Posted by Kevin T on February 22, 2002 at 23:35:32:
In Reply to: Testing Out Horns--HELP!!! posted by SkyviewTuba on February 22, 2002 at 23:17:13:
I'm also looking to buy a horn in the near future, and have been doing a lot of research :). Many of the better sellers of either new/used horns (ie dillon, brasswind, etc) do offer their trial period of a week or more, so if you decide to ship one in, you'd pay the full cost fo the horn, try it out, and send it back if not satisfied. you get full refund, minus cost to ship out and back. So its not like whatever horn you buy will be your only chance as long as you're willing to spend a few $ on shipping just in case....In regards to horns, if it's your first horn, and it sounds like you plan on it being a lifelong horn (lol) go for a C, unless you just play as a hobby. often times theyre much better built and can hold up better over the long haul, assuming you take proper care of it. From what I've learned on here, the Mirafone 188's play very well w/ great intonation (that is currently one of my prime prospects), but I've had many suggestions of trying out a Conn 56J. They're the new "hot" horn on the market and are the favorites of lots of people. Also if you look at Mirafones, look at the used ones preferablyover newer ones (if in good shape). The newer Mirafones aren't built quite as solid as the older, and the metal is a bit thinner as well. Hope this helps, if anyof it is wrong feel free to correct me all you tuba gurus :)