate the on going debate about Chinese horns, however I'm not looking for a general debate on that , but what I would deeply appreciate is anyone's real world experience with their Tuba's. Please PM me if you would like to make your comment privately.

Thanks for taking the time to comment
Eddie

Have the euph and Bass trombone. Great instruments. No complaints. Only the best of service from Tom.

Company: If you remember anything about Big Bottom Brass and Al Triplett... it's the exact opposite of that.

Instruments: By this point, you probably know what you're getting. Most people have no problems at all with them, and I'm sure the pricepoint helps to both temper expectations and to surprise with results.

Yep; I have only good things to say about purchasing from Tom.

Tom is a great guy. Honest and efficient in filling orders and providing parts. I bought a French horn from his company and couldn't be more pleased.

Ace

Adding my 2¢ - bought a french horn from him. The pre-sales support was great, spent a long time on the phone with me, horned arrived when he said it would, in great shape. What more could anyone ask?

Tom is a great guy and very knowledgeable about what he stocks. I have bought 2 horns from Tom, a 410 CC and a Wisemann 900. I don't know if you're looking for a CC or Bb but here is my opinion on the two CC horns.

The 410 was a great little 4/4 CC but the high E above the staff was non-existent which made playing excerpts like Die Meistersinger impossible. Other than that, the horn played well in tune and had a great sound! I recommend this horn to all my students interested in buying their first CC.

I just bought the Wisemann 900 before Christmas and I LOVE this horn. This is better than any PT6P I've ever played. It is also very versatile. I've used it in orchestra, wind ensemble, brass quintet, and tuba quartet settings with no issue. Similar to the PT6, I do have to pull considerably for the 4th line F but other than that the horn plays well in tune. Low register is jaw dropping in how easy and full it is. I love to just sit down and read the Snedecor low etudes with this horn! I will never sell this horn.

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to play any of Tom's Bb horns or his F model but I'm looking forward to the chance one day!

Tom, goes through the horns very methodically. He adjusts linkage geometry to make them function properly on rotary horns. He ACTUALLY does inspect each instrument. Stands by his product and is very honest. He knows the product he sells inside and out. Contact him you can't go wrong!

thetubawizard wrote:

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to play any of Tom's Bb horns or his F model but I'm looking forward to the chance one day!

I would if he attended the conference at Ft Myer...

Three Valves wrote:

thetubawizard wrote:

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to play any of Tom's Bb horns or his F model but I'm looking forward to the chance one day!

I would if he attended the conference at Ft Myer...

He told me the other day he's tentatively planning on driving up on Friday, not to display anything, but no doubt you could talk.

I've purchased a tuba (TU200 Silver plate) and a Euphonium. Both horns work well, Tom was great to deal with and I would purchase from him again.

I've bought two Tubas from Tom (410 and 900 both lacquer) and very satisfied all around! Tom generously took the time to not only answer some technique issues I was having but even outlined a focused practice strategy to successfully overcome them. He is accomplished, approachable, helpful and in no way a Tuba snob. As an amateur I felt most welcome in all respects. Thanks Tom and Mack Brass Rules!

Tom is awesome! I purchased a Mack 200S. The tuba was great and the service was second to none.

This is encouraging. I am looking at several of his horns amd maight have to buy one.

Thanks for the comments everyone. They are appreciated. I ordered a Silver MACK-TU210S, the Hirsbrunner clone. I'll update the thread after I get and have a chance to check it out. For me it is was the most bang for my buck. I play Eb in my main brass band gig and only need a Bb when I'm subing in one of the local community bands. While the Wisemann DTU 900 looked excellent they were not in my budget and because I may sub some time for a Bb in the brass band I really needed a Bb since not on is the transposition not really that much fun for me, I don't think a CC really blends well with a brass band ( Which from a 40 + year CC player , is a hard admission to make .

So thanks again for the comments
Eddie

Tom is a good guy who stands behind his stuff. I enjoyed spending time with him the one time I had a chance to visit. Went home with a very little F tuba. Couldn't resist. Haven't played it since.

I just purchased a 210L from Tom. Don't waste any time dealing with anybody else. Jim Laabs, M&M and Music Factory Direct are competitors but they will not help you like Tom will. Tom spent as much time on the phone with me before the purchase as was necessary in order to make sure I was buying the right tuba for the venue in which I play. He is extremely knowledgeable and he plays tuba. You can't go wrong buying from him.

My experience was very good. I was fortunate enough to be able to stop by the warehouse. I came looking for a smaller tuba he sells but made the "mistake" of playing a JBBB-210 and was so impressed I drove down a few weeks later to pick up a lacquer model he had in stock. (I prefer it over silver)

He does unbox and examine them, he showed me where to oil it. All the slides were removed and checked. Screws and parts checked, adjusted or tightened. I'm sure he would have played mine but I was there so I played it.

Invaluable pointers came at no extra charge. "Long tones" "ta,ta,ta" "crescendo!!"

I do have a tendency to play instruments sharp and this was no exception. A week later (after no improvement on my end, with the tuba remaining indoors and at constant temperature) he was kind enough to mail me a longer tuning slide. I only had problems with open partials, which have since been adequately corrected with the aid of the slide. I had no problems ever tuning Ed C A or G etc.

I now have what I consider to be the best sub 2k clone out there. I have played most of them over the last 2+ years at the Army Conference as well as other venues. I did not play his JBBB-200 as at 40+ inches high it's just too big for me and I actually went there to look at 3/4 size tubas. (Which were fine, just not dissimilar enough to what I already had)

I am especially impressed with the valves and linkage on this model. Others have proved inconsistent even among the valves on the same horn (like a sticky second or what have you)

Although I had the luxury of being able to drive from DC Metro to pick it up, I would not hesitate to have him ship it to you.

Thanks!!

Uh oh. We're gonna have to call you Four Valves now.

arpthark wrote:Uh oh. We're gonna have to call you Four Valves now.

Not so.

I only use three!!