Posted by wag on July 12, 2001 at 12:07:15:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Rudy 4/4 CC for sale posted by Joe S. on July 11, 2001 at 22:54:05:
The average kid now-a-days gets offered a credit card when their fries are being Super-sized, but if they take those credit cards they're not spending that money on tubas. As a retailer you must know this, you've already pretty much stated this. As proud as we all are about ourselves as tuba-ists and as proud and jealous as we all are about the community of tuba players, its still a fact that, overall, the tuba market in general is just NOT high-brow in the same fashion as so many other instrument markets are, and this fact is reflected in our relative cost of equipment when compared to other instruments. This fact is underscored by sentiments like "the big problem is just that tubas are so darned expensive..." Earlier Joe, you suggested (as if it were a "bad" thing), that it may be someone's "best interest for the perception of the value of a given horn to be as high as possible." Please Joe, if anything it should be in YOUR best interest, whether you claim to sell tubas or not! Please Joe, (if I may presume to speak for students who need to sell horns, or for hobbiests who may buy and/or sell a couple of horns) leave us OUT of your personal cynic-fest. In this thread you've managed to offend (among others I am sure) students from one of the top studios in the west, the principal tubist for one of the top orchestras in the world, and a certain verbose hobbiest from CA known to frequent this bbs. This in a manner that became pointedly and intentionally personal and offensive, all the while claiming you are "not bitter at all." Not one of us on this bbs has EVER wondered out loud about your pricing of Weril tubas being 20 to 30% higher than what other retailers are known to charge. And I personally had bitten my tongue in the past when you'd publicly proclaim that you carry Willson tubas but do not advertise the fact...well, do you sell a lot of these horns? I know you claim to make them available as a service, but all cynicism and sarcasm aside, I am just trying to be helpful. I am not attempting to "bust your chops", no, not at all. After all, you've chosen to advertise your wares here, so you open yourself up to discussions about price. How's that for sounding familiar? Oh, here is a heart-felt tip: there are two other LARGE retailers in the U.S. that show a lot of class when they're the subjects of criticism on this BBS. To the credit of Fred and Vince, these guys show a measure of class by not retorting or responding. They also don't offer unsolicited advice in a public forum. They're smart, and know how their bread is buttered. They sell tubas. You say you don't. Sorry.