M&M Jinbao Euphonium (Review?)

[Bob Bigalard]

I recently ordered a compensating euphonium from M&M. The buying experience was good enough, there was a little confusion on the tracking number. It arrived at my house in a double-layered box with the case stuck in some styrofoam. The case looked good enough, it has about 5 inches of foam surrounding the horn and some unusable backpack straps. When I got out the euphonium itself the first thing I noticed was some blemishes on the finish. (some black spots on the silver euphonium) I checked all the slides, they all came out with little effort, but the valves seemed very slow even after I played it for an hour and oiled and cleaned them multiple times. The tone was not good either, sounding slightly stuffy. I took it in to my local music repair shop and they said that there were little grooves in the valves that slowed them down. They said that this is a serious manufacturer's defect and that we should return it or else get some new valves. Well I did return it and payed the return shipping ($130) and the kind folks at M&M (sarcasm) said that the euphonium was damaged during shipping and they refused to give us a full refund. Luckily, good old Paypal stepped in and saw that we had indeed shipped it back and demanded that they give me a refund.
Please tell me, do all Jinbao euphoniums play like this, or did I get a bad one? I did notice that the euphonium was still wrapped in plastic from the factory. It may not have been checked before it was shipped it from M&M. The point is, unless you want a very stressful customer experience, you should not deal with M&M because of their bad business practices. Instead, consider going to a more reputable dealer who actually tries out the horns before he sends them out.

[Michael Bush]

Well, since this is about a sponsor, this thread is toast.

In answer to your question, you got a bad one, and had a bad experience getting it.

But FWIW, searching a bit around here would clarify for you from whom you can buy these instruments and be happy with the instrument and the experience.

http://www.mackbrass.com

http://www.wessex-tubas.com

I am not a shill and receive no benefit from saying that I have dealt with both of these companies and have not regretted doing so in any way.

[Dubby]

What he said^^^
I've had my wessex euphonium for about 11 months and have had no problems with it. Valves are smooth, tone is light, finish was great. And I've had nothing but good service from Jonathon whenever I've had a question about my horn. As to M&M, no clue what they do before it's shipped, but I'd say you probably just had rotten luck.

[ufonium2]

You got a bad one. I have no experience with M&M, but years ago I bought a Schiller that was obviously factory-fresh (and that's not a good thing)and needed some setup before it would play properly. After that setup it was a solid euphonium, but it would've been nice had the distributor handled that.

I'm in the process of buying a tuba from Wessex, and I went to their Michigan location and played a bunch of horns. From talking to Andy and seeing the operation, I have no doubt that they inspect and play everything they sell. Again, I have no experience with M&M, so I can't speak to whether this is the case with them or not.

[Bob Bigalard]

Yes, I did return it within the trial period.
I am done dealing with M&M and plan to eventually get one from Mack Brass or buy a used euphonium. (Yamaha 321, anyone?)
Thank you for your feedback