Plastic Chinese Tuba

[Craig Garner]

...and it comes in Purple....and PINK!! It's like buying a B-flat Unicorn.

[Bob Kolada]

I've played/owned plenty of Chinese instruments that I've liked, but I've also been on the trombone forum enough to have some misgivings about that particular dealer.

[Dan Schultz]

Terry... I'll bet they will give YOU a deal if you buy five of 'em!

[aqualung]

Lacquered plastic?

[Dan Schultz]

Lacquered plastic?

Organic lacquer isn't as chemically "hot" as the synthetic stuff.

Depends on the type of plastic, too. Lacquer doesn't do well on recycled milk jugs!

[Rick F]

There's been a P-bone, so now there's a P-euph... or should I say a P.U.?

[Bombardonier]

The website does not provide the details, but it looks like the euphonium has a non-compensating 4th valve?

[Donn]

I'd wait to make any claim like that.

If we're taking bets, though, I'd put my money on the Stealth Tuba.

[chronolith]

I am trying to think of an engineering example of any system that includes plastic on plastic moving parts, is not minuscule, is reasonably airtight, and is largely accepted and successful. I will defer to the engineer heads around here. I hope for something from the plumbing world.

I find the idea of a 100% plastic tuba to be somewhere between viable alternative and mildly amusing side project. Part of me rejects it utterly but another part of me sees a scenario where buckets of affordable spare parts are kept on hand and simply replaced as necessary without spending much in the way expertise, time, or cash... up to and including a 100% (every part of the horn) replacement scenario.

I like the idea of a sticker on a tuba that says 100% recycled plastic.

[toobagrowl]

One word of warning: Playing a full sized tuba this light may affect your
judgement : "the horn Brian made is every bit as good as my Alex and Mirafones."

It is true. It has the 3 notes that need alternate fingerings, but that is manageable.

So you finally found a remedy for the supposed 40-cents flat G?

I agree that there is a future for plastics (and other materials) for making good "brass" instruments.

[Alex C]

OK, God news.
I got a message in broken english saying, "one is sending out next week to the Brook mays co."

I'll bet they plan to use the plastic tuba as a magnet at the TMEA Convention after the new year. The novelty of it will draw a crowd, too.

[Bob Kolada]

That's a little mind bending but not too wonky- my old Conn Giant Eb needed low D played 234...

[Alex C]

Edited::::: Attention all you Texans:
The tuba will be comming to the Dallas warehouse next week
and it will need playing !
They're at 8605 Carpenter Freeway Dallas Tx 75247 214 905-8614.

Apparently not. I've talked to two different people at the store this week and nobody knows anything. "We are getting a plastic trumpet, though," didn't do much for me.

[butch]

$1300 for a probable piece of junk? Wish someone would buy one and tell us about it

http://www.rheinsoundmusic.com/products ... d=1&sid=61

It might be cheaper here:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/p ... 61154.html

Butch

[Dan Schultz]

I wish the Asians would quit the marketing 'gimmicks' and all the introduction of new models and start concentrating on 'getting one right'. I don't think I want to look at just another cheap tuba.

[ghmerrill]

I wish the people (Asians or not) who market these instruments and pretend they're German would stop doing that -- or at least successfully mimic the typical errors that German-speakers make in writing English, rather than the typical errors that Asian language speakers typically make in writing English.

http://www.rheinsoundmusic.com/about.asp" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

A simple "These are inexpensive Chinese-manufactured instruments and you might like them if you try them." might be refreshingly sufficient. (Though these particular instruments don't appear to be all that inexpensive compared to Mack Brass, Wessex, and others.) I don't fault them for trying to sell their stuff. It's the pretense that's a bit irksome. But I suppose that's just marketing as usual, and they've learned it all from US marketeers -- another contribution of the US to world culture.