SAY NO TO UNBRANDED JUNK-INSIST ON AN ORIGINAL TRISTAR!

[Lew]

So putting a brand name, any brand name, makes something good! I just found this statement amusing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 16213&rd=1

[windshieldbug]

I just found this statement amusing

Well, then ya gotta love

"You are looking at a beautiful, BRAND NEW 'TRISTAR' brand Bb Baritone in Chrome plated Silvered finish. It has a pleasant and lighter sound, and easier to master compared to the Euphonium"

"If you are buying a brass music instrument from India that is not manufactured by "TRISTAR" then it is probably a fake or imitation instrument sold by people trying to make a fast buck."

[Chuck(G)]

A waste of perfectly good used shell casings.

[windshieldbug]

[Chuck(G)]

"You are looking at a beautiful, BRAND NEW 'TRISTAR' brand Bb Baritone in Chrome plated Silvered finish. It has a pleasant and lighter sound, and easier to master compared to the Euphonium"

That's probably because it's a treble clef baritone.



Did anyone read their "Terms of Use" on their web site:

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[windshieldbug]

intermart india endeavors to provide products that are close to their description. However, intermart india does not warrant that product descriptions or other content on the site, for example but not limited to pricing or availability of product or content that is sent to you via various channels, including emails, is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. If any such inaccuracy or incompleteness exists, your sole remedy, in all instances including those where product and payment have exchanged hands, is to return the merchandise in unused condition and request for a refund... (doesn't say you'll get one, even after you've shipped it back) Furthermore, it is very likely that the product that you may have purchased on the site is unavailable.

Condensation and emphasis are mine, provided for the reading impaired. After all, we are talking about tuba players here...

[Mike Finn]

Yeah, Tri-Star is OK, but they're nothing compared to the "New Original Machiavelli BBb Tuba."
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ORIGINAL-MACHIA ... dZViewItem

And you've got to read the description on the company's site, hilarious! Beginning with: "The tuba, as we all know, is a big instrument." It only gets better.

http://www.themachiavelli.com/tuba.html


MF

[tjonp]

WOW! This one has a fourth valve that "changes the pitch of the instrument from high to low"!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRISTAR-4-VALVE ... dZViewItem

[Chuck(G)]

WOW! This one has a fourth valve that "changes the pitch of the instrument from high to low"!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRISTAR-4-VALVE ... dZViewItem

Okay, so now we all know what that mysterious 4th valve is for. But who plays high-pitch instruments any more?

[windshieldbug]

WOW! This one has a fourth valve that "changes the pitch of the instrument from high to low"!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRISTAR-4-VALVE ... dZViewItem

Okay, so now we all know what that mysterious 4th valve is for. But who plays high-pitch instruments any more?

Worse than that, how does one even depress it without losing hold of the New Tristar? And since the entire world (with the possible exception of violas) has played in low pitch since about the turn of the century, one would presumably depressing it all the time...

[Chuck(G)]

Worse than that, how does one even depress it without losing hold of the New Tristar? And since the entire world (with the possible exception of violas) has played in low pitch since about the turn of the century, one would presumably depressing it all the time...

Take a close look at the valve--there's a set screw that's (ostensibly) used to lock it down.

Amazing...

[Kevin Hendrick]

WOW! This one has a fourth valve that "changes the pitch of the instrument from high to low"!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-TRISTAR-4-VALVE ... dZViewItem

Okay, so now we all know what that mysterious 4th valve is for. But who plays high-pitch instruments any more?

Worse than that, how does one even depress it without losing hold of the New Tristar? And since the entire world (with the possible exception of violas) has played in low pitch since about the turn of the century, one would presumably depressing it all the time...

Now that's a depressing thought ...

[windshieldbug]

Take a close look at the valve--there's a set screw that's (ostensibly) used to lock it down.

Amazing...

I think you are probably right... the only defense I have is that I was blinded by the FREE Mute attachment...

