paying for a horn

[iiipopes]

Doc's last point is a most worthy one. In addition to my tuba and semi-resident souzy, I have numerous guitars and basses as well as other instruments. One of the most expensive is a custom fanned fret bass I designed and had built from scratch so I could play without old injuries biting back and cramping me up. It is arguably my most expensive instrument, and because of its nature, probably the least salable. But it has also made more money from gigs than all the rest of them put together.

So cost of an instrument, in the abstract, is not by itself really a good indicator as to whether you should purchase it, once the issue of the ability to purchase it is sorted out. I wouldn't say never, but the chances of me performing paid gigs with my tuba are slim bordering on none, so I invested in that aspect accordingly.

[Casey Tucker]

ok, well here's my current situation:

Doc, there's no fooling you. i am indeed a college freshman, 19 years old at SHSU. at this point in time I have not had the kind of job with a 401K plan. actually, i just got a job at a coffee shop to start saving for the horn. i'm still weighing my options at this point. i had a chat with my parents and they weren't thrilled at the thought of a loan seeing that they pay my tuition. but they did say that i was an option. my parents are pretty open minded and realize that, even though it's a luxury instrument, it will eventually become a necessary one in the long run and (depending on how you look at it) it's an investment. we're calling my CC an investment also. i've been EVERYWHERE with that horn and i would expect the F to do the same. anyways, they said if we did the loan they would still pay for half (which, in this case, means half of the loan) and half of the interest (w/e that turns out to be). but, like i said, im stilling thinking about it. i am working and saving and our brass quintet has a few wedding and church gigs, not to mention a few paying musicals. maybe by the time i make a decision i'll have enough cash to persuade me away from loan. thanks for all of the advice everyone. it has helped a great deal.

-casey

[tclements]

The best way is just good old fashioned greenbacks. Sellers LOVE the cash. Frequently, someone will bargain down just to have the bills. Getting a personal loan from your bank is a good way. If I need some quick cash (and don't want to take it out of savings) I just ask my banker (who knows me well). She will just lay the money on me against my line of credit. If you are a good customer, you can FREQUENTLY ask for a better rate and they will give you a 1/2 point or a point lower, if you ask nicely. Once, I borrowed some money from my folks; we made a contract and laid out a payment plan. This worked great. Sometime, if you know the seller, you can work out a deal with him/her. I have done this in the past with people I trusted; it doesn't hurt to ask, you might get surprised. Good Luck.