Re: Re: A very interesting dilemma...


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Posted by SHS Tubamaster on April 09, 2003 at 19:13:55:

In Reply to: Re: A very interesting dilemma... posted by Doug on April 09, 2003 at 09:25:55:

An update-my band director might relent if a few more days with the Jupiter produce hideous results. It has all the classic indications of Jupiter "quality"-when we get the main slide out enough to "tune" the horn, it falls out of the horn. I can see it now-the long, slow whole-note tuba-piccolo solo in the beginning of one of our contest numbers rudely interrupted by the slide falling out and making a general racket(it's a very quiet solo). Ratings go in the general direction of spit in the 187-straight down. It's not really a concern,though, because you can't hear it anyway. You're right-there is almost no similarity. My band director just wanted the shiny finish and the upright bell. I guess it's better than making him play the 1917 Buescher or Conn 10J uprights. That's about all our school has, not counting another 378 and the 20J's. The Jupiters are the only concert horns that have any semblance of shine, not counting sousaphones, that the school owns. Money in the band goes towards other sectional needs, like new timpani and a new set of chimes for our percussion and new marching trombones, which got beat up anyway.
The only tuba purchases this year were 2 King 2350 sousas, which suffered the same fate as the trombones, the money from which could have probably bought 2 new Miraphones, even though the sousas we had worked perfectly. This is no small purchase, with the prices of horns from our local dealer. Just as long as the concert tubas make a sound, no matter how bad, it is the opinion that we don't need new ones. We could easily have gone a year with one new sousaphone and had the 20j's refurbished. Maybe I should just bring this up at the next Band Boosters meeting. Inevitably, though, they'll decide to get Jupiters again, them being the cheapest horn the shop sells, even though better horns for reasonable prices are only 100 miles away in South Bend.

SHS"thinking that sometimes loyalty to a bad thing is a bad thing"Tubamaster

P.S.-Sorry about the big ramble above. I'm not sure I was thinking coherently.






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