Posted by Sean Chisham on June 10, 1999 at 09:51:11:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: PT7P VS Neptune piston posted by Bayman on June 10, 1999 at 09:33:14:
I am not sure of ALL the choices 25 years ago, but from playing some older horns and the horns of today, I would vote that todays instruments are better and more diverse overall.
The B&S example is not really the best example. This is like comparing a St Petersburg price to a Miraphone price, even though the instruments are of similiar design. The older B&S's were made in a communist economy with low cost labor and being bought with a comparitively stronger US dollar. Of course it was going to be cheaper. Today, B&S is made in a capitalist environment by a country with a much stronger economy then 25 years ago. The prices will go up.
I will grant you that sole distributorships here in the US are a bad thing for consumers' wallets. Sole distributorship does allow for some controls over quality though. Can you imagine someone like Yamaha play testing every professional grade horn which comes off their assembly lines?
The point of taking a vacation instead of paying US distributorship prices is a very good one. For the cost of some of the higher markup tubas one could take a week long trip to the country which has the factory and pick out a horn to bring back with you. Even after shipping, plane tickets, hotel, lodging, and duty you would still come out ahead!
Although I don't like the "sticker shock" of some of these horns, I can't argue with the quality difference between them and their next closest competitors, which may cost $3000-7000 less. Does the quality drive the price up? Does the price drive the quality up? I don't know the answers.
sean