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I learned today that my grandmother's side of the family, who emigrated from Germany, came from the city of Mainz. As in, the city where Gebr. Alexander is located.

Maybe I really *should* buy an Alex!

So, go to Mainz and visit the Alex factory and see if they have what will satisfy you and get some insights into from whence you were derived. A good Alex might be just what you really want.

And you could meet unknown relatives too!

Maybe they left for a reason and going with the Alex is the exact wrong thing to do.

Serious answer:

Yes, you should buy an Alexander. Maybe you'll find yourself selling it soon after purchase, but you'll never know what an Alexander is about and your curiosity will never be satisfied unless you buy one and spend some time working with one. You seem to be interested in that type of tuba and you have an interesting connection to the place now, so I say go for it.

chronolith wrote:Maybe they left for a reason and going with the Alex is the exact wrong thing to do.

HA! I always wonder what it'd be like to pay a visit to distant relatives. I always wonder if they'd think we were "quitters" for bailing out for America. Not sure what year it was that they left, but it was probably early 1900s? Certainly before the wars, and I'm grateful that they got out before then. An awful lot of people weren't so lucky. Mainz was bombed heavily.

Tom wrote:Serious answer:

Yes, you should buy an Alexander. Maybe you'll find yourself selling it soon after purchase, but you'll never know what an Alexander is about and your curiosity will never be satisfied unless you buy one and spend some time working with one. You seem to be interested in that type of tuba and you have an interesting connection to the place now, so I say go for it.

This sure helps, huh? I know you're right though, I have all the answers I can possibly get, short of sitting a different tuba in my lap and finding out for myself. I have a few options out there right now, and just have to make a decision. I'm quite grateful for all the help I get around here, and it's time for this LONG episode Bort show to go off the air and see if I can't pay it forward to help out some other people!

If you decide to go, the best time of the year is around Carnival. Mainz, Cologne and Duesseldorf are among the most important "Carnival-cities" of Germany. During these days all inhabitants of Mainz will share a beer with you and state, they are your relatives
Hubert

Keep checking the For Sale section of this board- but you knew that. Also the BBC and Dillon sites- but you knew that too. Eventually one will come up that you can try out.

A few years ago, BBC suddenly got several Alexanders in at once. Two of these ended up in our band- Big1096's 163CC, and mine. With Mark C's 163CC, The Section is an unstoppable force. And yes, we all play in tune- both with ourselves, and with the rest of the band.

There really is nothing like an Alex.