Posted by Jay Bertolet on February 21, 1999 at 13:09:25:
In Reply to: when to buy posted by JJ on February 20, 1999 at 22:31:53:
You are in a very precarious position. Since you haven't played in a long time, you won't be in a real good position to evaluate any instrument even if you had access to them. You could have a professional in the area pick a tuba out for you but nobody other than yourself can tell you what tuba is going to feel best to you. I think it may be a very good idea to wait. I agree with the previous post in that you should see if you can rent/borrow a tuba from the music department where you are going to school. Spend your time getting your playing in order so that when you do have the money, you'll be ready to evaluate tubas effectively.
When that time comes, buy the tuba that works best for you. Don't let people tell you that you have to spend a ton of money to get a good instrument. Also, don't let folks tell you that a cheap tuba will fall apart. If you maintain a tuba properly, they will last a very long time. Just remember that for resale purposes, a more expensive tuba is probably going to be worth more in a few years than a cheap one. So the real decision after you find the tuba that works for you is figuring out if you'll ever be inclined to try to upgrade. If so, you may want to stick to the more established (and expensive) models. If you intend to keep the tuba yourself, then resale doesn't matter and you should buy exactly what feels best to you. Good luck!