HELP .... Buy without playing???

[Alex F]

I bought a bass 'bone from Stever Ferguson which had minor bell damage in transit from Getzen. Rather than sending it back, Steve sent it to Robb Stewart. I've been looking at this bell for two years and still have no idea where this damage occurred.

I have also purchased from both Dan Oberloh and Dan Schultz and highly recommend both.

No doubt, it's always better to test the horn our before you buy, but sometimes, it's just not practical to do so. Thankfully, we have dealers who are also players with the wisdom, skill, and honesty that is capable of trust.

[windshieldbug]

If it's not the Robb Stewart horn, do you have ANYBODY out there you can call and just give it a quick play to get THEIR opinion? If not, it may be worth it to get a 'Netter's opinion...

[Barney]

(...something patriotic with a great big bottom!)[/b]

I don't want to think about the picture Bloke will find to post for this one.

[Chuck(G)]

Yoiu're welcome.

[windshieldbug]

There is great dignity, decency and prestige in the world of tubas, just as I pressumed there would be

Oh man! And to think- I started playing tuba with exactly the opposite in mind!

[iiipopes]

If it's a York you're after, there may still be one for sale currently at Dillon Music in NJ, and there is a picture of it on their website.

[Kevin Hendrick]

(...something patriotic with a great big bottom!)[/b]

I don't want to think about the picture Bloke will find to post for this one.

Kate Smith, perhaps?

[Tubaryan12]

(...something patriotic with a great big bottom!)[/b]

I don't want to think about the picture Bloke will find to post for this one.

Kate Smith, perhaps?

I was thinking Ethel Merman

And we know Bob was patriotic.

[Carroll]

HELP...Buy without playing???

Oh, I thought you wrote buy without PAYING??? I was really interested to see how you did that

[GC]

To me, the problem is that a tuba that other folks like may not suit you at all. I've bought 3 times on recommendation without trying a horn first and done 1 tryout-before-buy deal.

The first one was my college horn, and it was a good one. I sold it before a 2-1/2 decade layoff, and bought two horns from recommendations when I began playing again. Neither one worked out for me, and I eventually sold them. The tryout horn had a problem, and I ate around $165 in total shipping costs.

My current horn is a beater, but it plays well. I wouldn't have considered it had I not tried it out and found that it was an excellent player and suited my needs very well. I've also tried some very highly regarded horns that I couldn't play well.

The moral of the story is: buying without playing first is a crapshoot. You may get lucky, you may not. If you are picky about how your horns play, ALWAYS try first. If you're one of the miraculous folks who can play well on ANYTHING, or if paying return shipping costs doesn't bother you, take your chances.

[Rick Denney]

In a world rife with hucksters and con men, It would seem that the "Tuba" world is populated with decent, honorable cats...how refreshing.

Be careful, though. There are some dealers who do not rise to the standard exemplified by, say, Robb Stewart. If you ask and get a long list of unqualified praise, then you are safe. If you ask and get deafening silence, then it's time to go off-forum to ask a few questions. I've seen reports of tuba dealers unhappy with public defamation threaten to sue.

Rick "who would add Dillon Music and Baltimore Brass to the list of stores from whom you can buy sight unseen" Denney

[Bandmaster]

OK ... so I have my first potential personal purchase of a much needed BBb horn... The one I have found is a York Master, BBb, 4 piston "oldie-but-GREATie" tuba. It is on the west coast. My question to you all is: Should I bute the bullet and buy it knowing the history of the tuba, its specs and its condition without having played it, in the hopes that it will be something that will grow on me or that I can use as a temp and use as collateral in a future purchase ... or is this a preposterous thought even given my desperation???

Well... I played this tuba today... Unless Robb does a lot of work on it to make it play better, I would look elsewhere for a good tuba. Robb said he has not done much maintence work on this tuba (other than converting the bell) and he will look into it now that I gave him my opinion and let him play my YM master side by side with it. I would call this tuba a real fixer upper. There are enough air leaks to make it play poorly in my opinion.

[Bandmaster]

Was there any confirmation that the horn this guy is looking to buy is in fact the one being sold by Robb Stewart?

Yes! I PM'd chops80 and told him I needed to visit Robb to get the valves aligned on my YM and I volunteered to test the tuba for him. He accepted and gave his real name. I told Robb the buyers name and he recognized it so he allowed me to test play the tuba. Robb did seem concerned after I told him my opinion, so he played the that horn and then mine and came to the same conclusion. Robb said he would examine the tuba more closely and try to find the source of the problems. The the tuba has considerable wear and tear on it. Short of an overhaul, there is only so much he can fix.

Dave, saw your valves today as they were being prepared for the plating.

Very cool! Thanks.

[LItubakid220]

If it's a York you're after, there may still be one for sale currently at Dillon Music in NJ, and there is a picture of it on their website.

yes there is..i played it today..it is decievingly good..but it also is CC so..

[MaryAnn]

For me, the biggest reason to playtest a tuba before shipping (shipping costs $$) is ergonomics. I'm amazed how many tubas I've tried to play that simply weren't going to work on that level....from 3-valve front pistons to five-valve rotaries. Too big, too awkward, too whatever. I've dumped a bunch of money on shipping that in retrospect I'd have been much better off to spend on plane fare.

MA