[BopEuph]

If I didn't have to pay so much for shipping, I'd probably get both horns. One, because I don't have a baritone and would like to just fool around with it. The euphonium I would like so I can do the kung fu euphonium demonstration (those of you who were in Budapest last year know what I'm talking about) without worrying that my Willson might get hurt. Maybe if I had a kid and I didn't know how serious he was about playing, I might get that, but get him a better horn within a year (or less if that's how long it would last) if he shows interest.

On the tuba:
The description looks like one of my failed BSed papers that I knew I was going to fail, so I wrote a smart-***ed funny paper instead. No one should take that seriously. But for a good laugh, ....

Nick

[windshieldbug]

Maybe if I had a kid and I didn't know how serious he was about playing, I might get that

That sure would cure him of any interest he might be developing...

[SplatterTone]

If I didn't have to pay so much for shipping, I'd probably get both horns. One, because I don't have a baritone and would like to just fool around with it.
Nick

Back before the Chinese horns eclipsed the India horns on E-bay, and the India horns were being imported and resold by people in the USA, I got one of those 3-valve Raison Band euphoniums -- which look a LOT like the Tri-Stars -- to mess around with.

The mouthpiece and receiver are "unique". A standard trombone mouthpiece came very close to fitting before bottoming out. I could either chop a little of the shank ... or ... I have a dead blow hammer here. Maybe I can hold the lead pipe well enough to keep from knocking it loose from the bell. So, let's try and see what happens. The trombone mouthpieces fit fine now. No gap, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. And yes, the solder joint on the bell was broken. But, since the thing played almost a half step flat, might as well unsolder the other end of the pipe and chop about 1.5 inches off. Then resolder everything GOOD. Lots of solder. Real strong. And since the soldering place on the bell has moved, and I don't want the unplated brass just sticking out, cover that area up with solder too.

Then, there was one of the slides that had one leg with an apparent cold solder joint (or no solder at all), so I soldered that GOOD too. And there are a couple of places where the nickel plating flaked off, but they are pretty small. Even with the plating flakes and the gorilla soldering (ugly but strong), this is OK because ... uhhhh ... this is ... umm ... a jazz horn! Yeah, that's it ... a jazz horn. It's SUPPOSED to be this way.

The valves are unplated. Which, I think, makes it a little easier to work them, clean the black off, work them, clean them so more, etc. etc. etc. until they operate freely.

The brass is VERY thick and heavy. You could throw this thing down a flight of stairs and not hurt it. When all the fiddling and soldering was done, the horn turned out to be a rather nice sounding horn. No kidding; it is a genuinely fine sounding horn. Like I said: a jazz horn. If I ever start playing jazz, I'll get a brown paper grocery sack to carry it in.

[SplatterTone]

I forgot to say that the valve felts on the horn rapidly disintegrated. I'm sure my prolific oiling didn't help. So I cut some replacements out of a synthetic scouring pad (aka "3M pad"). Initially, they shed 3M pad flecks, and the valves had to be cleaned frequently. Eventually, everything stablized, and the 3M pad "felts" have been holding up very well and working nicely. Maybe if I had given the pads a good washing prior to installing them, the shedding would not have occurred.

[tubatooter1940]

Bought a Soviet Army p.o.c. tuba in Siberia for ten bucks,U.S.. The music store put it in a canvas sack and you can imagine how badly Alaska Airlines rumpled it when they threw it in the hold and then covered it with more thrown luggage.
Intrerestingly,after playing the thing for an hour, the tuba would warm up and the crappy rotary valves would quieten a bit and the horn sounded decent if I remembered to play slowly. I made some new valve stoppers by gluing in some wine corks I carved with a craft knife and the horn was able to play a gig until screws started falling out of the rotary valves.
The tuba served to excite me about tooting tuba again and when my 1940 King arrived,the Russian horn now hangs as a wall ornament.

[windshieldbug]

We also sell 4 valve euphoniums where the 4th valve is used to get the F note

Tip: Just don't use the "F" word while playing...