dirt cheap 45S-LP

[Donn]

$1800? This has been up for about a week in the Seattle area.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/msg/3560104768.html

I have no real reason to think there's anything amiss - well, "baritone tuba" is an odd name for it, and to read the description you'd think he didn't notice the 5th valve, but it wouldn't be the first ill-written ad on craigslist, and I looked around for reports of any stolen ones and haven't seen anything. And this model is notoriously less popular than it was earlier in its career, maybe $1800 is the real street price for a used silver plate 45slp.

I personally think it's stupid to call up craigslist sellers and try to get them to ship a tuba out of state - if they wanted to get into that can of worms, they'd have taken it to ebay - but if anyone's in the market for a big F in the Seattle area, check it out. Maybe take someone with you when you check it out.

[toobagrowl]

$1800? This has been up for about a week in the Seattle area.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/msg/3560104768.html
And this model is notoriously less popular than it was earlier in its career, maybe $1800 is the real street price for a used silver plate 45slp.

I don't think so, Donn. They may be "less popular" than they were years ago, but it's still a Meinl-Weston for cryin out loud. Lacquer 45SLP's in very good/excellent used condition usually go for $4500-$5000. Silver 45SLP's in very good/excellent used condition usually go for $6000+. I had a silver one that I sold a couple years ago - great playing/sounding horn - I just wasn't using it because I prefer Eb for my bass tuba.
No tuba player would call this a "baritone tuba" in an ad, and forget the 5th rotor. Methinks this tuba might be "hot"

[Donn]

Big valves will cripple your hand. Intonation is super quirky. Who wants a gigantic F tuba? The original owner probably read about it on Tubenet, got depressed and told his friend to just get rid of it.

OK, the seller probably isn't the kind of player who would normally have one of these, maybe isn't a player at all. He doesn't really claim to be, for that matter. But the baritone tuba thing isn't just ignorant, it's goofy. I agree that it's all somewhat sketchy, but there may be an innocent explanation, and anyway who's missing a 45S-LP?

[TheHatTuba]

.

[bort]

Isn't $1,800 the "magic number" for all of those eBay scam ads?

[eupher61]

I'm suspicious of this now. The poor information in the ad, combined with the stolen horn from a year ago...hmmm

[Donn]

Any chance that THIS is the horn? I got some pics from the seller, and the 5th valve linkage is a bit modified. If it's legit, it's one heck of a price.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_15/474298_.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

What's a Meinl Weston 45 FLPF?

Is an assault rifle forum where you'd typically report a stolen tuba? Unfortunately I do not follow that forum, or I might have been able to help.

The ad's gone. Here's what we get now:

Beautiful Golden Tuba (to good home)
I have a spotless golden tuba I'm looking to pass on to a good home. It's been in my family for generations, without a scratch. I would like to give it to someone who is equally passionate about music. As you'll see here, it has pristine quality on each of the 3 keys, and if you turn it over to. . ..OMG. I dropped it. Never mind, it's not so spotless anymore. . ...

[bububassboner]

Hmm... I was gonna have my wife pick it up for me but now I'm not so sure. I got pictures of the horn. This kinda fits the stolen horn but in the stolen ad he talks about the custom work costing a lot but in the pictures that work looks pretty shitty. Anyone part of that forum? I don't want to buy this if its hot.

[eupher61]

Is an assault rifle forum where you'd typically report a stolen tuba? Unfortunately I do not follow that forum, or I might have been able to help.

It was the poster's brother's tuba.

[Donn]

Anyone part of that forum?

I'm guessing not, you'll have to sign yourself up!

[Rivercity Tuba]

Horn is hot (stolen)

[bububassboner]

Already working on finding the owner.

[bububassboner]

Any chance that THIS is the horn? I got some pics from the seller, and the 5th valve linkage is a bit modified. If it's legit, it's one heck of a price.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_15/474298_.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

I got in contact with this guy. Not his brother's tuba. Though I still think it might be stolen.

[Donn]

Thanks for checking that out!

It's too bad there isn't some way to clear this up one way or the other. I know BRSousa, maybe others, have proposed to collect reports, but of course that's only as good as the data that goes into it, so it could be a big help for someone whose tuba has been stolen, but it doesn't work so well the other way around - as long as fewer than 100% of the stolen tubas are reported to the maintainer, then it doesn't matter if that 45SLP is in there or not, it still could be stolen.

So you hate to go along with an open market in stolen tubas, but on the other hand, without any real evidence it's certainly unfair, if not libelous, to say someone's selling a stolen tuba.

If the industry could be persuaded to really care about this, it seems like the answer might be a complete registry of new tuba sales - distributors would take responsibility for getting reports from retailers with serial number and 'sold to' name and contact information. Then for provenance, you start at the beginning with good information and work forward, rather than asking someone you don't trust for the information you need to work backward. Whole lotta work for the distributors to take on out of the goodness of their hearts, though.

[TheHatTuba]

.

[Donn]

45SLP modifications along those lines have been common practice, because the factory 5th doesn't well for most hands, true?

[TheHatTuba]

.

[Nick Lukefahr]

A quick search of the phone number shows this guy sells lots of things dirt cheap... like iphones, ipods, regular smartphones, and ti-nspire calculators... you know... those little electronics that so frequently can 'disappear' from peoples lives. I would be very weary of even considering this offer. I almost want deal with him to the point where he tells me which street corner to pick it up on at 2am and where to leave the dufflebag of cash.

(Or maybe I'm just being judgemental)

[Donn]

A quick search of the phone number shows this guy sells lots of things dirt cheap...

That's funny, I don't see all that stuff - an IPod, but that's the only electronics. And ironically he's trying to sell a King 606 trombone for $300 ("really hate to sell so cheap, but ...") Looks like he's storing this stuff at various locations.

Maybe **** or get off the pot.

I can't fit the metaphor to the situation very well, maybe you could draw a diagram?

If that tuba was stolen from its rightful owner, as some people seem to think, then I'd like to see that person find out about it. No ****!

[MikeMason]

If it was a tuba I liked better,I would have already bought it...