Posted by Tim Cary on June 02, 1999 at 12:13:55:
In Reply to: Buy or not? posted by Phyllis on June 02, 1999 at 11:52:09:
Before buying a horn, use the school horn (bad condition seems to be a common condition for school tubas), and let her decide if she wants to continue tuba playing. You might also want to speak with the band director to see if he will get the tuba checked out for playibility, such as getting the horn cleaning, new corks, repair of any broken braces, etc. If it is something that she really wants to do, a good BBb four valve horn can be found used for $2500. This may seem like a lot of money (it is), but when you consider that a good double french horn runs new for about the same price, it really isn't that bad. Also, if she decides to study music, it would be good for her to have her own horn, as even the tubas owned by some of the major music schools really aren't that good either (beaten up, abused, etc.). It is also not that unusal anymore for tuba students to own their own horn, or even 'casual' tubists to own their own horns. Ownership at least makes sure that one always has a horn and isn't dependent on borrowing and begging for a horn to use.