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Someone is selling a practically new Schiller Fiberglass Sousaphone in my area for about $1200. I'm not in need of a Sousaphone personally but I would love to have one as needed for my middle school program or just to mess around with. But knowing Schiller is a stencil company that gets its instruments from China I'm a bit weary.

I have nothing against Chinese stencil instruments since I own two that I really found great value in them (Mack Brass Euphonium & Mack Brass Tuba 210) but I never played a Schiller instrument nor do I know how they sound and if they are durable.

I have never played (or seen) a Schiller 'glass tuba, but I will input my personal experience. I own a Schiller American Heritage Bb/F trombone.

The slide out of the box was smooth, but slow. It was ever-so-slightly out of alignment. The tenon on the slide doesn't match the tenon on the bell because it's a bass trombone slide whose inner slide ends have been chamfered to a smaller diameter so the inner bore reading is 0.547" (what it's advertised as) but that's just a lip. The entire rest of the slide is 0.562" bore and that lip makes it blow kinda stuffy due to turbulence. The bell section had 3(!) leaking joints in the F-attachment wrap... large enough that the valve notes didn't feel centered (on top of the stuffy slide, below the staff absolutely SUCKED on this horn).

I fixed all the issues myself, it plays much better now... but I personally wouldn't buy another. You could probably find a name-brand 'glass sousa for that price.

KingBassTrombone wrote:I have never played (or seen) a Schiller 'glass tuba, but I will input my personal experience. I own a Schiller American Heritage Bb/F trombone.

The slide out of the box was smooth, but slow. It was ever-so-slightly out of alignment. The tenon on the slide doesn't match the tenon on the bell because it's a bass trombone slide whose inner slide ends have been chamfered to a smaller diameter so the inner bore reading is 0.547" (what it's advertised as) but that's just a lip. The entire rest of the slide is 0.562" bore and that lip makes it blow kinda stuffy due to turbulence. The bell section had 3(!) leaking joints in the F-attachment wrap... large enough that the valve notes didn't feel centered (on top of the stuffy slide, below the staff absolutely SUCKED on this horn).

I fixed all the issues myself, it plays much better now... but I personally wouldn't buy another. You could probably find a name-brand 'glass sousa for that price.

Well, that doesn't bode well at all, that is just straight up not acceptable.