Any advice, good or bad, regarding M&M tubas?

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 5:03 pm

There's a buy-it-now 2341 on ebay right now.Life's too short to play bad tubas.Buy it. Now...
I just noticed a Musica,a stencil horn by VMI,still for sale used at the tuba exchange.Not a piston horn,but VASTLY more reputable(and probably better by that degree).In the low 2k range.Tubenet vets have a very high opinion of these.

Bandmaster · Post by **Bandmaster** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 7:20 pm

Bob1062 wrote:If you want to keep your costs down, you might like the Dalyan tubas. I think the bigger Bb models are too close in price to the "real things," but the little Piggy is supposed to be quite nice. It is rotary valve though and I've seen them for under 2000.

The best playing BBb that Dalyan makes is called the "Prague" model. I play them at the NAMM Show the last two years and I was impressed with them. They are available on eBay pretty cheap (less than $2,000) every now and then.

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 7:35 pm

MikeMason wrote:There's a buy-it-now 2341 on ebay right now.Life's too short to play bad tubas.Buy it. Now...

I looked up that offering. Seems they have a number of them and say they are a dealer for Conn-Selmer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-King-Profession ... dZViewItem

The price is $4700 but they state that the horns come straight from the factory to you when purchased. One of the things that you pay for when you buy a big horn like this King is the setup for the final user. Quality control has been reported as variable in these Kings so they should be looked at with smart eyes before purchase and problems corrected.

David Fedderly at Baltimore Brass (www.baltimorebrass.net) has this horn for $3995 and has the smart eyes to deliver a horn which is up to snuff.

You can make your own conclusions as to which is the better deal.

I would agree with Bob that a King three valve horn could be an inexpensive option. I play a 2340 (older) three valve and I bought it in reasonable shape for about $500 all in. I think I was lucky but decent ones of these come up all the time on ebay for under $1K. The horn has a nice sound and might be just the ticket for a once-a-week player. Jim Self won his first job with one so they can be played well. You will probably have to be satisfied with a recording bell because upright bells are scarce and expensive if in good condition.

If you want that fourth valve, though, it's gonna cost you quite a bit more. I've never played a four valved horn but theory says that they really help out in playing the bottom end in tune. I'm still working on keeping any note in tune so I'm fixed up for awhile.

bort · Post by **bort** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 7:52 pm

The Big Ben wrote:
MikeMason wrote:There's a buy-it-now 2341 on ebay right now.Life's too short to play bad tubas.Buy it. Now...
I looked up that offering. Seems they have a number of them and say they are a dealer for Conn-Selmer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-King-Profession ... dZViewItem

What about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/King-BBb-tuba-new-m ... dZViewItem

GC · Post by GC » Sat Sep 22, 2007 8:39 pm

from the ad:

Retail price is $6,810. Our price is only $4,699.

This item is offered for pre-sale, meaning it is in stock at the manufacturers. It will be shipped to us and then immediately to you.

Sounds like double shipping costs to me, plus I wonder how long it will take for the order to reach the seller.

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:06 pm

bort wrote:
The Big Ben wrote:
MikeMason wrote:There's a buy-it-now 2341 on ebay right now.Life's too short to play bad tubas.Buy it. Now...
I looked up that offering. Seems they have a number of them and say they are a dealer for Conn-Selmer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-King-Profession ... dZViewItem
What about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/King-BBb-tuba-new-m ... dZViewItem

$500 off new with a bag and hard case. Mods look a little hamfisted but I guess I'm used to looking at Dan O.'s work.. Not bad. Might do better by trying to bid on it and wait. Who knows?

If the description is true, it was set up at Dillon's and has been played since.

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:08 pm

the elephant wrote:That ought to be "drop shipped" from the factory directly to the customer. UMI has done this in the past. Maybe they do not anymore. Or maybe it is indeed a needless second shipping charge and second shot at getting damaged in transit.

Pretty stupid way for the seller to play it if you ask me.

Of course no one actually asked me, so I will shut up nowâ€¦

And "our pal" David Fedderley is cheaper anyway!

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 4:47 pm

M & M is a sponsor here on TubeNet. I know the owner is a tuba player himself and he has been working very hard to make sure the quality of the M & M line is kept at an acceptable standard. I've been doing some of the M & M warranty work and can honestly say that the M & M instruments appear to be demonstrating quite an acceptable level of quality with respect to price. Most of the warranty work I've seen has been related to shipping damage... something that is totally out of the hands of the seller or manufacturer. For the price, the level of quality seems to be good. I know from a reliable source that the same factory that makes the M & M lines also provides parts to Yamaha.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:44 pm

bloke wrote: disclaimer: also no direct experience here

They definitely LOOK like they are a cut above the eBay stuff. Looks can be deceiving...but usually looks are NOT particularly deceiving.

Here is the total breadth of my true knowledge within the realm of this topic :

If you don't have very much ram loaded in your computer and you are a fast typist, when the animated MM tubas ad is displayed, you'll get quite a few letters ahead of what is showing on your text entering field so, to avoid confusion, type with your eyes closed when the MM tubas ad is displayed on TubeNet.

RRW · Post by **RRW** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 4:08 pm

jeopardymaster · Post by **jeopardymaster** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 9:18 am

Sometime last year I visited Tubatinker to get some work done, and he showed me an M&M rotary valve BBb he had treated for shipment damage. I'd guess it would be about a .760 to .780 bore, 16 inch bell or so, roughly the size of a 186 or comparable Yamaha. I was impressed. Even intonation and response, good finish, sturdy, excellent valve action. I have no other data point, but the one I did try was a fine horn. Better certainly than most St Petes I've played, and better than many Yamahas - and a few Miraphones, even. If I were in the market, I'd want to pay the guy a visit and try out a bunch if possible. But if budget is critical, they're definitely worth a look. Really good choice for a school, I'd think.

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Any advice, good or bad, regarding M&M tubas?

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